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The £3 Billion Transfer Window: Premier League Dominance, Player Power, and European Football's Shifting Landscape
09 September 2025
In a special transfer window recap, This Sporting Planet brings together Kevin Hatchard, a European football journalist and broadcaster, along with hosts Natalie Sawyer (UK), Edward Russell (Asia), and Carol Tshabalala (Africa) to dissect the most "bonkers" summer of spending in recent memory. From record-breaking transfers to the growing financial chasm in European football, they provide unparalleled insight into the transfer market's biggest stories.
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US Open Preview: Sinner vs Alcaraz, Wide-Open Women's Field, and a Brand-New Mixed Doubles Format
04 August 2025
With the US Open just around the corner, This Sporting Planet welcomes broadcaster and author Ben Rothenberg to discuss the biggest talking points from the final Grand Slam of the year. From the escalating rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to the unpredictable women's field and a revolutionary new mixed doubles format, Rothenberg shares his expert insight on the state of modern tennis.
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Harry Ewing: Inside the Ropes at the AIG Women's Open
04 August 2025
As the AIG Women's Open approaches, This Sporting Planet speaks with seasoned professional caddie Harry Ewing. From his recent success caddying for Cara Gainer at the Evian Championship to his insights into what makes the ladies' game so relatable and exciting, Ewing offers a unique, inside perspective on the most significant event in women's golf and the players to watch this year.
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Club World Cup: A US Showdown, Star Power, and a £1 Billion Prize
25 July 2025
With the expanded FIFA Club World Cup set to kick off in the United States, a tournament featuring 32 of the world's elite teams is promising a summer of high-stakes football. This Sporting Planet speaks to The Athletic's senior writer, Felipe Cardenas, about how the tournament is being received in America, the teams to watch, and the intriguing transfers that are set to shake up the competition.
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Thunder Rolls: OKC's Historic NBA Triumph and the League's Shifting Landscape
23 July 2025
In an insightful chat with This Sporting Planet, Dave Dufour, host of The Athletic's NBA Daily podcast, dissects the Oklahoma City Thunder's unexpected NBA Finals victory, the intriguing dynamics of the draft, and the burgeoning future of basketball, both domestically and internationally.
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Chris Wood: From Open Stardom to Mental Fortitude – A Journey of Resilience
22 July 2025
In an exclusive interview with This Sporting Planet, English golfer Chris Wood opens up about the highs and lows of his career, his deep connection to The Open Championship, and his battle with mental health in the demanding world of professional golf.
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Diede De Groot: The Puzzle, The Passion, and The Pursuit of Perfection
27 June 2025
In an exclusive interview with This Sporting Planet, the indomitable Diede de Groot, wheelchair tennis's dominant force, offers a candid look at her Wimbledon preparations, her journey back to the court after injury, and the evolving landscape of the sport.
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Ben Alexander: Wallaby Pride, Lions Agony, and Australian Rugby's Golden Opportunity
18 June 2025
Ahead of the highly anticipated British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, This Sporting Planet catches up with former Wallaby Ben Alexander. Having started every Test for Australia in the last Lions series in 2013, Alexander provides a candid and deeply personal insight into the unique phenomenon of the Lions, the state of Australian rugby, and what this tour truly means for the game Down Under.
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Lianne Sanderson: Arsenal's Champions League Quest, European Glory, and the Growth of Women's Football
11 June 2025
In a compelling follow-up interview with This Sporting Planet, Arsenal legend and former England international Lianne Sanderson shares her expert insights on the upcoming UEFA Women's Champions League Final, Arsenal's remarkable journey, and the complex landscape of women's football globally.
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Alex Albon: Williams' Resurgence, a New Partnership, and a Thai Grand Prix Dream
05 June 2025
In an exclusive interview with This Sporting Planet, Williams' Formula 1 driver Alex Albon provides a fascinating look into the team's impressive start to the 2025 season, the dynamic with his new teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., and the exciting possibility of a home Grand Prix in Thailand.
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Mark Woodford: From Clay Frustration to Grass Glory - A Tennis Legend's View of the Grand Slams
23 May 2025
With Roland Garros and Wimbledon just around the corner, This Sporting Planet sits down with Australian tennis legend Mark Woodford. A 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a four-time major winner in men's doubles alone, Woodford offers a fascinating look into what makes these two iconic tournaments so unique, his personal battles on both surfaces, and his predictions for the season ahead.
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From Underdog to Final: Can Arsenal Shock Barcelona for Champions League Glory?
06 May 2025
Natalie Sawyer caught up with former Lioness and Arsenal player Lianne Sanderson to discuss the Women’s Champions League, the Women’s Euro and what it’s like to be a trailblazer. First on the agenda was Arsenal’s second leg comeback in their Champions League semi-final against eight-time Champions Lyon which saw them win 5-3 on aggregate to earn a date with Barcelona in the showpiece event that will be staged in Lisbon later this month.
