Learn English Through Football Podcast

In this football language podcast we look at the word 'stand' and see how it is used in different ways in football.

Learn English Through Football: Byline This learn English through football podcast explains the language of football: the words, phrases, and cliches used in the game. This week, we look at the word 'byline', and how is it different from goal line. There is a transcript of the show below, which can be used by learners of English to practice listening and reading skills. It can also be used by teachers of English to create activities, such as fill in the blanks, true/false, comprehension questions, sentence ordering activities, etc. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. All can access these resources for free. Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/football_language_byline_220324.mp3 Introduction DB: Hi there everyone. Welcome to languagecaster.com's football language podcast. These podcast explain the words, phrases and cliches used in the beautiful game of football. My name's Damon, and I'm based in Tokyo, while Damian, the other half of the team, is based in London. It's international football at the moment and most domestic leagues are taking a break. I wonder if your watching any of the international matches where you are. Over here, Japan took on North Korea, in an ASEAN World Cup qualifying second round match, beating them 1-0, and will play the return leg next week. Japan look favourites to qualify for the third round of qualifying, but nothing is taken for granted when playing their bitter rivals. Check out an excellent Guardian article for more on this rivalry. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Polish) DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Polish. OK, on today's podcast, I'm going to be looking at the word 'byline', which is something we have talked about before, way back in 2017. Recently, we received a comment about this word, and I thought it would be worth talking about it again. Byline DB: Ok, well let's start with what we mean by the byline. The football pitch is marked with white lines to help players, the referee and spectators better follow the game. So, for example, we have the penalty area, the six-yard box, the centre circle and of course the touchlines. The shorter lines that run at either end of the pitch are known as the bylines. Often, attacking teams will try to take the ball to the byline, as it opens up spaces and also makes it easier to deliver dangerous crosses into the box. Goal Line Now, we had a comment this week from Colin, questioning our definition of byline. This is what he said: 'There is no byline. Check law 1. It's a goal line.' Now, Colin is right in saying that the IFAB Rules of the Game dealing with the field of play, or the pitch, state that 'The two longer boundary lines are touchlines. The two shorter lines are goal lines.' They don't say byline. But there is a difference between the official, and formal, way of talking about the game, and the way people who watch and play the game speak about it. Take for example Law 1 itself. This is about the Field of Play, but most people call the 'field of play' the pitch. In the same way, the goal line is the official way of talking about the shorter line at the end of the pitch, but byline is also used. Goal line vs Byline There is also a practical point to think about too. What about goal line technology? This is the technology that tracks the ball and tells the referee if the ball has crossed the goal line or not. The referee can then award a goal or say the ball had not crossed the line. In this case, the goal line means the line between the goal posts. Not the line between the goal post and the corner flag. If we say byline, it is clear that we mean the line between the corner flag and the goal post. Examples DB: There is an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary using byline in this sense from 1963: 'A cross pass from the byline... left St. John with an easy sidefoot push in.' And more examples can be found in articles and reports about football every week, including this one from a minute-by-minute report on Wales vs Finland yesterday: 'Peltola makes his way to the byline down the left. His cross is straight at Ward at the near post.' Stinger: Your are listening to languagecaster.com (in Welsh) Goodbye DB: And in honour of Wales' 4-1 victory over Finland that message was in Welsh. So, we have seen that goal line is the official way of describing the white line that runs from corner flag to corner flag at the goal end of the pitch, or field of play. But we have also talked about how goal line may be a more useful word to talk about the line between the goal posts. You will often hear it in the phrase goal

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'turn around (the game)' which is used to describe comebacks.

This week's football language podcast looks back at the 2023 African Nations Cup tournament in Ivory Coast and we'll be looking at the phrase 'Zombie Football'.

Football Language Podcast: This week, we look at the verb 'to lump'.

This week's football language podcast looks back at the group stages of the 2023 African Nations Cup tournament that is taking place in....

Learn English Through Football: Shithousery: This week, we look at the word 'shithousery', and its place in the language of football.

This week's football language podcast looks at some of the language associated with the FA Cup Third Round including, 'gulf in class'; 'force a replay' and 'pull off a shock'.

This week, we look at the word 'thunder' and how it is used in football including thunderous and blood and thunder

This week's football language podcast looks at some of the language from the 2023 Club World Cup that took place recently in Saudi Arabia.

