Sportspiel

Alasdair Hooper and Will Moulton host a special episode of SportSpiel all about Time to Talk Day. Joining the show to mark the day - held on February 4 - are British Olympic trap shooter Georgina Roberts as well as England and Northampton Saints rugby star George Furbank. Brought to you in association with The Mintridge Foundation and the Royal Agricultural University, also joining the show for this episode is Lewis Bebb, RAU's Student Union President, and Charlie McMenemy, the SU's Campaigns and Welfare Officer. During this episode our guests will explore the importance of Time to Talk Day as well as pick apart the issues of mental health awareness, particularly during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With so many of us having our lives completely changed, lockdown has had a huge mental health impact on everybody in one way or another. But ultimately throughout the conversation one point remains absolutely clear - it is always good to talk. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/S

Alasdair Hooper hosts the first SportSpiel episode of 2021 with Northampton Saints and England full-back George Furbank. The last 12 months have been quite the ride for the 24-year-old. Just under a year ago - January 20, 2020 to be exact – he received his first call up to the England squad for the Six Nations before making his debut against France for Eddie Jones’ side. After that rapid rise to the international setup he has become one of the players to watch – but of course this last year has been anything but smooth thanks to a certain global pandemic. To sum that up, the day we recorded this episode George was on his final day of self-isolation after a positive covid test – one of many positives that led to Northampton Saints temporarily having to close things down. That’s just one of a number of frustrations that many of us are finding ourselves living with now that we’re back in the third national lockdown. On this episode of the podcast George tells what it’s been like having to juggle s

Alasdair Hooper and Will Moulton host SportSpiel's Review of the Year 2020. The past 12 months have proven to be a year like no other - as major sporting events were cancelled and our lives were completely altered - but one constant has been the enjoyment of sport in our lives. For many of us it has kept us going and there have still been some fantastic highlights to look back on this year, despite the pandemic's unpredictability. In this episode Alasdair and Will look back on the year in sport as they talk through their nominees and winners in four categories - best sporting moment (10:25), most inspiring moment (27:03), team of the year (41:25) and athlete of the year (56:23). From the fantastic England Rugby performances, to Lewis Hamilton, to football coming back, these are SportSpiel's highlights of a truly unique year. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https:

Will Moulton hosts the latest episode of SportSpiel with GB Hockey stars Emily Defroand and Tess Howard. Like many athletes both Emily and Tess were gearing up towards Tokyo 2020, along with the rest of the GB Hockey team - a competition that would be the pinnacle of their careers. Of course, the global pandemic had other ideas with the Olympic Games postponed until next year. But rather than let that delay disillusion them, the GB squad have turned that into a huge positive. It means they will have another year to prepare to fight for a medal at consecutive Games. On this episode both Emily and Tess explain how they have used the time to educate themselves on social injustices and explore other passions outside of the playing field.  Both of them are part of the Women's Sport Trust's #UNLOCKED campaign and they have also each launched exciting individual projects - Tess' Freesolo Hockey, and Emily's popular Cuppa N Natter podcast. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpie

Changing Lives FC are a football team with a story.   Every training session, and during every game, you can hear around a dozen different languages – that’s because each member of the squad is a migrant, refugee or asylum seeker.   All of them have fled war, terror or they are in desperate search for a better life. They are all young men who would be extremely vulnerable if left to fend for themselves.   Joining us on this podcast is their manager David Simmons, a PE teacher living in Harlow, in Essex, who is also the founder of Changing Lives Community Services – a project dedicated to keeping vulnerable youngsters out of the hands of gangs and violence.   David is no stranger to extraordinary journeys – he was once threatened by a six-year-old with a knife, which is partly what motivated him to step up and make a difference.   But this football team has been a challenge like no other. Getting a group of players who don’t all speak the same language is difficult enough in itself but that’s made all the more

Will Moulton hosts this episode of SportSpiel with We are Girls in Sport founders Caroline Kings and Jo Wimble-Groves. The pair have an identical vision on the importance of sport to girls and that was how We are Girls in Sport was born in early 2020. The global movement looks to share the stories and remarkable achievements of girls and women in every sport you could possibly imagine. Put simply, you have to seem them to be them and through that ethos We are Girls in Sport are looking to increase the participation and retention of females in sport.  There has been such a growth in women's sport recently - now is the time to keep pushing it more than ever. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sportspielpod/ Get in touch: sportspielpod@gmail.com Visit our website: sportspielonline.com Credits Music: Otis McDonald

Will Moulton hosts this latest episode of The Women's Football Diary with Leicester City midfielder Remi Allen. In her third appearance on the podcast Remi reflects on the last few months as she returned to Leicester City 10 years after leaving the club where she first came through. Much has changed since then as Leicester are now a full-time professional outfit after being taken over by King Power and coming under the same banner as the men. In this episode she takes us through the move back to her old team as well as leaving Reading without being able to say a proper goodbye. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sportspielpod/ Join the conversation on social media using #WomensFootballDiary Get in touch: sportspielpod@gmail.com Visit our website: sportspielonline.com Credits Image credit: With thanks to Remi Allen Music: Dan Henig