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Caitlin Bassett: From Netball Dominance to a Champion for Athletes
06 May 2025
In a wide-ranging and engaging interview with This Sporting Planet, Australian netball legend Caitlin "Seabass" Bassett, a former World Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, shares her incredible journey since retiring from netball. From her new roles in sports administration and journalism to playing Australian Rules football, Bassett offers unparalleled insight into the Super Netball season and the critical issues shaping the future of women's sports.
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Masters Drama: McIlroy's Wild Ride to Grand Slam Glory Captivated the World.
30 April 2025
“When [Rory McIlroy] got up in the Masters press conference after he won the green jacket, the first thing he said when he sat down, he said, all right, what are we going to talk about next year?” It took 11 years, but Rory McIlroy has now joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen - the only male golfers to have won all four of the tournaments that matter most. In the golfing world, they call it the Grand Slam. The Northern Irish golfer had won the men's game's three other majors - US Open, Open Championship and US PGA Championship - by the end of 2014. Now, aged 35, he is without a shadow of a doubt one of golf’s all-time greats.
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India's Women's Cricket: Still Waiting for the World to Notice?
30 April 2025
“Has Women's Cricket in India fulfilled the promise and potential that the 2017 ODI World Cup in England, not quite. When can it happen? Hey, maybe if all things go well in September, October, November this year.” Colette Wong sat down with sports journalist, cricket commentator, and documentary producer, Annesha Ghosh, to discuss the state of the women’s game in India.
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Beyond the Debut Win: Shannon Tan's Drive for LPGA Success and Olympic Glory
28 April 2025
“When I won on my debut, I kind of couldn't believe it happened. But at the same time I was like, it's just, just another day.” Ambitious, confident, and enviably composed on the course, Shannon Tan had a stellar rookie year on the Ladies European Tour. Collette Wong caught up with this rising star of the golfing world to learn about her journey so far and her targets for the future.
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The NFL Draft: Where Dreams Are Made (and Sometimes Delayed)
23 April 2025
“It’s huge and it's become an event. I mean, we talk about it for months leading up to the actual draft and what it's selling is hope, right?” The 2025 NFL draft is now just hours away. Thousands of college graduates are hoping to be snapped up by one of the 32 teams. This is the focus of sporting attention in the USA and to preview what we can expect this year, as well as to help those unfamiliar with the NFL understand what goes on across the seven rounds in three days, Super Bowl champion and former Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and New York Giants player, podcaster and broadcaster, Jason Bell met up with the This Sporting Planet team.
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Coughlin Ready for Major Golf Action After Breakout Year
11 April 2025
The golf major season is just around the corner, with the Masters and the Chevron Championship taking place in the Americas this month. Todd Harris caught up with Lauren Coughlin, who finished tied third at last year's Chevron Championship, fourth at the Evian and was part of the winning Solheim Cup team, as well. 2024 was a breakout year for the 32-year-old, and it all started with that strong result on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, which is just 50 minutes from the home of Lauren’s parents. She’s looking forward to this year’s edition.
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Baseball is Back! Ohtani Wins Big in Japan
08 April 2025
The new Major League Baseball season is up and running, and it kicked off in Japan. Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the LA Dodgers team secured back to back wins against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series.
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Piastri's Rise, Lawson's Fall: The Sharp Edges of F1 Success
02 April 2025
“F1's not a finishing school”
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Indonesia's World Cup Fever: A Nation's Hope Rides on 2026
02 April 2025
“If we qualify for the 2026 World Cup,” says Tio Utomo, “we will forgive anything!”
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Teamwork Triumphs: Williams F1 Racing's Long-Term Vision Pays Off in Melbourne
18 March 2025
Atlassian Williams Racing may be looking to the future, but they started the new Formula One season in Melbourne with 10 points and a fifth place finish for 28 year old driver Alex Albon. That represented their best start to a campaign for nine years.
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Sensational at 75! Will Hamilton win an 8th world title with Ferrari in its 75th year?
11 March 2025
F1 presenter Jennie Gow was at the glittering launch of the new season and spoke with Natalie Sawyer about what we can anticipate in the months to come – and of course about the great occasion at the O2 Arena in London.
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March Madness: College basketball’s ONE BILLION DOLLAR BONANZA!
11 March 2025
For those unfamiliar with a massive month in the USA, March Madness refers to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 men's basketball tournament.
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Liv Golf – Growing in Popularity, especially in Asia
11 March 2025
Liv Golf is heading to Singapore, where This Sporting Planet host Ed Russell is based. And it’s quite the spectacle—fans can enjoy concerts, music, an exciting atmosphere, and great golf: 13 teams, 54 players, 54 holes, no cut, and a shot-gun start!
