Football Ramble, the UK’s biggest independent football podcast, celebrates its 15th anniversary this month. Since the show’s inception in 2007, Football Ramble has evolved into a behemoth of a production, and we’re proud to say it was one of the first major podcasts that joined the Acast family when we launched in the UK in 2014. In fact, our first sponsorship booking ever in the UK was for the Football Ramble podcast.

Originally hosted by Luke Moore, Marcus Speller, Jim Campbell and Pete Donaldson, the Ramble show started out as a fortnightly, irreverent look at the world of football. It went weekly in 2009, then twice-weekly in 2015. In 2020, the presenter lineup was expanded to include Jules Breach, Kate Mason, Andy Brassell and Vithushan Ehantharajah, as the show began publishing episodes daily. The new recruits helped bring the show into the modern era, as they each brought their own insight to proceedings – as well as plenty of laughs.  

The podcast has been nothing short of a triumph, with several national and international live tours now under its belt. The success of the show spawned a best selling book – The Football Ramble: By Four Men Who Love the Game They Hate – and has been featured in countless football publications.

It’s even spawned a sister show, Football Ramble Presents:, which has become one of the foremost up-to-the-minute commentaries on global football. Football Ramble Presents: includes Upfront, a show dedicated to Women’s football, On The Continent – the latest European football news — and immersive matchday experiences with At The Match, a first in the football podcasting space.

Despite its evolution, the heart of the Football Ramble podcast remains consistent: a daily look at the sublime and the ridiculous from the world of football. The show continues to pride itself on being a fun, accessible look at the game for people to enjoy all over the world, without shying away from some honed analysis and honest opinions about football’s trickier subjects.

As Luke Moore, Football Ramble co-founder and director of Stak, says, the dedication of its fans has helped contribute to the success of the show. “Our listeners have grown with the show. We’ve followed the crazy world of football for 15 years, and we’re fortunate to have some of that same dedicated audience joining us on that journey for those 15 years as well,” he added. “We wouldn’t have maintained this without the support of those fans leaving reviews, coming to our live shows, supporting our Patreon and listening every day.”

Football Ramble started less than three years after the term ‘podcast’ was first coined, and is still one of the most listened-to shows in the UK, with more than hundreds of thousands of listens every week.

Perhaps the most significant thing setting the Ramble apart from others is the strong sense of community among its listeners, which has persisted across the 15 years. To celebrate its birthday, the show asked its legions of followers on social media to reminisce about their favourite bits from the Ramble's storied back catalogue.

Fans highlighted the best of the bizarre correspondence the show often receives – like the infamous email from "Kevin from Fife", a schoolchild whose teacher put the Ramble on to subdue a rowdy class. Elsewhere from the archives, listeners remembered when Pete's infamous and frankly obscene jingle for the much-loved "Going for Glold" game was played in full, much to the chagrin of Marcus in particular.

Many listeners were also quick to mention more recent highlights, including a show from last year where Kate, Jim and Andy navigated a hugely difficult show about footballer Christian Eriksen's shocking collapse at the Euros with great dignity and poise. Some of the more thoughtful, sombre moments from the Ramble archives clearly stick in the mind as much as the chaotic nonsense – testament to the show's variety.  

As the traditional football season has drawn to a close and we prepare for the UEFA Women’s Euros this summer, and the build up to the FIFA Men’s World Cup in November, let’s put fire in our bellies, our heads in the freezer, and raise a toast to Football Ramble.