Why We Love This Club

Underdog Podcasts
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Soccer

Why We Love This Club explores the remarkable football clubs, supporters and communities that make the world’s game special. Hosted by Chris Horwedel, each episode travels to a different corner of global soccer to tell the complete story of one unforgettable club. Discover how each team was founded, what it represents to its community, and why its supporters developed such a deep connection to it. The show explores club history, legendary players, defining matches, stadiums, rivalries, traditions, supporter culture, famous triumphs, painful failures and the moments that shaped each team’s identity. From historic European champions and emerging women’s teams to supporter-owned clubs, lower-league institutions and overlooked teams across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, Why We Love This Club celebrates football in all its forms. Whether you love soccer history, football culture, passionate fanbases or discovering clubs beyond the biggest names, every episode offers a new reason to love the world’s game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 8h ago

    Young Africans SC — The Club Built Before Tanzania

    Young Africans SC, Tanzanian football, the Kariakoo Derby and one of East Africa’s most important sporting institutions are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces Yanga’s story back to 1935, when African residents in colonial Dar es Salaam formed a team before Tanzania itself existed. The club’s identity developed alongside the country’s independence movement, eventually becoming one of Tanzania’s biggest cultural institutions and earning the nickname Wananchi — “the citizens.” The episode explores Yanga’s historic rivalry with Simba SC, a club that actually emerged from a split within Young Africans in 1936. Their Kariakoo Derby grew into one of African football’s great rivalries, dividing supporters across Tanzania while helping define the country’s football culture. Yanga’s extraordinary domestic record includes generations of league dominance, regional success and two separate runs of five consecutive national championships. But the club’s greatest unfinished ambition remains continental glory. In 2023, Young Africans reached their first senior African final, defeating USM Alger in the second leg but losing the CAF Confederation Cup on away goals. Young Africans matter because their story began before modern Tanzania did. The country changed around them, but the meaning of the name remained the same: Young Africans. Wananchi. The citizens. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Young Africans SC — The Club Built Before Tanzania

  2. 2d ago

    Sabah FK — Nine Years to the Champions League

    Sabah FK, Azerbaijani football, the UEFA Champions League and one of Europe’s fastest-rising young clubs are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces Sabah’s remarkable rise from its founding in 2017 to becoming a league champion, domestic cup winner and the youngest club ever to reach the Champions League league or group stage. Just nine years after being created, Sabah supporters were watching their team face Manchester United at Old Trafford. The episode explores the club’s rapid development through private investment, academy building and a growing football identity in Masazır. Sabah’s youth system quickly produced national champions, while the first team broke through domestically and began making noise in Europe. There are dramatic European nights too, including a wild penalty-shootout victory over Maccabi Haifa, a first major trophy against Qarabağ and the extraordinary Champions League qualifying run that ended with a 94th-minute rescue and extra-time victory over Hapoel Beer-Sheva. Sabah’s story asks a fascinating question: how does a club build tradition when the history is still being written? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Sabah FK — Nine Years to the Champions League

  3. 4d ago

    FC St. Pauli — Where Football Became Resistance

    FC St. Pauli, German football, supporter ownership and one of the sport’s most distinctive political and cultural identities are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces St. Pauli’s transformation from a struggling Hamburg football club into an internationally recognized symbol of supporter culture, anti-fascism and community control. The story includes the rise of punk and activist support around the Millerntor, the adoption of the famous skull-and-crossbones flag and the successful 1989 campaign that stopped plans to replace the stadium with a massive commercial Sports Dome. The episode explores the club’s stance against racism, fascism, sexism and homophobia, while also examining how supporters have repeatedly challenged St. Pauli itself to live up to those principles. The Millerntor-Stadion became the physical center of that identity, filled with political banners, music, murals and one of German football’s most recognizable atmospheres. There’s football too: the Hamburg derby with HSV, the famous 2002 victory over Bayern Munich, financial crises, unlikely cup runs and repeated fights for survival. More recently, St. Pauli supporters helped create a cooperative that raised millions while preserving democratic influence over the club and stadium. St. Pauli’s story is ultimately about who gets to decide what a football club becomes—and what happens when supporters refuse to surrender that responsibility. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    FC St. Pauli — Where Football Became Resistance

  4. Oct 9

    SV Robinhood — The Club Between Two Football Worlds

    SV Robinhood, Surinamese football, Caribbean competition and one of CONCACAF’s most persistent clubs are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces Robinhood from its 1945 founding by rail-yard workers in Paramaribo to becoming Suriname’s record league champion and a club uniquely positioned between football worlds: South American by geography, Caribbean by competition and deeply connected to the Netherlands through language, migration and history. The episode explores Robinhood’s golden era under Ronald Kolf, its fierce rivalry with SV Transvaal and an extraordinary continental record that included five CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeats between 1972 and 1983. After relegation in 2014, Robinhood rebuilt. The revival culminated in the 2023 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup title, finally delivering a major regional crown 51 years after the club’s first continental final. Robinhood then returned to the Champions Cup and helped usher Surinamese football into a new professional era. Robinhood’s motto says it best: No Struggle, No Crown. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    SV Robinhood — The Club Between Two Football Worlds