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The Four Nations Face Off: Ice Hockey’s fantastic new format
06 March 2025
Canada defeated USA to win the final of the hugely successful inaugural Four Nations Face Off – a new competition that saw the two North American nations plus Sweden and Finland compete in a round robin format.
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The Summer of Cricket has begun for India Beginning with the ICC Champions Trophy
06 March 2025
The Champions Trophy is underway in Pakistan! This competition, which seemed to have been written off in 2017, has been reinstated. And it plays an important role in the cricketing world – as this short cricket tournament raises funds for the development of the game in non-test playing countries.
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Sinner Banned: Why Fairness Is Questioned and the Tennis World Is Split, According to Il Tennis Italiano.
26 February 2025
Some say there will always be a shadow over Jannick Sinner; some say he’s paying a political price. Sinner, who successfully defended his Australian Open title in January, had been cleared by an independent tribunal, only for WADA to appeal the decision to the court of arbitration for sport.
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Super Bowl Showdown Can the Eagles Spoil a Chiefs' Three-Peat?
16 February 2025
How many millions on this sporting planet will switch on, sit down – and jump up and down – on Sunday, 9th February, for the Super Bowl? Philadelphia Eagles take on Kansas City Chiefs, who are going for an unprecedented third successive win.
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Destanee Aiava: More Than Just a Pretty Dress
30 January 2025
Destanee Aiava has captured the imagination of the Australian nation. The 24-year-old progressed from round 1 at the Australian Open for the first time since her debut 8 years ago. Destanee, dazzling the crowds by wearing vintage tennis clothes, advanced to play forthright US 10th seed Danielle Collins. The home hope was defeated – but that was only part of the story.
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SoFi so good! And Tiger’s on the TGL ticket.
13 January 2025
The inaugural season of TGL, presented by SoFi, has just begun. It’s a new golf league, developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, combining advanced technology with teams of top players from the PGA TOUR for two-hour weekly competitions.
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Street Storming
13 January 2025
Football Fever Grips Vietnam After Thrilling ASEAN Victory. “Football is not just a sport,” Vietnamese journalist Duc Truong told us. “It's an integral part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.
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Is this the End of the Indian Galactico?
13 January 2025
New Rules Shake Up Team Culture. There’s turmoil in the Indian cricket camp and, in a wide-ranging interview with Natalie Sawyer, broadcaster and former cricketer Suhail Chandhok offered us a comprehensive analysis of the state of the game in India, which you can hear on Episode 8 of This Sporting Planet.
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The Australian Open – It’s a Party!
10 January 2025
Our 2025 Preview of the ‘Happy Slam’ This weekend, the Australian Open kicks off in Melbourne, and it's going to be a big one! The ‘AO’, as it's known, is more than just a tennis tournament – it's a massive event with something for everyone.
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A Call from Cruise. Ali Truwit - So much Stronger than you think!
23 December 2024
A year after taking her first steps with a prosthetic leg, Yale graduate Ali Truwit was walking down the Champs-Elysees at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games. She had achieved what many believed was a mission impossible.
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The Summer of Shohei
19 December 2024
Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani, who made headlines with his $700m contract for the LA Dodgers, ended 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
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T20 2024: India's Victory, Afghanistan's Rise
19 December 2024
The 9th edition of cricket’s shortest form, the T20 World Cup, offered up some spectacular stories. India defeated champions England on their way to a second title; they became the first side to win this event undefeated.
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The most jammin’ AFCON that I’ve been to
19 December 2024
A dismal start, a managerial dismissal, a dramatic turnaround and a cancer survivor scoring in the final: Cote d’Ivoire didn’t just play one of the most incredible Afcon campaigns, they won it and they hosted it! The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was a tournament whose script was written in the stars.
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‘NEVERKUSEN’, No More
19 December 2024
From nearly men to record-breaking champions. Bayer Leverkusen made 2024 their own with triumph in the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and the Supercup. We spoke to a man who is arguably THE expert on Bayern Leverkusen – Bild journalist Phillip Arens, who’s been covering the team since 2008.
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Golden Gabby: Three times a champion at Paris 2024
19 December 2024
American sprinter Gabby Thomas isn’t just a superstar on track and field aiming to add more Olympic medals to her tally, she’s also a super smart woman with ambitions in medicine.
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Stacy Lewis on Captaincy and modernising Golf.
19 December 2024
Stacy Lewis first played in the Solheim Cup in 2011, a lucky 13 years on, and having led the USA to a draw in 2023, she captained the team to their first victory since 2017.
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Coming this December!
14 December 2024
Buckle up, sports fans! This Sporting Planet podcast is your passport to a year of unforgettable athletic action in 2024. We will take you beyond the scores and headlines, diving deep into the most significant events in 2024 and looking ahead to all the exciting events in 2025.
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Subscribe Now !
13 December 2024
Subscribe now, and don't miss a single prediction, preview, or expert analysis! Don't miss a single episode of This Sporting Planet.
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