Sports
When Saturday Comes
Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
5 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
4 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
8 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Opinion Poles
The last Sunday in March was a windy day in Chingford, Essex. It was a Sunday gust that caught out Korona Redbridge in the first minute, as they concede a goal from a corner. Despite drawing level they lost their match in the Essex Sunday Corinthian League Division One to a goal scored from a free-kick. To some onlookers, biased as they may be, this had appeared offside.
3 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Screen junkies
In the first part of a three-page feature, we look at why video replays are accepted in other sports and the unique challenges that football needs to overcome to stop the technology wasting everyone’s time and money.
3 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Breaking the Rules
From penalties to substitutions and sin-bins, changes are afoot across all levels of the game. However, they will not be welcomed by all referees.
3 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Living on the Margins
Mergers could solve Copenhagen clubs’ struggles with a lack of fans, while one historic team are trying to cling on to their traditional support.
6 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Shot at Glory
No matter what level you play at, a cup final is a moment to enjoy – and a chance to mimic the pros, with club ties and even a pre-match warm-up.
3 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Maine Event
From the Kippax to the corporate boxes, watching from every stand of Manchester City’s old ground left one fan with lifelong memories.
3 min |
May 2017
When Saturday Comes
Uncomfortable Truth
At the end of April Sheffield United surprised many people by re-signing Ched Evans, who, following a retrial, has now been found not guilty of the rape charge for which he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
Flushing Meadow
Amid the anger at the stadium’s sale, wild rumours of future plans and disagreements over whether Leatherhead was too far for an indefinite period of groundsharing (there was a banner), Kingstonian’s final game at Kingsmeadow snuck up on many, K’s fans or otherwise.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
Top dogs
Easter weekend in Hamburg and, at a large kulturhaus called Kampnagel, one of the more inclusive football tournaments is starting.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
Triple Threat
The winners may have been predictable, and many of the owners dodgy, but there was plenty to enjoy in 2016-17.
10 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Shay Engine
After years of struggle to remain in it, Halifax are finally enjoying life outside the League.
3 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Moyes Don't Cry
Sunderland’s latest manager struggled from the start at the Stadium of Light, and relegation to the Championship is evidence of the club’s more long-term problems.
4 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Cathartic Release
Fifty years on from the demise of one of Scotland’s earliest champions, there is a hope that Third Lanark will return to the country’s senior leagues.
3 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Fighting An Uphill Battle
Many people make sacrifices to become professional footballers, but the mental strain it takes to block out everything else in life can cause long-term damage, especially when players reach retirement.
4 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Roman Legions
Below the world famous rivalry between the Italian capital’s biggest two teams are plenty of others battling to become the city’s “third” club, their histories full of struggles to establish themselves in a tough environment.
7 min |
July 2017
When Saturday Comes
Knowledge Sharing
England’s recent success at youth level has come off the back of the FA’s different approach to coaching, shunning star names and appointing low-key but experienced coaches from the lower-leagues.
4 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Practice Imperfect
Being paid to play football all day might sound like a great job to most of us, but for many players training sessions are seen as an unbearable chore.
3 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Scotland 2 England 2
The original international fixture has diminished in stature over the years and this time – just two days after a general election and amid heightened security – there is little bile between rivals at Hampden as the hosts try to salvage their hopes of, finally, reaching another World Cup.
8 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Focus On Mick channon
Raised in a rural village on Salisbury Plain, football became an outlet for a young Mick Channon after his elder brother died in a tractor accident.
2 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Inside Job
They often go unnoticed, existing simply to get you from A to B, but coach drivers are privy to all sorts of behind-the-scenes information.
5 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Sticking Together
Keep your eyes peeled and you will notice a new phenomenon of global football culture sweeping the streets.
4 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Money Talks
The era of Chinese clubs paying huge transfer fees for star players may be over, with the government wanting them to focus on youth development.
3 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Focus on albert Quixall
Focus on albert Quixall
2 min |
September 2017
When Saturday Comes
Stock Exchange
A star on his debut aged 15, John Bostock is now 25 and has played for ten different clubs – but he says that experience has made him stronger, and he is finally settling down abroad.
3 min |