WSC Live: The Podcast

Taking inspiration from all of modern football’s superclubs, the WSC Podcast is going on tour to spread the brand across the world. We’re starting in South Shields at 7pm on Thursday, June 16, where WSC Podcast host Daniel Gray will be joined by author Harry Pearson, magazine editor Andy Lyons and very special guest Dan Jackson.

Expect Harry to bring along a range of exotic snacks, live versions of popular features such as Record Breakers and, possibly, an appearance from the Random Topic Generator – assuming we can get the engineers to make a portable version. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, ask questions of the panel, get books signed and share your own football experiences and memories with the team.

You will also get a chance to see the touring WSC Photos exhibition, showcasing some of the best images from the magazine’s team of photographers: Colin McPherson, Paul Thompson and Simon Gill. The three photographers have spent decades documenting UK football culture at all levels, and many of the images they have selected have already been inducted into the prestigious Martin Parr Foundation gallery in Bristol. Martin Parr says:

"We are delighted to accept the work of WSC’s photography team into the MPF collection. Paul Thompson, Colin McPherson and Simon Gill have shot the smaller football clubs of the UK and the images show the delights and charms of the lower leagues, the dedicated fans and often run-down grounds. They provide an essential service and the very opposite of the corporate Premier League.”

As if that isn’t enough, there will be stalls from WSC and South Shields FC, and the bar will be open. It’s the perfect combination for an evening of light entertainment and topical football conversation.

Members of the WSC Supporters’ Club get priority access to tickets for WSC Live events and those in Tier 3 or higher will always pay early bird prices – find out more information and join for as little as £2 per month on our Patreon page.

This event will not be streamed live via Zoom or any other online platform, so the only way to see it is in person. Tickets are extremely limited and once they are gone there will be no more put on sale, so get in quick.

The line up

SPECIAL GUEST: Dan Jackson author & historian

We’re delighted to welcome best-selling author Dan Jackson to this event, for the first ever live appearance in our Final Third interview section. Dan, a Newcastle United fan who wrote The Northumbrians: The North East of England and its People, will be picking out a match, a player and an object to go in the mythical WSC Museum.

Harry Pearson author

Author of the seminal The Far Corner, widely regarded as one of the best football books ever written, and its popular recent follow up The Farther Corner, the Middlesbrough fan is an award-winning writer whose column in WSC has kept readers entertained for years.

Daniel Gray WSC podcast host & author

Hosts and producer of the WSC Podcast, and editor of Nutmeg, a Scottish football magazine. Daniel is the author of ten books, the most recent of which is Extra Time: 50 Further Delights of Modern Football. He is a Middlesbrough fan exiled in Scotland.

Andy Lyons WSC editor

As one of the founding editors of When Saturday Comes in 1986, Andy has watched football change from outcast sport to plaything of the global elite during his 35 years in charge of the magazine.

Schedule

7-7.45pm: Arrivals, exhibition, stalls

7.45-9pm: Podcast live

10pm: Event end

Venue

South Shields FC, Shipley Heating Lounge

1st Cloud Arena, Shaftesbury Avenue, South Shields, NE32 3UP

For more information on how to get to the venue, including public transport options, see the South Shields FC website

When deciding on which venues to use for a WSC Live Tour we were keen to support non-League clubs who have had an extremely hard time during the pandemic.

If you have any queries about the event, please just drop a line to the WSC team on podcast@wsc.co.uk