Alasdair Hooper hosts the latest episode of The Women's Football Diary with Aston Villa defender Anita Asante. The England international, and former Arsenal and Chelsea player, is one of the most successful players around but her journey has coincided with plenty of personal realisations along the way.   Right now she is homing in on the norm, or rather society’s perception of what is normal. That ranges from body image to the current situation around the Black Lives Matter movement and is why she says those perceptions need to change.   She’s had plenty of personal experience with going against the perceived norm - she knew herself that she was different from an early age, but it wasn’t until her football career took her outside of this country that she actually openly came out to her parents.   A large part of that was that word again – the norm. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Insta

Alasdair Hooper and Will Moulton host a special discussion episode on body image in women's sport, in association with The Mintridge Foundation and Limitless. Joining us to pick apart the issue and share their own experiences are Olympic gold medal-winning Great Britain hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh as well as England Rugby internationals Justine Lucas and Zoe Harrison. Body image is an incredibly complex issue that impacts so many in sport and society - and it's widespread. Just last week MPs warned that closing gyms during lockdown led to rise in people feeling insecure about their bodies. According to an online poll by the Women and Equalities Committee two-thirds of under-18s and 61 per cent of adults feel negative or very negative about their body image most of the time. Throughout this discussion so many things come to light - the problems with kit, the pressure to look a certain way and also the stereotype for women that being muscly means you might be gay. But ultimately there

Alasdair Hooper hosts the fourth episode of The Women's Football Diary with West Ham United defender Maz Pacheco. The USA scholarship system has long been a huge draw for promising women’s footballers in this country – but Pacheco did things her own way.   Eleven days after signing for West Ham in the summer, the left-back graduated from Sheffield University with a law degree. That was the culmination of three years of incredibly hard work.    A law degree is no easy feat anyway but it was made much harder by the fact she was playing professionally for Reading in the WSL during those last two years. But at the heart of that dedication, other than obviously wanting it for herself and her family, was to prove to other players that you didn’t have to go the States to get an education and play football.   Pacheco herself even turned down a scholarship at Harvard in order to pursue her career at home. Ultimately that decision also shows the pull power the WSL has in this country – not only is the league attract

Alasdair Hooper hosts the third episode of The Women's Football Diary with former Wolfsburg, PSG and FC Rosengard forward Ella Masar. Masar is currently on one of the biggest journeys of her life right now as she currently gets to grips with being a mum for the very first time alongside her partner, Real Madrid defender Babett Peter. Their son was born earlier in September and, just as with any new parents, it is sure to be challenge particularly with the small matter of a global pandemic still going on in the background. But Masar has already experienced massive challenges in her life – from struggling to accept her own sexuality by the age of 25 to the difficulties presented in her teenage years where money was tight, and her mum was battling with bipolar disorder. But throughout it all Masar has always held on during the tough times for that light at the end of the tunnel. In this podcast we spoke a matter of days before the US international was due to give birth and it’s clear just how much t

Alasdair Hooper hosts the second episode of The Women's Football Diary with Reading and former Chelsea defender Deanna Cooper. In the podcast, Cooper reflects on her journey in football from being a 'nobody' in football to becoming the surprise package of the WSL Spring Series for Chelsea. But after that high came a devastating ACL injury which ruled her out for a majority of the following season - and it proved difficult to break back into the Blues' starting XI. Now with her new side, Cooper has grown a lot as a player and person as Reading aim to push to new heights with a wealth of impressive signings. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sportspielpod/ Join the conversation on social media using #WomensFootballDiary Get in touch: sportspielpod@gmail.com Visit our website: sportspielonline.com Credits Image credit: With thanks to Deann

Alasdair Hooper hosts the first episode of The Women's Football Diary with Wales' record goalscorer Helen Ward. In an open conversation the Watford captain tells us about her career, including the biggest challenge of them all - motherhood. The 34-year-old is a mum of two and also explains just how tough it was to get back to playing after becoming a mum in the first place. Ward also tells us about life in lockdown and how the Welsh setup has changed in her time with the national team. She also talks about Watford's aims for the season and how body image issues in women's football have gone under the radar. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sportspielpod/ Join the conversation on social media using #WomensFootballDiary Get in touch: sportspielpod@gmail.com Visit our website: sportspielonline.com Credits Image credit: With thanks to NA

Will Moulton hosts this latest episode of SportSpiel with Scotland Rugby stars Rhona Lloyd and Sarah Bonar. Alongside their exploits in rugby the duo are also known for hosting the Women Who Sport podcast, designed to raise the platform and showcase the journeys of talented women in sport. In this episode the pair take us through their sport and what makes it truly inclusive for everyone regardless of their body size as well as touching on their own personal careers. They also talk about the aims of Women Who Sport and what platform the podcast has given them. Messages Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SportSpielPod/ Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sportspielpod/ Get in touch: sportspielpod@gmail.com Visit our website: sportspielonline.com Credits Image credit: With thanks to Rhona Lloyd and Sarah Bonar Music: Otis McDonald

