Welcome to your new favourite magazine
Inside every issue of Pitch you will find stories, long and short, relating to the thick end of 30 different sports. It’s a genuinely groundbreaking remit and we think a first in the world of magazines. We think the mix works brilliantly. Because ultimately we are sports fanatics. First.
Our latest magazine…
A rugby special fronted up by British & Irish Lion Henry Pollock.
On Topic
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Max Verstappen under observation from Sam Cooper. Lionel Messi’s final World Cup in sharp focus, courtesy of Paul Simpson We’ve the greatest TV ads featuring sports stars scrutinised. Columns from David Hepworth on why World Cups don’t count, Alex Timperley on football foodbanks and Emma Atkins sounds off on the unregulated world of e-sports coaching. Leaving Andy Afford to write about the intoxicating celebrity world of Pickleball.
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We know that as a magazine, only out every three months, it’s really important not to follow the sporting calendar slavishly. We defi nitely want Pitch to feel ‘timely’ but not ‘of the moment’. In that, even our 27 pages dedicated to the men's football World Cup deliberately shoots around the edges of what you’ll fi nd elsewhere. Starting on page 38, I’ll not tell you what to expect, as I’m hoping Issue 1 (if you were one of the goodly number that read it) has set the bar in that regard.
Elsewhere, I’m going to point you in the direction of two things. Firstly, Joel Stein’s piece about the rise of combat sports in the form of Dana White’s UFC. His interview with the CEO of the world’s most-exciting fi ght club offers a massively accessible toe in the water for those of us not already unduly familiar with it, but with enough depth to offer additional insight for those of you who consider yourselves fully initiated.
And shoring up the back - like last issue - is our timeline of all timelines, As It Happened. This story takes a minute- by-minute look at Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in 2012. To describe it as ‘well researched’ amounts to a Tiger Woods- sized understatement of its greatness. It’s written by the brilliant Jack Bryan.
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How England’s Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer are likely to form the foundations of a new era under Thomas Tuchel. Guenther Steiner in conversation with Sam Cooper. Richie McCaw in What Greatness Looks Like. And cricket In 10 Characters. Plus so much more.
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Maybe it’s just me, but I can think of any number of revered attacking partnerships in football, but no famous midfield pairings whatsoever. Not a one.
For every Harry Kane & Heung-min Son, Sutton & Shearer, or Saint & Greavsie (one for the kids) I can think of no duos sharing the bossing of the middle of the park.
By contrast, there are any number of revered three-and- four-man midfields. From Spain and Barcelona’s all-conquering Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets to United’s Giggs, Keane, Scholes and Beckham. But not one hunting pair. Unless you think different, obviously?
Maybe that will change in the emergence of Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham? In these young. men England have two players that break the mould in nearly every respect. Be sure to read Paul Simpson’s thought-provoking cover feature on page 36. It’s particularly insightful, especially in the context of yours truly drawing a blank for references.
On the wider ‘stuff’, make sure you give Kabaddi a read (page 74). Was fun to write. And also, please make your way in the direction of Sam Cooper’s interview with F1 Drive to Survive TV series’ breakout star, Guenther Steiner (page 46). Disappointingly, not as much swearing as you might expect from the Italian team principal. But it’s still good, nonetheless.
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The free-wheeling genius of Harry Brook. A Bluffer’s Guide to the Alpine World Ski Championships. A comprehensive review of lower league football – and what it takes to run a successful club. And boxing in 10 characters or less… Plus so much more.
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In what is the longest feature (13,000 words, or thereabouts) to ever appear in Pitch, Paul Simpson’s careful curation of lower league CEOs’ dropping of the curtain on how they run their respective businesses is as terrifying as it is insightful. In the most revealing detail, it sets out the owners’ appetite for losing money – and how much appetite for how much money – as the benchmark for being in the ownership game. And it starts in the millions. All of that is offset by an almost juvenile ambition to compete within their division and beyond. It’s brilliant; across 20 pages. And it all starts on page 48.
Elsewhere, the spotlight falls on two emerging superstars of sport. In darts’ Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler and Harry ‘The Hook’ Brook in cricket. Both of these longer reads will tell you things you don’t already know about two men with greatness already within their respective grasp.
And finally, Nick Compton is not only a former England opening bat, he’s also a skilled photographer. His personal walkthrough of what is a fantastic portfolio is another feature filled with anecdotes and insight. Find it on page 86.
Stories of Modern Sport