This podcast is for all those who love football and also want to improve their English. We look at the phrase clear cut.

In this football language podcast we look back at the final matches from the 2023-24 Champions League group stages and look at some of the language in our good, bad and ugly review

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'injury crisis' and other injury-related words and expressions.

In this football-language podcast, we look back at some of the language from the Manchester City versus Liverpool match, including 'mis-hit'

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'rattle the crossbar' or 'rattle the woodwork' which we use to describe a shot...

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'fortress' which is used to describe a stadium where the home team does not lose very much at all.

In this football language podcast Damian looks back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from the 2023 Copa Libertadores final...

This podcast is for those who love football and want to improve their English. This week, we look at ways to say score with the noun 'home'.

This podcast is for those who love football and also want to improve their English. This week, we explain the nickname for Everton FC.

This podcast is for those who love football and also want to improve their English. This week, we talk about the football phrase, an orange card. Read the transcript of the show below. This is a great way for learners of English to practice. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, why don't you use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students: Try some true/false questions, pick out some key vocabulary before playing the podcast as an audio quiz, etc. And learners of English can access all resources for free. Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/football_language_orange_card_061023.mp3 Learn English Through Football DB: Hi there everyone. Welcome to the podcast for those who love football and also want to improve their English. My name's Damon, and I'm enjoying some cooler weather, finally, in Tokyo. It has been a really really hot summer and September, but finally things have got more like autumn. I'm sure Damian, in London, is happy no matter what the weather, after Tottenham beat Liverpool (click here to learn about the history of the club)in the languagecaster derby. Of course, he is a Spurs fan, while Liverpool are my team. On today's short football language podcast we'll be talking about a phrase connected with that match. Tottenham Hotspur (click here to learn about the history of the name) won the game 2-1 after a late, late own goal by centre back Joel Matip. A cruel end for Liverpool after playing much of the game with ten men and a big part of the second half with nine! And the phrase we are looking at today is connected with sendings off, red cards, yellow cards and bookings. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Swahili) DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Swahili. Booking DB: Right, let's start with the word 'booking' or, as a verb, 'to book' or 'to be booked'. The referee has a small book or piece of paper in his or her pocket, and when a player commits a foul that deserves a card - yellow or red, the referee 'books' the player. They write their name and shirt number in the book. This is a booking. In the Tottenham vs Liverpool match there were 12 bookings. So, the referee showed a card 12 times. It sounds like it was a dirty game, a game were there were a lot of bad fouls, but most people thought both teams played the game fairly. Sending Off DB: There were two sendings off (verb to send off), though. A sending off is when a player gets two yellow cards, which equals a red card, or a straight red and has to leave the field. They are 'off ' the pitch. Both sendings off were for Liverpool players, which meant it was first 11 Spurs players vs 10 Liverpool players and then 11 vs 9. So, why were the Liverpool players sent off? Well the second sending off for Jota, was for two yellow cards, two bookings. But the first red card, was for Jones, who was first shown yellow, but after a VAR check was then shown a straight red. A straight red means the foul was very serious and the player will get a three match ban, they won't be able to play for three games. Orange Card So, today's main phrase is orange card. Jones was first booked and shown a yellow and then later it was changed to red. If you add yellow to red you get orange, an orange card. Some people think the foul was a yellow and some people think it was a red. The decision is not an easy clear decision to make. All football fans know the feeling when a player is given a red card and some think, that was a good decision and others think the decision was harsh. But both sides can understand that it wasn't clear. In this situation, as a fan, you can say, 'That was an orange card.' Of course, there is no orange card for the referee, but when we describe a foul as an orange card, we mean it is 50/50 yellow or red. What do I think about Curtis Jones' red card as a Liverpool fan? Well, after VAR, I can see it was a red card, but at the time, I though it was a yellow, so... an orange card! Stinger: Your are listening to languagecaster.com (Bayern Munich fan) Goodbye DB: Remember to contact us - twitter, threads, Facebook, etc, or via or forum on our website or email at [email protected] if you have any ideas for football phrases, if you have any questions, predictions, or comments. OK, thanks for listening and enjoy all the football where ever you are. Ta-ra! https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/

Damon and Damian talk about how they think their favourite teams (Liverpool and Tottenham) will do this season. We also look back at some of the good, bad and ugly from the football week and look ahead to some big games this weekend in our weekly predictions battle, including Tottenham versus Liverpool!