Open water swimmer Alice Dearing is often asked the same questions about being the black swimmer from Britain.   According to figures from Sport England, 95% of black adults and 80% of black children in England do not swim. Meanwhile just 1% of registered competitive swimmers with Swim England identify as black or mixed race.   Those numbers mean that 23-year-old Alice has essentially become the poster girl for black swimming.   It’s a role she takes in her stride. She co-founded the Black Swimming Association in March this year and has teamed up with SOUL CAP, a black-owned brand that creates larger swimming caps for those with larger hair.   In light of the Black Lives Matter movement too, questions about race and equality are rightly on the agenda. For Alice that means talking about those issues whenever it arises but it’s something that shouldn’t really exist in the first place.   In this podcast Alice also takes us through her most challenging moment when she was taken off of funding and left the nationa

When you ask Livvy Breen what her biggest challenge has been the answer is almost like a reflex - Rio 2016   Going into those Paralympic Games, Livvy was one of the breakout stars to watch but things didn’t exactly go to plan.   Yet from that lowest low came her highest high. The Rio experience led to her changing coach, changing her training location and essentially changing her life. 10 months later she became World Champion.   These days Livvy is one of the most recognisable British athletes and has been a fighter right from day one.   But even with the weird circumstances we find ourselves in right now with all things coronavirus, even now the 24-year-old is doing what she can to raise awareness.   Her particular focus right now is on face masks, something we all have to get used to, but face masks make it very difficult if you’re deaf and reliant on lip reading, just like Livvy.   In this episode Livvy takes us through these important issues, the high and lows of her career and she explains why you shoul

This weekend's episode of SportSpiel is a little bit different - but arguably one of our most important shows. On July 10 we hosted a live panel organised by our wonderful charity partners The Mintridge Foundation as part of their 28NotOut campaign – all about Mental Health and sport. The event was held to raise money for the Max Hunter fund, and Max was a hugely important person to a lot of people. Tragically last year he died by suicide at the age of just 28. So that was one of the aims of this live panel – to normalise the conversations around mental health and the benefit of sport. Helping us do that were four amazing panellists. First up we had England Rugby and Leicester Tigers star Dan Cole who told us about some of his own experiences as well as plenty of rugby conversation along the way – from the highs of the 2019 World Cup to the lows of the 2015 tournament and battles with injury. As well as Dan we were also joined by psychotherapist Gemma Saggers, Liam Durkin from the Papyrus ch

Alasdair Hooper and Will Moulton host this special episode with former cricketer Patrick Foster as part of The Mintridge Foundation’s #28NotOut – raising money for the Max Hunter Fund. This is one of the most eye-opening and honest accounts we have ever hosted on this podcast as Patrick takes us through his journey with a severe gambling addiction. It’s an addiction that has plagued his life for years and drove him to the brink of suicide. But it all changed with a truly vital phone call to his brother – and that’s what led him down the road to recovery. Now the ambassador for The Mintridge Foundation uses his experiences to educate others to the dangers and also to push for a greater understanding of mental health. That’s the overall message we want to send as part of #28NotOut – to normalise these types of conversations. Messages For more information on #28NotOut click here Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/SportSpielPod?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sp

Katie Taylor needs no introduction to sports fans.    The two-weight World Champion is a boxing pioneer, transcends her sport in ways few can match and has inspired thousands of people.   One of those thousands was a 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers footballer who dreamt of playing for Arsenal - Gráinne Walsh.   After meeting Taylor, the now 24-year-old was inspired to take up the sport and, just four years later, they were competing on the same team as each other. It's the perfect example of how a role model can change what you want from life. Gráinne's own career is also picking up pace after winning bronze at the 2019 European Games in Minsk.  The dream is now very much centred on Olympic qualification - a dream that remains alive after a ruptured thumb ligament in January this year. For Gráinne, she was incredibly thankful when Tokyo 2020 became Tokyo 2021. Messages For tickets and information about our #28NotOut event with England Rugby star Dan Cole click here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/28-not-ou

Depression, anxiety, stress and self-doubt – these are just some of your mind’s monsters. It’s something Hazel Gale is all too familiar with, having been plagued by her doubting voice during her boxing and kickboxing career. The voice is one thing, but it’s the impact it has on the rest of the body that proved to be her undoing. Hazel was petrified of looking weak and that fear took over. It resulted in overtraining, chronic fatigue, stress and depression. Eventually boxing ‘broke her’. Today, Hazel is a cognitive hypnotherapist having discovered the form of therapy when she was at her lowest. She’s also the author of the book The Mind Monster Solution: How to overcome self-sabotage & reclaim your life. She’s now in a position to help others tame their own mind monsters, but it’s been a long road to get to this position. Messages For more information on cognitive hypnotherapy and Hazel’s book you can do so here - https://hazelgale.com/ For tickets and information about our #28NotOut e