Launching just in time for the new football season, First Up: Football, is a new daily podcast delivering the biggest football stories from around the world in a short, 10-minute format.
The show is produced by Footwork Media, a small London-based company behind Men In Blazers: Early Kick Off, which won Bronze for Best Sport Show at the 2025 Radio Academy ARIA Awards and was nominated for Best Daily Show at the 2024 British Podcast Awards.
Early Kick Off ended on 2 June, leaving a gap in the market that First Up: Football says it aims to fill by covering the Premier League, Champions League, major European leagues, and key international stories in one concise update.
Episodes will be released overnight UK time every Monday to Friday, ensuring fans wake up fully informed on the latest news, transfer developments, rumours, and lighter moments from the football world. The podcast will be hosted primarily by Sammy James, best known for presenting Early Kick Off.
In addition to the audio version, a fully visualised show will be released daily on YouTube, X, and TikTok, with shorter clips available on Instagram.
Footwork Media is funding the podcast independently and will set up a Substack to allow listeners to support the show. Subscribers will receive advert-free episodes, access to an exclusive Telegram group, and a twice-weekly newsletter.
Host Sammy James said: “We’re so delighted to be back making a daily football podcast. We loved the audience that we cultivated on Early Kick Off and we were hugely grateful for the hundreds of messages we received when that show ended.
“We hope that First Up: Football can build up a similar community of football lovers. Currently, there is nothing in the football podcast market that succinctly breaks down all the latest news every morning and we really hope that this show keeps football fans up to speed, even if they are time-poor.”
With its fast turnaround and multi-platform release strategy, First Up: Football is positioning itself as a go-to daily briefing for fans looking to start their day informed on the global game.
