The Guardian’s award-winning sports podcast Football Weekly has announced its second live tour in November, taking place across five cities in the UK and Ireland.
Football Weekly, hosted by radio presenter Max Rushden and sports journalist Barry Glendenning, is The Guardian’s longest-running series and one of the publisher’s most popular podcasts. The first live tour took place in 2022 and was attended by almost six thousand fans.
In addition to the live show tour, The Guardian also announced that Football Weekly will be releasing its very first book, titled The Football Weekly Book, on 28 September which contains jokes, analysis, as well as illustrations by Guardian football cartoonist David Squires. The book, edited by sports journalist Jonathan Wilson with the hosts as consulting editors, is now available for pre-order through the Guardian Bookshop.
“I wasn't sure this book was going to be any good, but I didn't want to not be involved in case it was,” said Rushden. “I hadn't seen it until Dr. Karl Kennedy from Neighbours brought his copy to the pub and it turns out it's way better than I thought it would be. I look forward to sitting behind a desk at the live tour ready to sign thousands of copies while people walk straight past me and go to the bar/ask Barry for a selfie.”
“From our first ideas meeting over an unappetising lunch at Borough Market, through the long litany of passive-aggressive WhatsApp messages and emails sent by Jonathan Wilson in his role as editor, to sitting at a desk in Guardian Towers signing 300 copies in one sitting, every step in the process of delivering this Football Weekly book has been an unequivocal joy,” said Glendenning.
“Going on tour in November ought to be even more of a pleasure and as a man of the people, I look forward to obsessively tidying backstage theatre green rooms across the UK and in Dublin while my less conscientious Football Weekly colleagues look on with detached bewilderment.”
There will be six shows in total as part of Football Weekly’s second live tour including London on 13 November, Bristol on 14 November, Manchester on 15 November, Dublin on 20 and 21 November, and Brighton on 22 November. Tickets for the live shows are currently on sale, although Bristol and Dublin are already sold out, and fans can also buy livestream tickets for the last show in Brighton to watch online.
On 26 September, hosts Rushden, Glendenning and Wilson will be speaking more about the book with football commentator Robyn Cowen during a special livestream event. Tickets for the event are also now available to purchase online.
“There are no blank pages so I don't think anybody could say I hadn't fulfilled my contract,” said Wilson.
