Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor. Seb took over the German football beat at the outlet about two years ago, after moving to Hamburg, his wife’s hometown.

He covers the full gamut of German football, writing and speaking on the latest transfer news, the action on the pitch, and stories from the terrace.

In our conversation, we cover some of his recent work, in particular the in-depth reporting he did in relation to Florian Wirtz’s one hundred and sixteen million euro transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool. Seb has covered every inch of that story, collaborating with colleagues to unearth the detail behind the move, and speaking with Wirtz’s youth coaches. I’ve left some of the links to his work in the description.

We also talked about football in Hamburg. HSV’s recent promotion, the political identity of St. Pauli, and the prospect of the Stadt derby returning to the top tier for the first time in 14 years.

Before I met with Seb, many other guests on this podcast and countless others in the German football space told me about how giving he is with his time. He was, as advertised, one of the nicest blokes I’ve come across in the football media. I really enjoyed this one, and I hope you do too.

Here's what we covered

• Seb's relationship with German football (2:30)
• The 'compromise' of covering Bayern to spread interest in the German game (6:00)
• Covering Florian Writz's transfer to Liverpool (11:00)
• differences between German football and English football at a youth level, and the open culture that creates (16:00)
• His ties to Hamburg (20:00)
• Cultivating relationships within German football, and travelling the country for work (26:00)
• The nature of the St.Pauli/HSV rivalry (28:45)
• Why he avoids defining fan bases by a singular ideology or point of view (34:30)
• Covering HSV's return to the Bundesliga, and why this team was able to win promotion after seven years in the second tier (38:00)

Links to Seb's work

'Hamburg: A Bundesliga giant almost back from the brink' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6187923/2025/03/10/hamburg-bundesliga-promotion-polzin-selke/

'Creating Florian Wirtz' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6401889/2025/06/16/creating-florian-wirtz/

'Inside Wirtz's Liverpool deal' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6434830/2025/06/20/florian-wirtz-liverpool-transfer-inside-story/

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Derek’s voice will be recognisable to many of you. Not only has he commentated on pretty much every major football league or international competition for a host of industry-leading broadcasters, since 2017, he has been the voice of the EA sports soccer simulator formerly known as FIFA, now EAFC.

For the past few years, he has served as the lead commentator on ESPN's coverage of the Bundesliga, and the league’s international feed.

Describing himself as an unapologetic Germanophile, Derek is a font of knowledge on the Bundesliga, the German language, and the country’s wider football culture. In this podcast, we cover Derek’s aptitude for learning Deutsch, how his linguistic skills have made him a better commentator, the German commentators that influenced him, and his love for the city of Köln.

Derek is a true ambassador for German football, and one of the very best commentators operating in the game today. It was a true pleasure to speak with him.

Here’s what we covered.

• Derek's experience covering the Club World Cup (2:00)
• Whether the tournament has been a success (3:45)
• How German fans have received the Club World Cup (5:45)
• The early stages of Derek's career and his time living and working in the US (7:00)
• The profile of German football in the States (10:45)
• Derek's first experiences of German football (16:15)
• How Derek became obsessed with the German language (22:00)
• Listening to the BundesligaKonferenz, and the influence of German commentators on his style (27:30)
• How learning languages has given him a leg up in the commentary game (32:00)
• Why Derek settled in Köln (34:30)
• The city's obsession with the efforts and exploits of FC Köln (37:30)

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.

Stefan Bienkowski is the UK content manager for Transfermarkt, where in his own words, his remit is "everything but" German football.

However, it's the work he does outside his nine-to-five that makes him a well-known name among avid followers of the Bundesliga. Alongside Manuel Veth, Stefan runs the Gegenpressing Podcast and Newsletter, one of the best English-language resources for understanding the German game.

Stefan has lived and worked in Gemrany too. He was previously a football correspondent for Deutsche Welle, and has contributed to leading titles including The Telegraph and Guardian.

Here's what we covered:

• Stefan's work with Transfermarkt, and the Gegenpressing Newsletter/Podcast (3:00)
• The stories Stefan and his colleagues cover on Gegenpressing (5:15)
• Stefan's experience of living and working in Germany (8:00)
• The dominance of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the English-language coverage of German football (10:00)
• How the German media cover the transfer market (16:30)
• The similarities between Germany's media and other major European footballing powers (23:30)
• The idea that the Bundesliga has become a 'development league' for Europe's elite clubs (26:30)
• Fan sentiment towards Bayern's dominance, and attitudes towards the 'financialisation' of football in Germany and other markets (33:30)
• The stories from the 24/25 season which have been 'undercovered' by English outlets (40:00)

The Gegenpressing Newsletter: gegenpressing.substack.com

Project Fußball: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/project-fu%C3%9Fball/id1548252056

About 'Die 56'

Have you heard about our Kickstarter campaign? 'Die 56' is a content series, which will see Bundesletter see a game at every home ground in the top three tiers og Erman football in the 25/26 season. To find out more, click the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/die56/die-56

About The Bundesletter Podcast

The Bundesletter Podcast is an interview programme featuring the expert insight of observer of German football and its culture.

We'll hear from journalists, historians, analysts and fans of fußball on their experiences of following and learning the game.

This series is a companion to the Bundesletter, a weekly newsletter written, edited and published by Tom Ritchie, a journalist based in Berlin.

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: bundesletter.substack.com.