From Podcast to Promised Land? Could Open Goal Replicate Its Studio Success on the Pitch and Progress through Scotland’s Footballing Pyramid?

Ryan Murray

29th September 2022 | 1:57 PM

Media group Open Goal, after taking over Lowland League club Broomhill FC, have designs on progressing up the professional ladder of Scottish football.

Scottish football has never been in short supply of intrigue or unpredictability. Counter to claims south of the border, the game in Scotland is alive and well and arguably far more blockbuster than its English cousin. Many outsiders harness their views on Scottish football exclusively through the exploits of its two famous Glasgow clubs, who have indeed historically cast a dominant shadow over the country. True, the almost soap-style drama of Celtic and Rangers’ ferocious rivalry certainly contributes heavily to Scotland’s footballing dynamic and, by extension, embeds itself into the very fabric of native society. However, those invested in the narrative of the Scottish game would swiftly point to a myriad of other tasty plotlines.

Open Goal Broomhill FC in Scotland's Lowland League
Art by Shivani Khot

One of the more compelling stories is the emergence of Open Goal Broomhill FC, a newly branded football club plying its trade in the fifth-tier Lowland League. To a distant observer, the prefix ‘Open Goal’ may feel like an odd selection, chosen as a random piece of footballing terminology as opposed to reflecting anything of substance. Yet, ‘Open Goal’ is a phrase regularly pursed on the lips of many a Scottish football fan; well, at least when discussing their favourite Monday evening podcast.

Open Goal is a media platform sponsoring several podcasts hosted by a select ensemble of local and rather maverick personalities. Each has trod their own pathway through the Scottish footballing terrain and beyond, bringing their own indomitable style to proceedings. The ‘anchor’ programme, Keeping the Ball on the Ground, has now earned cult status, entertaining a legion of football followers with its charming blend of dressing room-style antics and honest insider insight from ex-professionals.

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