In this podcast we introduce a phrase used in football to talk about a type of player. The phrase is 'piano carrier'.

In this football language podcast we look back at some of the language from the recent international break...

In this football language podcast we look back at some of the big moments from the opening weekend of the 2023-24 Premier League season, while we also feature the 2023 Women's World Cup which is down to the semi-final stage.

2023 Women's World Cup Preview: In this podcast we preview the 2023 Women's World Cup by looking at some of the favourites, dark horses and

In this football language podcast we look ahead to the 2023 Women's World Cup which starts in two weeks by looking at some of the numbers...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Nosebleed In this podcast we talk about a word you wouldn't expect in football - nosebleed - and how it used to talk about players. Access the transcript of the show below, which is a great way for learners of English to practice. Make sure you also check out our huge glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, why don't you use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students: Try a gap-fill activity for example. And learners of English can access all resources for free. Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/podcast_nosebleed_030723.mp3 Learn English Through Football Language Podcast: Nosebleed DB: Hi there everyone. My name's Damon and you are listening to languagecaster.com's football language podcast. This is the podcast for all lovers of the beautiful game - football - and for those interested in learning English, too. I'm based in Tokyo, Japan, currently experiencing some hot, humid and rainy weather - not a great mix. I hear it is pretty nice weather in London, where Damian, the other member of the languagecaster team is based. Lucky him! So, it's hot weather here and the transfer market is hotting up too. I wonder what Damian thinks of James Maddison's move from Leicester to Tottenham. I'm pretty pleased that Liverpool, the team I support, have already signed Mac Allister from Brighton. But more recruitment needs to be done before next season. OK, well, today's podcast and football phrase is not connected with transfers, and it is quite an unusual word used in football. But I think it's quite interesting, and hope you do too. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Chinese) DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Chinese. Nosebleed DB: Right, now today's football language focuses on the word 'nosebleed'. Yes, that's right - 'nose' plus 'bleed', when blood suddenly starts coming out of your nose. No-one likes a nosebleed, especially if they're wearing a white shirt! So, what has the word nosebleed and its meaning - blood dripping out of your nose - got to do with football? When do we get nosebleeds? It is fairly well known that at high altitudes, high up say on a mountain, the dry air and low air pressure can cause nosebleeds. this idea of 'being high up' is important when we talk about the word in a football context. Examples of the phrase Let's look at a few examples. First, a classic example of its use and with one of my favourite football players, the ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. The example is: "Carragher's going to get a nosebleed he is so far upfield! He races beyond the full-back but his cross is put behind for a corner..." Carragher was a traditional centre back, so a defender whose main job was to protect the penalty area. Unlike many more modern defenders, his job was not to create chances, carry the ball upfield, or score goals. This example, from a minute-by-minute report, has the sentence, 'Carragher's going to get a nosebleed he is so far upfield!'. The speaker is saying that Carragher is so high up in an attacking position, that he is like someone high up in a mountain. He is in a place he is not used to. He is a defender, so being in the attack is very unusual and he might get a nosebleed. Used with a team DB: How about another example. This time with a team: "Sunderland host west-London outfit Queens Park Rangers on Saturday eyeing up a home win to possibly take the Lads into nose bleed territory of the very top of the Championship." Here we have 'take the lads into nosebleed territory'. The lads means the team, Sunderland, and if they win the game they may be at the top of the league. Again, nosebleed is used with the idea of being high up - this time in a high position in the league, being there may make the team nervous, as they are close to promotion or the championship. Being nervous and being high up, may give you a nosebleed. Finally, this last example combines with the phrase 'halfway line' in a classic use of nosebleed. This is a minute-by-minute report looking at the teams before kick off: 'Allan (CM) - May get a nosebleed if he crosses the halfway line but is guaranteed to get stuck in.' The player, Allen, a central midfielder, may get a nosebleed if he crosses the halfway line, meaning he is not comfortable doing anything else except defending as a central midfielder. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Welsh) DB: Thank you for that message and that was in Welsh. Right, we looked at the phrase get a nosebleed and its use to mean a pla

