Outside Write (Chris Lee) ⚽️

The Best Books about Italian Football Italy has given us some of the best football writing in the entire canon. Here are my recommendations.

NEW POST 🗞️

Italy has inspired some of the best football writing in English 🇮🇹

Everyone will have an opinion on this, and I need your suggestions for anything I should add.

The best books on Italian football

open.substack.com/pub/outsidew...

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.

I *think* this is the first news event I remember. I have vague memories of my parents watching the TV in Bromley, with Lennon (who I recognised from dad's records) and Yoko on the screen, and, for some reason, footage of a hot air balloon. I was five at the time.

Italia ’90 wasn’t just a World Cup, it was a national mood. The summer when Gazza wept, England stumbled heroically, and football suddenly looked… different. This week @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social is joined by @simonkuper.bsky.social, author of World Cup Fever, to discuss 👉 linktr.ee/talk90stome

#OnThisDay 8 Dec 1906

Deportivo de La Coruña were formed as Club Deportivo de la Sala Calvet, a gymnasium

A year later, they were the first club to gain royal (Real) patronage from Alfonso XIII

🏆 1x La Liga title
🏆 2x Copas del Rey

Feliz aniversario, #Depor

#OnThisDay 8 Dec 1863 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The FA completes its sixth and final meeting after 44 days' discussion to establish the rules of Association football. The last sticking point: would hacking be allowed?

John Lillywhite then published the rulebook

More on how the game got started in my first book 👇🏼

Thanks - via Savage/Notts County or someone else?

The Juve museum has the Savage story, if I remember correctly

It’s a top episode, one of my personal favourites

1️⃣ Brazilian Football with Tim Vickery

▶️ open.spotify.com/episode/5bQO...

2️⃣ The Dark Side of the Copa Libertadores with Luciano Wernicke

▶️ open.spotify.com/episode/3qgX...

3️⃣ Groundhopping in Brazil off the beaten track with Will Wardrop

▶️ open.spotify.com/episode/16vc...

4️⃣ Political Football: Argentina v England at Mexico '86 with @drpetewatson.bsky.social

▶️ open.spotify.com/episode/0a1m...

🧵This year's most popular five podcasts countdown. They're all South America-focused...

5️⃣ The Language of Argentinian Football with @hylland.bsky.social

▶️ open.spotify.com/episode/5bIs...

#OnThisDay 7 Dec 1864 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Notts County was formalised, although its roots go back to 1862. It's the world's oldest *professional* football club

In 1903, one of its players, John Savage, took County's kits to a club in Turin that needed some new shirts...

What a legacy

#NCFC #Juventus

🧵 A thread on my #groundhopping and other football highlights from the year in chronological order...👇🏼

📸 Selfie at @altona93.bsky.social v @dulwichhamletfc.bsky.social this summer

The Nobel Prize committee should announce the World Cup winner tomorrow

#OnThisDay 7 Dec 1864 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Notts County FC were formally organised, although the club can trace its roots back to 1862

The Magpies are the oldest *professional* side in the world, while the oldest of all is @sheffieldfc.bsky.social

Former County player John Savage provided Juventus with Notts' kit

Football Travel by Outside Write Travel the world of football with us. We discuss the best football travel experiences and destinations, plus football history and culture with writers and bloggers. Supported by football travel, hist...

You might be interested in one I recorded with Alan McDougall, whose book ‘The People’s Game’, you’ve doubtless read

outsidewrite.libsyn.com/category/foo...

DDR club shirts were 🔥

Good luck!

Next year's groundhopping plans include:

🇪🇸 Trips to Barcelona and Madrid (after nearly a decade away)

🇵🇹 Revisiting Lisbon and Porto

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Close to home, I want to get to Luton Town and Southend United

What are your #groundhopping targets for 2026?

Groundhopping: Clapton Community Football Club I paid a visit to London's oldest senior club ground, where progressive club Clapton CFC play.

14) I almost forgot, I also finally made it to @claptoncfc.co.uk this season.

Write-up below 👇🏼

outsidewrite.substack.com/p/groundhopp...

Non-League Adventures: West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC In the leafy south Manchester suburbs, a vibrant fan culture is thriving in the ninth tier of the English football pyramid. I took a trip to ‘West’ to check it out for myself.

13) A visit to West Didsbury & Chorlton

Great to finally visit 'West' in Manchester's leafy suburbs after hearing so many good things about them

Read on...

outsidewrite.substack.com/p/non-league...

12) A first visit to AFC Wimbledon

Last time I was here, it was a greyhound stadium!

More 👉🏼 outsidewrite.substack.com/p/football-t...

11) The Saffrons, Eastbourne Town

I've been to the stunning Saffrons before, but this time was special because a friend and I hiked there from the Seven Sisters (about 12 miles / 19km)

Iconic Football Stadiums: Highbury Stadium (Arsenal FC) Continuing my look at Art Deco football stadiums, let’s celebrate the beauty of the Arsenal’s former home, Highbury.

10) An Arsenal-supporting Argentinian friend was over in the close season, so I showed him a few grounds in London - QPR, Fulham, Chelsea and both Highbury and the Emirates

Here's my post on Highbury

👉🏼 outsidewrite.substack.com/p/iconic-foo...

9) The centenary 'Freundschaftspiel' (friendly match) between @altona93.bsky.social and @dulwichhamletfc.bsky.social

So much fun. Huge thanks to the team at Altona 93.

FC St. Pauli Museum and Stadium Tour FC Sankt Pauli, based just off Hamburg’s infamous party street, the Reeperbahn, is arguably the first modern ‘political’ football club. I went to the Millerntor-Stadion in the close season.

8) The @fcstpauli.com 'Millerntour' museum and stadium tour

I visited both St Pauli's and HSV's club museums in Hamburg this summer, and the St. Pauli one is certainly on-brand!

Read on...

👉🏼 outsidewrite.substack.com/p/fc-st-paul...

7) Women's Euros 🇨🇭

I went to two matches in Basel and Zurich, including England's must-win demolition of the Netherlands and a visit to the FIFA Museum.

The Dutch fan walk is just the best thing.

6) Crystal Palace's first home match after winning the FA Cup 🏆

I managed to miss the cup presentation after losing my way to the gents and ending up outside 🤦🏻‍♂️

The atmosphere was electric and non-stop; the best I've experienced here or even in the Prem ever.

5) I visited 12 new grounds this year, one of which was the very pleasant Salford City in the spring, while in Manchester