If we’re being honest, there are too many podcasts out there. But if you’re looking for a new one to listen to, we can’t think of a better one than The Football Podcast by WePlayStrong, the first-ever UEFA women’s soccer podcast.
Most soccer podcasts are hosted by talking heads who either cover the game or played the game long ago, and most soccer podcasts focus on the men’s game. This podcast is different.
Featuring current WoSo superstars Shanice van de Sanden and Nadia Nadim plus Dutch street ball legend Rocky Hehakaija, The Football Podcast is created by the players themselves as they discuss issues prominent in their game, from the equal pay debate to misogyny in social media.
Van de Sanden, a Wolfsburg and Netherlands winger, and Nadim, a PSG and Denmark midfielder who plans to become a surgeon when she retires from soccer, are joined by host Hehakaija, while special guests are included each episode. Megan Rapinoe is a guest in the third episode while Pernille Harder, Sari van Veenendaal and Kenza Dali are also in the lineup.
“We wanted to create the first women’s football podcast that is genuinely made by the players, for the players,” Hehakaija said. “Shanice, Nadia and I have all faced challenges whilst pursuing careers in the sport that we love, both individually and collectively as women. Throughout the series, we hope to support young girls who are starting their journeys and encourage them to never give up.”
The podcast dropped last week, and three episodes are currently available, with at least three more planned to be released soon. You can listen on Spotify or Apple Music or watch on YouTube.
Have you listend to the The Football Podcast yet? What do you think? Let us know using the hashtag #WePlayStrong
— The Women’s Football Channel (@WePlayStrong_) December 7, 2020
Included among the topics discussed in the first six episodes: exploring the evolution of women’s football in a crowded sports landscape, breaking down stereotypes and discussing whether adjustments to pitch, goal and ball size could have a positive or negative impact, players revealing the common insults they experience on social media and how this has impacted their performance on the pitch, looking at the best coaching environments to help steer girls to the top of the game, reviewing the most debated topic in women’s football — equality and, finally, noting how menstrual cycles can affect players’ training and match performance.
If that doesn’t have you intrigued, you probably don’t like soccer.
