Since its launch in 2023, Stick to Football has established itself as one of the most popular football podcasts in a very congested marketplace. Combining elite football knowledge, honest opinions, strong personalities, and entertaining debates, it has become a favourite among football fans not just in the UK but also further afield.
The podcast features some of the biggest names in football punditry, namely Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, and Ian Wright. Together, they create a mix of expert insight, humour, and unfiltered discussion that stands out from much of the available sports coverage.
Stick to Football Background
In May 2021, Gary Neville launched The Overlap, promising to interview some of the biggest names in world sport, but with a primary focus on football. The Overlap also introduced a fan debate series, where supporters from different football clubs discuss major talking points relating to their teams.
Following the success of The Overlap, Neville decided to create a spin-off, within the Overlap family, focused on regular football discussion and debate. Stick to Football officially launched on 27th September 2023, featuring Neville alongside Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, and Ian Wright. The full cast has remained together ever since, as the format has proven extremely successful.
Initially, Stick to Football was sponsored by Sky Bet, with the partnership lasting nearly two years. In the summer of 2025, fashion brand Arne became the podcast’s headline sponsor. Despite stepping back from the main podcast sponsorship, Sky Bet remains involved with The Overlap’s fan debate series.
Elite Football Experience
One of the biggest reasons for Stick to Football’s success is the experience and status of its hosts. Few football podcasts can match the combined playing careers of the panel.
Gary Neville and Roy Keane were key figures during Manchester United’s most successful era under Sir Alex Ferguson. Jamie Carragher spent his entire career at Liverpool and became one of the Premier League’s most respected defenders. Ian Wright remains one of Arsenal’s most loved former players, while Jill Scott enjoyed huge success with England and Manchester City.
Because of this background, the analysis feels credible and informed. The hosts understand dressing room culture, player mentality, pressure situations, and elite-level football standards in a way journalists or less elite players cannot quite replicate.
As well as knowledge, each cast member brings their own unique quality to the mix. Roy Keane provides intensity and brutally honest opinions, Jamie Carragher adds humour and tactical insight and will regularly clash with Neville over issues. Ian Wright brings warmth and storytelling, and Jill Scott offers a more modern player perspective.
Football Analysis Without Feeling Overly Serious
Another major reason behind the podcast’s popularity is its balance between football insight and entertainment. While the hosts share plenty of banter and funny stories, the show rarely gets too off-topic. Additionally, they never try too hard to be funny; any banter that does arise feels natural, as does Roy Keane’s deadpan delivery.
On the other side of the scale, some of the more serious football podcasts focus heavily on statistics and complex tactical systems. While perfect for some, they can feel overwhelming for regular fans at times. Stick to Football avoids this problem by keeping discussions insightful without becoming too complicated. This balance allows the show to appeal to a wide audience, from dedicated football followers to more casual Premier League viewers.
Big-Name Guests Add Variety
Another reason for the popularity of Stick to Football is its ability to attract major guests from both football and wider entertainment.
Recent football guests have included Mauricio Pochettino, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Bale, Ange Postecoglou, John Barnes, and Henrik Larsson. These appearances give listeners direct insight from some of the sport’s biggest personalities. The show, despite its name, has also welcomed guests from outside football, including Rory McIlroy, Ant and Dec, and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. These episodes will not appeal to all, but they still provide plenty of entertainment despite the reduced footballing content.
Because guests are speaking with former elite athletes rather than traditional interviewers, conversations often feel more relaxed and honest. Guests appear comfortable sharing personal stories, opinions, and dressing room experiences that would not usually emerge during standard television interviews. Of course, there is banter at times, but the cast know when to be quiet and respectful when their guest is opening up.
This combination of great guests and a well-balanced regular crew has seen Stick to Football perform strongly. On Spotify, it boasts a 4.6-star rating, and a 4.2 rating on Apple Music.
How to Access Stick to Football
Stick to Football has successfully adapted to the modern football media landscape by building a strong presence across multiple platforms.
As well as being available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music, full video episodes are uploaded to YouTube via The Overlap channel. This recorded element enables fans to watch reactions, body language, and interactions between the hosts rather than simply listening to audio clips. Apple Music also offers video playback for the podcast.
The visual format also works perfectly for social media. Short clips featuring insights, heated debates, funny stories, or Roy Keane reactions regularly go viral across TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube Shorts. This has enabled the Overlap to gain a huge social media following. Its Instagram and TikTok accounts both have over 1m subscribers, while its YouTube channel has surpassed 1.6m.
Having a good podcast is only half the battle; the other half is getting it out there so people know about it. Those behind Stick to Football have nailed both areas, which is why each episode regularly attracts well over a million listeners.
New episodes drop every week and can be accessed through a wide range of platforms. Although this is relatively low frequency compared to most football podcasts, each episode tends to be in the region of 90 minutes long, so it is something you can break down into smaller chunks if preferred.