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Pen in In this podcast on the language of football we explain what the phrasal verb to pen in means and how it used in soccer. Remember, you can access the transcript of the show below, which is a great way for learners of English to practice. Make sure you also check out our huge glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, why don't you use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students: Try a gap-fill activity for example. And learners of English can access all resources for free. Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/podcast_football_language_pen_250623.mp3 Learn English Through Football: Pen in DB: Hello everyone. My name's Damon and you are listening to languagecaster.com's football language podcast. This is the podcast for all lovers of the beautiful game - football - and for those interested in learning English, too. Damian, the other member of the languagecaster team is based in London and he has been busy on our forum site answering questions on the language of football. One of those questions was about the phrase 'to pen in', and that is what we will focus on today. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Turkish) DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Turkish. To Pen In DB: OK, let's explain that phrase. This was a question in our forum - come along to the site languagecaster.com and leave your own questions - @hyuna27g_ asked. 'What does "pen" mean in this sentence? Liverpool are penning Wolves into their own half.' Noun and a Verb Right, let's start with a noun 'a pen'. Now 'a pen' in football is usually a casual way to say penalty: for example, Milner's great at pens - meaning James Milner is a good penalty taker. But in this case 'a pen' refers to an enclosure to keep farm animals like sheep. Usually just a square of land with fences all around. The noun was used as a base to make a verb, 'to pen', which is the action of putting animals, usually sheep, in an enclosure, in a pen. So a farmer pens the sheep in the enclosure: he or she puts them in an enclosure and closes the gate, so they cannot escape. http://gty.im/145003518 The Phrase in Football DB: OK, so that's the original meaning. Let's get back to the question and the sentence: 'Liverpool are penning Wolves into their own half'. In football, to pen in, notice the use of in - to pen in - so, in football this means to keep the opposition in their own half or even their own defensive third. They are unable to progress up the pitch. They are penned in. In the example sentence, Liverpool are pressing high up the pitch and not allowing Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, to move the ball beyond the half way line. Here is another example from punditfeed.com: '... the first half we saw their attacking intent and creativity, pressing Spurs to keep them penned in their own half and then capitalising on their mistakes' Shearer said. So, the pundit, Alan Shearer describes how Arsenal pressed Tottenham and kept them from crossing the half way line, they kept them penned in their own half. Hooked To finish, let's look at another football phrase. This is also connected with farming and sheep. Remember to pen in is originally when a farmer puts sheep in an enclosure and keeps them from escaping. The verb 'to hook' in football means to substitute a player; to take them off the pitch. but the nuance is quite negative. It implies the manager was unhappy with the player's performance and angrily takes them off. And this verb, to hook, originally comes from sheep farming, when the farmer would use a hooked stick, called a crook, to grab a sheep around its neck and pull it back. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Cebuano) DB: Thank you for that message and that was in Cebuano. OK, that brings us to the end of this show, and we looked at two phrases - to pen in and to hook - both connected originally with sheep farming and now used in football. Contact us if you want to ask any football-language questions or have comments at [email protected]. You can also use the forum on our site languagecaster.com. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow and retweet, etc. Spread the word please! Goodbye DB: OK, thanks for listening and enjoy all the football where ever you are. Ta-ra! https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/

In this short podcast on the language of football we listen to a Manchester City fan discuss his team's historic treble.

Being a fan: Manchester City - In this teaching ideas post we listen to Manchester City fan Dave explain why he supports the Blues and not the Reds of his hometown

In this football language podcast, Damon and Damian explain some of the language used to describe the winners of leagues and cups - they look back at some of the winners of trophies from the European club season.

This short football language podcast looks back at some of the language from the 2023 Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma,

This short football language podcast looks at the word 'survival' which is used to describe a team battling to avoid relegation.

In this short podcast on the language of football we explain the verb, 'to fluff' and how it is used to talk about football.

bottle (courage), bottle it (avoid a tackle, lose a game because of lack of passion), lack bottle (not have courage) - soccer phrases from languagecaster's football glossary

A Sniff - in this short podcast on the language of football we explain the phrase 'a sniff' and how it is used to talk about football.

This football language podcast looks at the word 'opposition' which is a way of describing the team that you are playing against in a match.

It's April 1st which in some countries is known as April Fool's Day so on this football language podcast we look at the phrase 'to fool' which can be used in football to describe a situation when a player can deceive another player.

