Back page Back Page Football was launched in the summer of 2009 as an Irish-based football blog which provided a space for budding journalists and football fans of all ages and backgrounds to write about diverse and original football stories that mattered to them.
The site was launched by Kevin Coleman and Neil Sherwin and developed by Ollie Kavanagh of Capra Design. The current incarnation of the website was developed in 2017. In 2014, Charles Pulling joined the editorial team with Kevin and Neil.
From the beginning, the goal of the site has been to provide a platform for football writers to talk about the beautiful game and have their work enjoyed by a wider audience, providing them with a passionate community of football fans who care about their work and to help further their careers. Some writers who have passed through the door have gone on to work for a number of major publications across the world, feature on podcasts, television and publish their own successful books.
In our over 10 years online, BPF has published hundreds of writers, thousands upon thousands of articles, and covered football from every corner of the globe, from Tallaght to Thailand and everywhere in between. We have published historical deep-dives, tactical analysis, opinion and discussion, delved into controversial and thought-provoking topics, featured exclusive interviews with players and football people from around the world and even broken news stories.
On social media, we tweet regularly @bpfootball to our 28,000 community and our light-hearted outlook on football has become synonymous with the website where we don’t take ourselves too seriously, except when it comes to producing the best content.
In 2010 we launched our first podcast with journalist Ciarán O’Raghailligh. It has gone through a number of redevelopments, for a period under the guidance of Setanta Sports and Tom Fox, then with co-editor Neil and loyal contributors Paul Little and Ger McCarthy, and now its current edition Three At The Back with founder Kevin and contributors Phil Greene and Enda Higgins.
Over 10 years on, we continue to provide a welcoming springboard and football haven for talented writers. Every year, students, football lovers and arm-chair pundits contribute some of the best football writing you’ll find online. If you want to join the team, we’d love to hear from you.
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“A super, varied site that became the first of a few of Irish outlets foolish enough to commission me many years ago. It was the first Irish site I can remember willing to tell stories from all pockets of the world, and has happily remained true to that.”
– Gavin Cooney, Sportswriter with The42.ie and host of the Behind The Line podcast
“When I knocked on their doors in 2013, Back Page Football gave me – a 19-year-old high school graduate from the small West African nation of Ghana – a rare opportunity to enter. Though barely knowing who I was, they gave me the chance to explore and find myself under great guidance; to write on topics that mattered to me, and this gave my confidence (and ultimately, my career) a major boost. Today, eight years on, and many major milestones later, I look back with gratitude in my heart. The folks at Back Page Football are as passionate about people as they are about football – and that really is what makes them special.”
– Fiifi Anaman, award-winning Ghanaian journalist
“What I’ve always liked is that BPF has never been afraid to go its own way – it’s never been a slave to SEO or clickbait or the agenda of the day, but instead a forum simply for insightful and honest writing about the game, on and off the pitch. Long may it last!”
– Gavan Reilly, author & Political Correspondent with Virgin Media News
“Back Page Football was an important website for me when I started off in writing and journalism. The variety of topics on the website gave me lots to learn and I had the freedom and guidance to write on a range of topics which were key at that stage of my career. The BPF team have done well to maintain a wide-ranging portfolio, and it definitely a recommended, independent football website that’s worth following.”
– Karan Tejwani, football writer and author of Wings of Change
“BPF was the first places to give me the opportunity and platform to write about football without restraints. They consistently provide a quality alternative to much of the commercial content out there, as well as exploring issues beyond the game and how it is played. A brilliant, and important, site.”
– Maurice Brosnan, sportswriter with the Irish Examiner, Balls.ie and more
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Email us: editor@backpagefootball.com
Tweet us: @bpfootball
Awards & Nominations
- Irish Blog Awards 2018 – Finalist (Sports Blog)
- Irish Blog Awards 2017 – Finalist (Sports Blog)
- Irish Web Awards 2016 – Finalist (Sports Website, Sports News Website, Best Podcasting), Semi Finalist (Most Beautiful Site)
- Irish Web Awards 2015 – Finalist (Best Sports Site, Best Daily Web Only Publication), Semi Finalist (Best Podcast Series, Most Beautiful)
- Irish Web Awards 2014 – Finalist (Best Sports Site), nominated (Best Daily Web Only Publication, Most Beautiful Website in Ireland)
- Football Supporters Federation Awards 2013 – Finalist (Independent Website of the Year)
- European Football Blog Awards 2013 – Winner (Best Original Content)
- Irish Web Awards 2013 – Finalist (Best Sports Site, Best Independent Podcaster)
- Blog Awards Ireland 2013 – Finalist (Best Sport / Recreation Blog)
- Irish Web Awards 2012 – Finalist (Best Sports Site, Best Web Only Publication)
- Irish Blog Awards 2011 – Finalist (Best Sport and Recreation Blog)
- Irish Blog Awards 2010 – Finalist (Best Sport and Recreation Blog)