WELCOME to
THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND.
Sharp coverage of the world's game for the thinking fan.
In a modern football world that seems to run on “G/A” statistics and canned banter, what does a newsletter and podcast for the thinking fan look like?
Smart conversations with some of the biggest names and greatest minds in football.
In-depth reporting from on the ground at marquee stadiums + more in the FEATURES section.
Thoughtful commentary on current affairs across the football landscape.
THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND is about the stories of the game, not the statistics: the history of a rivalry, a behind-the-scenes look at a club and its culture, or just a healthy dose of Narrative before the ball gets rolling.
That doesn’t mean we’ll never mention goals or assists — we’ll just talk about why they matter.
Across eight years as an editor at Esquire magazine here in New York, there wasn’t too much time for football stories. But I snuck in a few, like a feature on the U.S. Men’s National Team heading into the World Cup and a trip to Qatar to cover the tournament on the ground.
When Diego Maradona died, I wrote the obituary, and the highlight of my time at the magazine was an interview with Pelé, a job that fell to a 24-year-old editorial assistant because I was the football fan on staff.
While I still do some magazine work (like a recent interview with Christian Pulisic in GQ), I always wanted to cover the game more regularly. Now I’ve found a way to cover it every week.
But what can you expect from THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND?
1. The Friday morning podcast where a special guest drops by to preview the biggest match across world football over the coming weekend.
It might be a famous old rivalry, like the Superclásico or the North London derby. Or it might just be a title bout in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A, and beyond:
Some notable guests so far:
⚽︎ Clive Tyldesley
⚽︎ Robbie Earle
⚽︎ Derek Rae
⚽︎ Kasey Keller
⚽︎ Ian Darke
⚽︎ Stephen Warnock
⚽︎ Carl Anka
⚽︎ Jon Champion
⚽︎ Stu Holden
2. In the FEATURES section, you’ll find interviews with serious players past and present:
3. Plus in-depth reporting from on the ground at the game’s marquee stadiums.
Alongside fun dispatches from unusual corners of the football planet, there’s the CATHEDRALS series:
4. And thoughtful commentary on current affairs across world football.
Once you’re signed up, you’ll get new stories in your inbox for free.
But you can also help keep this train running for the price of a pint:
This kind of original storytelling takes resources. If this work is something you value, you can make more of it happen when you join up as a member.
—Jack
