More Than A Name cover art

More Than A Name

More Than A Name

By: More Than A Name
Listen for free

About this listen

 More Than A Name explores untold, unfiltered sporting stories. Hosted by former England and Premier League defender Luke Young and sports presenter Max Whittle, each episode sits down with athletes, coaches, and public figures to talk about the side of success we rarely see — identity, pressure, mental health, and the moments they felt most lost. It goes beyond career stats and media clichés to dig into the emotional and mental weight of being in the spotlight — revealing the human behind the headlines.



 Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • 3: James Haskell on Therapy, Fatherhood, England Highs & Lows and Life After Loss

    3: James Haskell on Therapy, Fatherhood, England Highs & Lows and Life After Loss
    Nov 18 2025
    Former England rugby international James Haskell joins Max Whittle and Luke Young on More Than A Name for one of his most honest and wide-ranging conversations to date.
    Haskell opens up about how therapy has shaped his life (02:30), why he loved playing rugby (9:40), dealing with retirement (11:36), the difference between rugby and football culture (16:12), his struggles with self-confidence (23:10), and how certain coaching styles affected him during the most intense moments of his career (25:22). He discusses the highs and lows of playing for England, the reality of life on British & Irish Lions tours, and his love for music and DJing.
    James also reflects deeply on fatherhood (26:47), succeeding under Eddie Jones (31:10), the shambles of the 2011 World Cup (33:48), how professional sport views therapy (42:15), his view on mental health diagnosis (44:03) and how he’s been coping with the loss of his father this year (50:20).
    A raw, insightful and entertaining conversation about resilience, identity, grief, pressure and finding balance as a modern athlete.
    Follow More Than A Name on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethananamepod/
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morethananamepod
    Get in touch with us: morethananamepod@gmail.com
    Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MoreThanANamePodcast
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • 2: Stiliyan Petrov on family expectations, football in Bulgaria and his cancer journey

    2: Stiliyan Petrov on family expectations, football in Bulgaria and his cancer journey
    Nov 11 2025
    Stiliyan Petrov joins Luke and Max for an incredibly honest and insightful conversation about life in Bulgaria, his time with Celtic and Aston Villa and his journey with cancer, which continues today through The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation.
    Stiliyan talks throughout about the huge demands his dad placed on him as a footballer and why those expectations will never go away (04:04) before discussing his childhood in Montana, Bulgaria (13:30), unknowingly scoring the winner in a fixed match (21:00), playing for CSKA Sofia and living in the capital (23:45), signing with Celtic (27:42), moving to the Premier League (40:40), his time at Villa alongside Luke (42:10), reflecting on a record 105 caps for Bulgaria (48:00), and finally his journey with cancer (50:15).
    If you can, please support the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation: https://www.instagram.com/spfoundation19
    Follow More Than A Name on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethananamepod/
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morethananamepod
    Get in touch with us: morethananamepod@gmail.com
    Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MoreThanANamePodcast
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 33 mins
  • 1: Luke Young on breaking through at Spurs, marking Thierry Henry, Villa under Martin O'Neill and the QPR rollercoaster

    1: Luke Young on breaking through at Spurs, marking Thierry Henry, Villa under Martin O'Neill and the QPR rollercoaster
    Nov 4 2025
    The More Than A Name Podcast is here as we begin Series 1!
    Former Premier League defender Luke Young chats to co-host Max Whittle about his 17-year career with Spurs, Charlton, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, QPR and England. Luke opens up about the drama at his final club QPR (03:43), playing in the infamous match between QPR and Chelsea in 2011 (08:02), the moment his all-Premier League playing record came to an end (11:22), running the London Marathon during a top flight season (12:27), breaking through with Tottenham as a Spurs fan (17:10), his 'welcome to professional football' moment (25:11), the challenges of marking Thierry Henry (28:20), his time at Charlton and making his England debut (31:41), missing the 2006 World Cup because of injury (36:29), publicly retiring from international football (37:38), what it's like to fail a medical (40:04) and his three seasons at Aston Villa (42:33).
    Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethananamepod/
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morethananamepod
    Get in touch: morethananamepod@gmail.com
    Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MoreThanANamePodcast
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.