Sabah FK, Azerbaijani football, the UEFA Champions League and one of Europe’s fastest-rising young clubs are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club.

Chris Horwedel traces Sabah’s remarkable rise from its founding in 2017 to becoming a league champion, domestic cup winner and the youngest club ever to reach the Champions League league or group stage. Just nine years after being created, Sabah supporters were watching their team face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The episode explores the club’s rapid development through private investment, academy building and a growing football identity in Masazır. Sabah’s youth system quickly produced national champions, while the first team broke through domestically and began making noise in Europe.

There are dramatic European nights too, including a wild penalty-shootout victory over Maccabi Haifa, a first major trophy against Qarabağ and the extraordinary Champions League qualifying run that ended with a 94th-minute rescue and extra-time victory over Hapoel Beer-Sheva.

Sabah’s story asks a fascinating question: how does a club build tradition when the history is still being written?

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Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club.

If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

The Underdog Football Show

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FC St. Pauli, German football, supporter ownership and one of the sport’s most distinctive political and cultural identities are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club.

Chris Horwedel traces St. Pauli’s transformation from a struggling Hamburg football club into an internationally recognized symbol of supporter culture, anti-fascism and community control. The story includes the rise of punk and activist support around the Millerntor, the adoption of the famous skull-and-crossbones flag and the successful 1989 campaign that stopped plans to replace the stadium with a massive commercial Sports Dome.

The episode explores the club’s stance against racism, fascism, sexism and homophobia, while also examining how supporters have repeatedly challenged St. Pauli itself to live up to those principles. The Millerntor-Stadion became the physical center of that identity, filled with political banners, music, murals and one of German football’s most recognizable atmospheres.

There’s football too: the Hamburg derby with HSV, the famous 2002 victory over Bayern Munich, financial crises, unlikely cup runs and repeated fights for survival. More recently, St. Pauli supporters helped create a cooperative that raised millions while preserving democratic influence over the club and stadium.

St. Pauli’s story is ultimately about who gets to decide what a football club becomes—and what happens when supporters refuse to surrender that responsibility.

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Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club.

If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

The Underdog Football Show

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SV Robinhood, Surinamese football, Caribbean competition and one of CONCACAF’s most persistent clubs are at the center of this episode of Why We Love This Club.

Chris Horwedel traces Robinhood from its 1945 founding by rail-yard workers in Paramaribo to becoming Suriname’s record league champion and a club uniquely positioned between football worlds: South American by geography, Caribbean by competition and deeply connected to the Netherlands through language, migration and history.

The episode explores Robinhood’s golden era under Ronald Kolf, its fierce rivalry with SV Transvaal and an extraordinary continental record that included five CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeats between 1972 and 1983.

After relegation in 2014, Robinhood rebuilt. The revival culminated in the 2023 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup title, finally delivering a major regional crown 51 years after the club’s first continental final. Robinhood then returned to the Champions Cup and helped usher Surinamese football into a new professional era.

Robinhood’s motto says it best: No Struggle, No Crown.

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Check out the show's website for an interactive map with all current teams, and suggest a club.

If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

The Underdog Football Show

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.