Stadio: A Football Podcast

Stadio: A Football Podcast is Musa Okwonga and Ryan Hunn talking through the weekend in football, with the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Madrid derby all turning up in the recent run of titles. The structure barely changes. Almost every episode opens on the same exchange, 'Ryan, how are you doing?', answered with 'Doing all right, thanks man', and a wish that everyone listening is staying safe and well wherever they are. In one episode the reply is a complaint about fighting for life against a pollen attack. Then comes the admin. It might be a Patreon push with a discount on the first month, a merch drop that includes a Spiritually Onside t-shirt and cap, a Stadio 26 t-shirt and an orange logo tote, or news of a Discord hangout for members. There is also a partnership with Kickback Soccer that has each host appearing on one of that outfit's podcasts about once a month. Only after that does the football start. The recent titles give a fair picture of the range. 'The Biggest Premier League weekend of the season so far?' sits beside 'Southampton's special FA Cup quarterfinal weekend', 'What do Tottenham Hotspur do now?' and 'Finals, derbies and other bragging rights'. One heading reads 'Arsenal and Crystal Palace’s late shows, Atleti win the Madrid derby and more!', and another is 'Marie-Louise Eta makes history (again) and the Premier League title race heats up'. What the two hosts do with a weekend is the interesting part. In a title-race episode the most animated stretch is a slow walk through an offside call around the hour mark. One host argues that even with the run held the pace still wins, the angle still opens and the goal still goes in, so a 2-1 there means at least a draw, which in turn drains the interest from an Arsenal and City fixture because the points would no longer be needed. That host counts two crucial offsides in the space of a week and lands on a plain verdict: these are the margins. A disclaimer follows about not going after anyone in particular, and the other host replies that no caveat or apology is needed. The exchange is the show in miniature, close on detail and generous in tone. The wider frame is seasonal, a crucial point at which everything that has gone before is accumulating at once. The free feed is ad-supported. Members on Patreon get every episode ad-free and in full, along with bonus episodes, a newsletter, and the Stadio Social Club with its Discord, live watch-alongs and merch discounts.