Steve Bracknall is bringing the mud, mayhem and unmistakable magic of Sunday league football to BBC Sounds with Game’s Gone: The Steve Bracknall Podcast.
The series marks Bracknall’s biggest leap yet, taking his grassroots fame from the touchlines of Sheffield’s Royal Oak FC to a fully visualised BBC production made by Persephonica.
Episodes feature Bracknall’s chaotic brilliance with humour, authenticity and a deep love of the lower leagues, offering a proudly scruffy alternative to slick studio football shows.
Bracknall has built a following of more than one million fans with fiery team talks, behind-the-scenes antics and the kind of working-class wit that rarely makes it into mainstream football media.
His online persona as Royal Oak’s assistant manager has turned him into a cult figure, and Game’s Gone expands that world with the help of two familiar faces: his lifelong mate and club manager Paul Sampson, and Royal Oak’s long-suffering physio Bob the Bucket.
Together they take on the week’s football stories while navigating the dramas of their fifth-tier Sheffield Sunday League life, from busted corner flags to questionable refereeing.
The show promises rivalry, dodgy deals and plenty of unpredictable twists, with celebrity guests from sport, music and entertainment joining the chaos.
Bracknall says the podcast digs into both sides of the modern game: “a deep dive into the modern game, from VAR and billion-pound transfers to muddy pitches and broken corner flags.”
He also delivers the kind of tongue-in-cheek mission statement fans expect: “I’m here to save the beautiful game from croissant-eating pundits, XG, inverted wing-backs + VAR. The game has well and truly gone… but I’m gonna bring it back.”
Dino Sofos, CEO of Persephonica, said: “Steve Bracknall is a genuine viral sensation, resonating deeply with young, working-class audiences in a way few creators do.
“We’re incredibly proud that Game’s Gone will be filmed and produced by Persephonica in Sheffield – the perfect home for a show rooted in real grassroots football culture.
“And with this series built for YouTube, we’ll be leaning into the visual storytelling and character-driven humour that has made Steve such a phenomenon.”
Stevie Middleton, Commissioning Executive for Podcasts at BBC Sounds, added: “Every generation produces a football mind ahead of its time. Our latest signing just happens to manage the Royal Oak on a Sunday. We’re really excited to work with Steve Bracknall and support him on his quest to save football.”
Game’s Gone: The Steve Bracknall Podcast launches today, 20 November on YouTube and BBC Sounds, with new episodes out weekly.
