Sport in History

Join us for the latest episode of the Sport in History Podcast as Max Portman talks to David Searle, former executive director of the University Boat race between Oxford & Cambridge which is due to take place this weekend in London for it's 171st edition this year.

In a in-depth interview, David reveals with much honesty how he got into rowing, the impact it has had on his life from a young age and how much the sport means to him both personally and professionally.

Max and David discuss a multitude of various subjects regarding the boat race, including its history, David's involvement in the running of the race and other aspects such as the cost, the technicalities of the race and much, much more!

Join this pair as they go out onto the waters of podcasting and learn plenty about a famous race that has global recognition from someone who ran it for over 10 years!!
Thia podcast is a British Society of Sports History (BSSH) production from the UK's leading society for the history of sport.. You can find the podcast on all social media & major podcast platforms here.

Likewise, Click through to the BSSH website for further information on our events and to find out how to join the British Society of Sport History: https://www.sportinhistory.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for a special edition of the Sports and Leisure History Seminar Series at Silverstone Museum as we host a discussion on the book Streaming the Formula 1 Rivalry: Sport and the Media in the Platform Age by Professors Raymond Boyle, Professor of Communications at the University of Glasgow and Richard Haynes, Professor of Media Sport in the Division of Communications, Media and Culture. The discussion was chaired by Michael Beddoes, motorsport historian, lecturer in Filmmaking at Birmingham City University and producer for Al Murray and James Holland’s YouTube channel WW2 Headquarters.

This talk wouldn't have been made possible if not for funding from the Institution of Historical Research's Seminar@ fund. For this, we give a HUGE thank you to the IHR.

This event coincided with the beginning of the 2026 Formula 1 Season and the release of the 8th season of the Netflix show Drive to survive, the hit series that has become integral to expanding Formula 1’s reach to a broader audience in recent years, and a key part of what the book discusses in detail throughout.
The talk is split in two halves. The first half is Richard and then Raymond giving brief talks on the book and their area of expertise, followed by the second half discussion with Mike on the book, F1, media and of course, Drive to Survive!

A must listen for all those interested in sports and entertainment media, Formula 1, motorsport and the relationship between sports and media in this social media age!!
Thia podcast is a British Society of Sports History (BSSH) production from the UK's leading society for the history of sport.. You can find the podcast on all social media & major podcast platforms here.

Likewise, Click through to the BSSH website for further information on our events and to find out how to join the British Society of Sport History: https://www.sportinhistory.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us on our latest episode as Max Portman interviews Alan McDougall, Lifelong Liverpool fan and Professor of History from the University of Guelph in Canada for his book Dreams and Songs to Sing: A People's History of Liverpool FC from Shankly to Klopp, published in September 2025 by Cambridge University Press. Dreams and Songs to Sing is a unique people's history of the triumphs and tragedies of one of the biggest teams in sport. From Shankly to Klopp, Alan McDougall takes us on a global tour of Liverpool FC's history, viewed through the eyes of the people who've been there all along: the supporters.

Written as a labour of love about Alan's beloved Liverpool, Max & Alan chat for a full 90 minutes, plus a full half of extra time about all things Liverpool over its history from its late 19th-century origins, the power of Billy Liddell in the 1950s and how Bill Shankly built an empire that was succesful for 30 years and is still felt today across world football.

Highlights from this episode include plenty of social history talking about the club, its supporters and the city of Liverpool as well as the thriving music scene of Liverpool that contains critically acclaimed bands such as the Beatles and the Real Thing, plus Alan showing off his rapping skills when asked about the Anfield Rap.

Well worth a listen for all lovers of Liverpool, football and historians of community and Britain.
Thia podcast is a British Society of Sports History (BSSH) production from the UK's leading society for the history of sport.. You can find the podcast on all social media & major podcast platforms here.

Likewise, Click through to the BSSH website for further information on our events and to find out how to join the British Society of Sport History: https://www.sportinhistory.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tanya Aldred (The Guardian) interviews ECB's Laura Entwistle, former international cricketer Laura MacLeod and journalist Raf Nicholson about the forthcoming Women's T20 World Cup which is being hosted this summer in England and Wales. The panelists discuss the potential for legacy, how the tournament will test the new women's domestic structure, and how we should measure the success of the World Cup.

This Q&A took place during the annual Cricket Research Network conference in Cambridge, which was kindly supported by the BSSH. To find out more about the Network, see our LinkTree https://linktr.ee/cricketresearchnetwork or follow us @cricketacademic on BlueSky.
Thia podcast is a British Society of Sports History (BSSH) production from the UK's leading society for the history of sport.. You can find the podcast on all social media & major podcast platforms here.

Likewise, Click through to the BSSH website for further information on our events and to find out how to join the British Society of Sport History: https://www.sportinhistory.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Months on from the book, A Most Unsuitable Game: Celebrating Scottish Women’s Football Fifty Years After the Ban was completed and released, the Sports and Leisure History Seminar series is pleased to announce an event to celebrate the book and discuss it with its three main authors and editors, Professor Fiona Skillen, Dr Karen Fraser and Julie McNeill.
In this seminar, the editors, in a panel chaired by academic and journalist Dr Raf Nicholson, reflect on the compilation of the book and the continued lack of general knowledge about the women’s game in Scotland. It will also reflect on what we have learned in the process of collating and editing the book, working with authors of different genres and experience, and promoting it to both the football and wider communities.
This will not be centred on promoting the book but is rather to illustrate lessons that we learned to be shared with those who may wish to undertake a similar venture.
The panel does not intend to use formal PowerPoint led presentations but would propose a more informal talk given by the three of us using a panel discussion format.
We would also welcome questions from the audience, either at the time of the panel or in advance, if the panel slot on the programme allowed for this.

Biographies:
Professor Fiona Skillen is a professor in History at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her research focuses on women’s sport during the late 19th and 20th centuries where she has published extensively in this subject area. Professor Skillen has also completed a FIFA-sponsored project on the history of women’s football in Scotland, 1850-1939.

Dr Karen Fraser is an independent researcher associated with the University of Stirling. Her PhD research focused on the history of Women’s Football in Scotland from 1960 to 2021. While she has worked on different aspects of the history of Scottish Football, her focus remains seeking to uncover the untold history of women’s football in Scotland.

Julie McNeil is the poet-in-residence for St Mirren FC charitable Foundation and the Makar of the Hampden Collection. She is also the co-author of the award-winning Mission Dyslexia series for Neurodivergent Children.
Thia podcast is a British Society of Sports History (BSSH) production from the UK's leading society for the history of sport.. You can find the podcast on all social media & major podcast platforms here.

Likewise, Click through to the BSSH website for further information on our events and to find out how to join the British Society of Sport History: https://www.sportinhistory.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.