When it comes to creating a successful football podcast, understanding which types of guests resonate with audiences is just as crucial as selecting the right hosts or format.
At Sport Social Podcast Network, we conducted an internal analysis of our suite of official football club podcasts to examine which guest profiles consistently drive higher engagement. The results reaffirm a core belief: insight and access are the defining strengths, and unique selling points, of official football podcasts.
We categorised the guests featured across our official shows and calculated the average audience size for each category. The data revealed a clear trend: current first-team players and club insiders, such coaches, managers, and chairpersons, tend to attract significantly higher average listenership than other guest types.
This trend can be attributed to two main factors:
1. Access
No one offers more direct access to professional footballers and club personnel than the clubs themselves. Podcasting enables long-form storytelling; something rarely afforded in other media formats. It provides a platform where players and staff can share personal stories and insights in a more relaxed, authentic setting, making for compelling, humanised content that fans rarely get elsewhere.
2. Insight
While football dominates mainstream media, few platforms offer the level of depth and specificity that official club podcasts can. These shows are tailored to superfans, delivering exclusive perspectives on the inner workings of the club. From a chairman outlining strategic ambitions to a kitman recounting behind-the-scenes moments, this kind of content offers real value, and emotional connection, for listeners.
Additional Findings
Our data also highlights the value of featuring celebrity fans; individuals with a known affiliation to the club. These guests help broaden the show's reach, tapping into their own social followings and enhancing podcast discoverability through broader search interest and algorithmic recommendations.
Another notable trend emerged around guests from the so-called "Barclaysman" era - players from the late 90s - 00s Premier League period. This cohort resonates particularly well with our core podcast demographic (ages 25–55), many of whom developed their football loyalties during that era. These former players combine nostalgia with recognisability, making them powerful draws for audiences.
Categories that underperformed in our analysis included club legends and women’s team content. While episodes featuring legends still draw respectable numbers, many of these figures have previously shared their stories across various media platforms. As a result, their appearances can lack the freshness and exclusivity that drive peak engagement. To maximise impact, content creators should consider how to add a unique narrative angle or previously unheard perspective when featuring such guests.
Women's football content, meanwhile, continues to trail behind its male counterpart in terms of audience size, a reflection of broader media trends. However, clubs adopting a unified “one club” content strategy that integrates both men’s and women’s stories are playing a crucial role in growing the women’s game. This approach not only signals institutional commitment but also helps introduce new audiences to a rapidly evolving and compelling side of the sport.