The first part of the above question might seem straightforward... and it is. But! There's a lot more going on. If a thousand people own a team, who makes the decisions? Why are fan-owned clubs becoming more popular? What's the difference between a breakaway club, a phoenix club and a supporter takeover? What are some of the biggest and/or best examples of fan-ownership? Graham, Ryan, and Taylor are together to answer all those questions and more! Sponsors! Today's episode is brought to you by... Shopify! Go to Shopify.com/soccer101 for a FREE fourteen day trial and get access to their entire suite of features. NetSuite! Head on over to NetSuite.com/sports to get started with their specialized financial packages.    The Soccer 101 theme, and plenty of other excellent music, can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

Soccer 101

#76 What are fan-owned clubs and how do they work?

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Graham Ruthven and Joe Lowery are talking balls. More specifically, the history and development of the humble soccer ball. From pig’s bladders to microchip-filled wonders, and everything in between, we’ve got it covered! This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN! Go to expressvpn.com/soccer to get 3 additional months for free!

#75 The comprehensive history of the soccer ball

Graham, Joe, Ryan and Taylor take a quick look at the history of commentary in soccer, before discussing their favorite play-by-play and color commentators and revealing their favorite-ever moments in punditry. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!! Today's episode is sponsored by NetSuite! Head on over to NetSuite.com/sports to get started with their specialized financial packages.  The Soccer 101 theme, and plenty of other excellent music, can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#74 The best (and least best) approaches to soccer commentary

Ryan is joined by Graham and Taylor to discuss the history of chanting and singing at football: how did it start, how has it evolved, why does it lend itself to problematic lyrics, and what are our favorites from history. There was a lot more singing than 2/3 of the podcast members were comfortable with, but hopefully that translates to 100% of listeners enjoying the episode! Today's episode is sponsored by NetSuite! Head on over to NetSuite.com/sports to get started with their specialized financial packages.  The Soccer 101 theme, and plenty of other excellent music, can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#73 "You're not singing anymore!" A brief history of chanting and singing in football

This episode of 101 fell in an international break, so Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Joe Lowery and Graham Ruthven are here to discuss the process of World Cup qualification. We run through how each of FIFA’s confederations determine their participants in soccer’s showpiece, and suggest some alternative methods that might be used. The Soccer 101 theme, and plenty of other excellent music, can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#72 How does World Cup qualification work? AFC, CAF, Concacaf, Conmebol, Oceania, and UEFA explained!

Graham Ruthven takes us through a history of Scottish football, from their role in helping develop and spread the game to The Three Kings era to a mythical time when they qualified for multiple World Cups in a row. But what's gone wrong since then, why has domestic football in Scotland suffered, and where can it go from here? Plus, pronunciation quizzes and Graham getting uncomfortable talking about his personal life! This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN! Go to expressvpn.com/soccer to get 3 additional months for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#71 Why isn't Scotland better at football, aka fitba?

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Graham Ruthven and Joe Lowery discuss Major League Soccer’s showpiece event, the All-Star Game! The gang look at its history, the events that surround it, and suggest some intriguing tweaks to the format…  Alternate title: Hey now, you’re an (MLS) All-Star (Game)! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#70 Everything you need to know about MLS All-Star Game, past, present and future

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Graham Ruthven and Joe Lowery talk about uniforms! When did they first appear in soccer, how did teams pick their colors and what are the modern economics of jersey sales? This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN! Go to expressvpn.com/soccer to get 3 additional months for free! This episode features (excellent) contributions from Charlotte FC midfielder Brandt Bronico, who is an ambassador for Soccer Resilience (soccerresilience.com), a sports mindset agency.

#69 The complete history of soccer kits

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Graham Ruthven and Joe Lowery look at what happens between seasons! Do players actually get any time off these days? If so, what do they do with it? And how do they get back up to speed when pre-season comes around?  This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN! Go to expressvpn.com/soccer to get 3 additional months for free! This episode features (excellent) contributions from Charlotte FC midfielder Brandt Bronico, who is an ambassador for Soccer Resilience (soccerresilience.com), a sports mindset agency.

#68 What do footballers do in the off-season?

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Taylor Rockwell, Graham Ruthven and Joe Lowery delve into the dark arts! What constitutes cheating in soccer? How innocuous—or serious—can it be? And what are some of the most famous examples from the history of the game? Sponsors! ExpressVPN! Go to ExpressVPN.com/soccer to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#67 Your Guide To Cheating In Soccer

On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey, Joe Lowery and Graham Ruthven are on hand to answer a listener’s question about Academy systems. What are they? Why do soccer teams have them? How many parallels do they hold with Harry Potter’s academic upbringing? Sponsors! ExpressVPN! Go to ExpressVPN.com/soccer to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#66 How do academy systems work?

Taylor is joined by Felipe Cardenas to break down Argentina's victorious campaign at the 2021 Copa America. Specifically, our goal is to figure out 1) why this silverware matters so much for the legacy of Lionel Messi, but also 2) how did this team put it all together to get their first winners' medals since 1993? Sponsors! ExpressVPN! Go to ExpressVPN.com/soccer to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#65 How did Argentina win the Copa America and how much does it mean for Lionel Messi?

On this week's episode, Taylor takes a deep (but brief) look at some different leagues and clubs around the world to determine 1) the actual requirements for a soccer pitch to be a soccer pitch but then 2) the most commonly used dimensions for professional soccer the world over. Plus, why are measurements different from country to country, and which leagues tend to have the biggest fluctuation in field size? Sponsors! ExpressVPN! Go to ExpressVPN.com/soccer to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#64 What is the ideal pitch size for a professional soccer game?

On this week's episode, Taylor takes a look at some of the iconic kit colors in international soccer and tries to get to the bottom of how they came to be. Nations discussed in this episode are Italy, Japan, Croatia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, and Australia. We mostly left out countries that pull their color scheme from the national flag, because otherwise that would make for a very short episode.  Sponsors! Manly Bands! Order your wedding band at ManlyBands.com/soccer and get 21% off, plus a free silicone ring! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#63 Why do the Dutch wear orange, the Italians blue, and the Australians gold? Explaining some of the iconic kit colors of international soccer

On this week's episode, Taylor breaks down two different senteces that are each chock full of soccer phrases and terms that are commonly used but not always commonly understood. Terms discussed/explained in this one: The zones on the pitch (specifically Zone 14) Parking the bus Down the channels Overlapping run Inverted winger The Mixer Half turn Sixes and sevens Professional foul vs Cynical foul - When to use which Under the cosh Unplayable Today's episode is brought to you by... ExpressVPN! Go to ExpressVPN.com/soccer to get an extra three months of ExpressVPN for free! The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com.

#62 Commentator terminology explainer: Zone 14, half turn, sixes and sevens, under the cosh, and many more!

The beautiful game, explained. Whether you're a soccer newbie looking to learn the basics, or a football fanatic desperate for deep-dive details, you'll find it here.

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Soccer 101

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