  5. Oct 7

    Pohang Steelers — The Club Forged in a Steel City

    Pohang Steelers, South Korean football, K League history and one of Asia’s great club traditions are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces Pohang’s story from its 1973 creation by steel giant POSCO to becoming one of the defining institutions of Korean football. Built alongside the rise of the industrial city itself, the club evolved from a company team into a true civic symbol, with red-and-black stripes, the famous Steel Yard and generations of supporters making Pohang their own. The episode explores Pohang’s remarkable record of player development, from Choi Soon-ho and Hong Myung-bo to Lee Dong-g**k and Hwang Hee-chan, plus the academy structure that made producing talent part of the club’s identity. It also covers Pohang’s three Asian championships, including the dramatic 2009 AFC Champions League run, and the unforgettable 2013 domestic double completed with Kim Won-il’s 95th-minute title-winning goal against Ulsan. That moment became one of the defining chapters in the fierce East Coast Derby. Pohang Steelers are a story of corporate origins becoming community identity: the company built the team, but the city gave it a life. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Pohang Steelers — The Club Forged in a Steel City

  6. Oct 5

    Al-Hilal SC — The Champion Without a Home

    Al-Hilal SC, Sudanese football, the Omdurman derby and one of African football’s most extraordinary stories of survival are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel traces Al-Hilal from its 1930 founding under colonial rule to becoming Sudan’s most successful league club, with 31 national championships, a famous blue-and-white identity and generations of supporters centered around the Blue Jewel in Omdurman. The episode explores legendary figures like Ali Gagarin and Haitham Mustafa, the fierce rivalry with Al-Merrikh, and Al-Hilal’s repeated pursuit of the African Champions League after reaching the continental final twice. But the heart of the story begins after war erupted in Sudan in 2023. Forced from Omdurman, Al-Hilal became a club in exile—training, living and competing across Africa while players dealt with displacement, separation and loss. They later entered the Mauritanian league, reached the Champions League quarterfinals and then won the 2026 Rwandan championship, despite remaining officially affiliated with Sudan. Al-Hilal’s story is about more than trophies. It is about an institution carrying Omdurman with it, even when home is temporarily out of reach. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Al-Hilal SC — The Champion Without a Home

  7. Oct 2

    Tibetan National Teams: The Clubs That Carry a People

    Tibet’s men’s and women’s national football teams, the Tibetan diaspora and football beyond FIFA are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel explores how Tibetan football has become a way for a dispersed community to preserve identity, create gathering places and represent itself on an international stage. Based largely in Dharamshala, India, Tibet’s teams are not FIFA members and instead compete through independent tournaments and organizations such as CONIFA. The story traces the men’s representative team from the Gyalyum Chenmo Memorial Gold Cup to the landmark 2001 match against Greenland in Copenhagen, where Lobsang Norbu scored Tibet’s first widely documented international goal. It also follows later appearances at the FIFI Wild Cup and CONIFA World Football Cup. The episode then turns to the growth of Tibetan women’s football, from early girls’ programs and Tibet Women’s Soccer to the 2022 CONIFA Women’s World Football Cup in India. Captain Jamyang Chotso’s remarkable journey and Ngawang Oetso’s historic goal highlight a program built despite limited resources, travel restrictions and few regular fixtures. More than results, Tibet’s teams are about belonging. School grounds, settlement pitches and borrowed stadiums become temporary homes where players and supporters can gather around a shared identity. Football cannot resolve exile or politics—but it can give scattered people a team to recognize and a place to say their name out loud. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Tibetan National Teams: The Clubs That Carry a People

  8. Sep 30

    Raja Club Athletic — The Club That Made Hope Loud

    Raja Club Athletic, Casablanca football, African club history and one of the world’s most passionate supporter cultures are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club. Chris Horwedel tells the story of Raja Casablanca, founded in 1949 in the working-class district of Derb Sultan during Morocco’s struggle against colonial rule. The club’s name means hope, and Raja grew into the “People’s Club,” known for green and white, expressive attacking football and the tradition supporters call L’école Raja. The episode traces Raja’s rise into an African powerhouse, including three continental championships, legendary players such as Abdelmajid Dolmy and the unforgettable 2013 FIFA Club World Cup run. Raja defeated Auckland City, Monterrey and Ronaldinho’s Atlético Mineiro before reaching the final against Bayern Munich. Chris also explores the extraordinary Casablanca Derby against Wydad, the Curva Sud Magana, Raja’s politically and socially expressive supporter culture and the club’s modern struggle to balance investment, stability and its identity as a mass public institution. From Derb Sultan to a world final, Raja turned hope into history—and made sure the world could hear it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club. If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris. The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered The Underdog Football Show Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Raja Club Athletic — The Club That Made Hope Loud
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Why We Love This Club explores the remarkable football clubs, supporters and communities that make the world’s game special. Hosted by Chris Horwedel, each episode travels to a different corner of global soccer to tell the complete story of one unforgettable club. Discover how each team was founded, what it represents to its community, and why its supporters developed such a deep connection to it. The show explores club history, legendary players, defining matches, stadiums, rivalries, traditions, supporter culture, famous triumphs, painful failures and the moments that shaped each team’s identity. From historic European champions and emerging women’s teams to supporter-owned clubs, lower-league institutions and overlooked teams across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, Why We Love This Club celebrates football in all its forms. Whether you love soccer history, football culture, passionate fanbases or discovering clubs beyond the biggest names, every episode offers a new reason to love the world’s game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Underdog Podcasts
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Underdog Podcasts
  • Show Website
    Why We Love This Club

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