Cultured Football #223
Football is Back. Out of Time. Preseason Frustration. Looking to Asia. Room for Improvement
Football Is Back!
Football, proper football is back (already) something which always sends me looking for the best previews around. And so, assuming that you are like me, here are some fine previews for…
League One and League Two
By Adam Sopf for Lower Tiers
There are always great storylines to follow in the lower leagues of English football. Can Luton bounce back after two consecutive relegations? Will Accrington Stanley stay alive in League Two? Every club in those two leagues get reviewed here so you can better answer those questions.
Scottish Premiership
By SM Media
Will Celtic win yet another title or can someone - Rangers probably - topple them? Unlikely, but you never know.
2. Bundesliga
By Rune Gjerulff for Bulinews
I very much enjoyed watching the opener for the 2. Bundesliga season between Schalke 04 and Hertha Berlin. If that game is anything to go by, it will be well worth keeping an eye out on this league.
Azerbaijan Premier League
By Fuad Alakbarov for Breaking the Lines
Because, why not?
Out of Time
By Rory Smith for The Raven
Some players aren’t just undone by form or injury but by timing. João Félix’s decline isn’t just a story of unmet potential but of a game that no longer makes space for his kind. Like Riquelme before him, he needed a coach and a club willing to let him be himself. But football’s middle tier has vanished, leaving no room for flawed artists, only systems.
Bonus Read: The Death of the Playground
[ x ]
We scream for Messi, but stifle the next one at under 8s. In a world obsessed with control, can we still make space for genius?
Frustration in the fanbase is bubbling just under the surface
By for
Can a club really go into meltdown after losing a pre-season friendly game? Yes, apparently.
Thinking of someone who might enjoy Cultured Football? Let them know.
‘A new area’: why British clubs are increasingly turning to Asia to sign players
By for the Guardian
With refined technical ability, tactical discipline, and lower price tags, players from East Asia are increasingly appealing to Premier League and Championship clubs. Aided by relaxed post-Brexit rules, British clubs are increasingly tapping into this underexploited talent pool with strong youth systems.
How could Non-League Football Improve?
By for
While the top of the pyramid spirals into financial excess and disconnect, Non-League football is quietly becoming the sport’s true refuge. But even this grassroots haven has room to grow. From modernising digital presence to embracing media, community events, and better support from the FA, small changes could make a big difference. The passion is already there. What’s needed now is the structure to match it.
Bonus Read: How 'Wrexham effect' is transforming non-league football
By Ben Bloom for BBC Sports
Non-league football was once a quiet corner of the game, but now - spurred by Wrexham’s story - it’s buzzing with big names, bold ideas, and booming crowds.
Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading. And you get a free copy of the book Master of the Azzurri when you join.
The Illustrated Game #003: Escapismo Magazine’s España Edition
Escapismo magazine started life as a personal gift but has become a growing space for those who find meaning in the game's quieter, more emotional corners; a reminder that football isn’t just played or watched, but felt. The latest issue, España: Real Betis & The Joy Of Spanish Football, does this to the fullest; rich in storytelling, steeped in emotion, and crafted with the kind of care that turns a magazine into something more lasting.
From the stands of the Benito Villamarín to the streets that bleed green and white, this is a story of identity, loyalty, and joy. Spanish football has many giants, but few with the soul of Betis. There’s a reason this issue feels different. Treat yourself to a copy.
In Case You Missed It Here’s Last Week’s Most Read: Graffiti Wars: A battle for territory in East Berlin
By Tom Ritchie for Bundesletter — German football culture
A city once split by ideology now sees its identity contested in smaller, subtler ways. In East Berlin, even electricity boxes have become canvases in a quiet war between Union and Hertha fans, each layer of paint a new front in a rivalry shaped by history. What might seem like mischief reveals deeper truths about territory, memory, and expression in a place where the past never quite stays buried.
Bonus Read: Afterlives: Highbury
[Josh Bland x Against the Run of Play]
Highbury still stands. But only just.