Learn English Through Football Language Podcast: 2024 European Championship Qualifiers in Numbers - The qualifying rounds for...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Secure This short podcast on the language of football introduces the phrase, 'to secure', and words that this verb is used with in football. Check out the transcript of the show below. You also make sure you check out our huge glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. Teachers of English can use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students, too. Try a gap-fill activity for example. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at [email protected]. https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/podcast_footballphrase_secure_270323.mp3 Hello DB: Hi there, everybody. Welcome to languagecaster and our football language podcast. Damian in London and myself in Tokyo have been publishing these podcasts since 2006. That was way back during the World Cup in Germany. Of course, we've just had the 2022 version of the World Cup, but football never stops and national teams around the world have been taking part in qualifiers for competitions this month, including in Europe. Teams are hoping to secure a berth in the Euro 2024 competition. It is this verb, to secure, that we will focus on today. It's used in a variety of ways with different words, so let's get started. But before we do, here is a message from a Norwegian fan of football. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Norwegian) DB: Brilliant! Thanks for that 'you are listening to languagecaster' message in Norwegian. (to) Secure DB: OK, let's take a look at the verb secure and how I used it in the introduction to the show - to secure a berth. To secure, means to get, to reserve, to obtain, and berth is a place, or spot, so secure a berth in the Euro 2024 competition means to get a place in the tournament, to qualify. We also use 'secure ' with other words, too. Let's look at the Women's Super League in England and this season, which is coming to an exciting end. Back in February, we had this in a report in Forbes: "Perhaps more importantly, they (Manchester United) are now six clear of Arsenal in fourth place as they seek to secure a top-three place and a berth in next season's UEFA Champions League." http://gty.im/1476291872 (to) Secure a place So, here we have the verb used with a place in the league, a top-three place. And the report also uses berth in the UEFA Champion's League, so we have both uses: secure a place (in the league) and secure a berth (in a competition). Notice with place,A or spot, the use of the position, so top-three place. In the men's Premier League, team's try to secure a top-four spot, and a top-six spot is usually enough for European football (to) Secure points And this month, March, we have this example in Vavel.com: "Goals from Ashleigh Neville and Drew Spence helped secure all three points at the King Power Stadium." So, the goals scored by Tottenham players Neville and Spence secured, or won, got, all three points for their team against Leicester. We could say secure a win, or secure a draw too. So, this verb is used with berth, place (or spot) and points (or win and draw). Is there any other verb we can use to mean the same thing? First, another message. Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Catalan) (to) Earn DB: And that message was in Catalan. OK, another way to say 'secure' is 'to earn'. For example, this headline from onefootball.com: "Chelsea lead; Arsenal and Man United held; Liverpool earn vital win." So Liverpool earned three points. We can also useA 'earn' to talk about getting a place in a tournament or a position in a league, too. I know that the team I support, Liverpool, are desperate to earn a top-four finish for example! Contact DB: OK, it's nearly the end of the show. We looked at the verb 'secure' and its alternative 'earn'. They can both be used to talk about winning: earn a win. And you can also use them to talk about getting into a competition: secure a spot in. And finally, both can be used with league position: earn a top-four place. Contact us if you want to ask any football-language questions, have comments, or simply want to say hello at [email protected] or by using our forum at languagecaster.com. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow and retweet, etc. Spread the word! Remember also we have a transcript for the show. Come along to the site and you can read and listen. Or if you're a teacher you could use the transcript to make some cool activities. Goodbye DB: That's it for now. We'll be back soon. Enjoy all of the football. Ta-ra!

It's St Patrick's Day (March 17th) which, of course, is the Irish national day, so on this week's listening practice report we take a look at some of the best ever Irish footballers.

This short podcast on the language of football introduces the phrase, 'between the sticks', which is a phrase used to talk about goalkeepers.

This short football language podcast looks at the phrases 'to be outclassed' and 'to outclass'.

In this short podcast on the language of football, we talk about a football cliche used to describe a player's actions. The phrase is 'saw their name in lights'.

2022 FIFA Club World Cup: In this football language post for learners of English we look back the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup tournament...

Pick up: we take a look at some football phrases that use the word 'pick', including, 'pick up a caution'; 'pick up some points' and 'pick up a win'.

In this short football language post we explain the expression 'feeder club' and how it is used in football.

In this football language post for learners of English we look at the expression 'points deduction' after the big story from Italy's Serie A saw Juventus being deducted 15 points this week.

In this short podcast on the language of football, we talk about a football phrase that describes a shot. The phrase is 'a sweet strike'.

In this short podcast on the language of football, we talk about a way to describe a shot. The phrase is 'a sighter'.