The very best football apps and podcasts for the new season

The best football apps and podcasts

The new Premier League season is here, and that means it’s time to start rearranging your football apps, subscribing to podcasts and working out whether Andre Gray is going to be the Fantasy Football bargain of the season.

The TechRadar team (well, the UK one at least) are huge football fans, and we’re all genuinely excited we’re through that barren desert that is the weeks since the European Championship ended and the football started.

And to that end, we’ve pulled together the pick of the best football apps and podcasts to get you ready for the resumption of the richest league on the planet. The only sad news is that there is no official Zlatan app….

Official Premier League app – including Fantasy Football

The official EPL Fantasy Football app has been a hugely irritating offering in past years – you had to pay for it each season, as they would close the old app and create a new one. Fortunately that has all ended this year, with the arrival of a shiny new ‘PL’ app that offers a decent looking Fantasy league experience and a host of official Premier League videos and news.

Premier League app on Apple app store
Premier League app on Android Play

Sky Sports Football Score Centre

Refreshed for the season and taking advantage of a new deal to show clips and near-live highlights, the Sky Sports Football Score Centre looks to build on its burgeoning reputation this season. It comprises a solid news offering, push notifications for your team (and any other match you set) and it’s quick to get to the live scores and results page.

Sky Sports Football Score Centre on Apple app store
Sky Sports Football Score Centre on Android

BBC Sport

Another tried-and-tested offering, the BBC Sports app is popular in the office, with a fairly clean split between those that use Sky’s offering and good old Auntie’s when it comes to the live scores. Being the BBC, the news is accurate and no frills.

BBC Sport on Apple app store
BBC Sport on Android

Sky Go / Q

Sky’s flagship offering is the Sky Q app. Currently it’s limited to iPad – a phone version is ‘coming soon’ -and is a little temperamental about streaming live. Hopefully this will all be remedied before the season kicks into gear.

For those without Sky’s flagship offering, watching on phone, on Sky+ or people who subscribe to Sky Sports from another service, the Sky Go app is also decent and allows you to stream the 126 matches that Sky are showing live.

Sky Go on Apple app store
Sky Go on Android

Sky Q on Apple app store
Sky Q on Android

BT Sport app

The other key broadcaster for the season when it comes to live games is BT, and its BT Sports app will allow you to stream a further 42 live fixtures to your phone or tablet.

Even better – with BT snapping up EE, customers of that network get six months of BT Sport access free, and if you’re on BT’s own mobile network then you get the full season.

BT Sport on Apple App store
BT Sport on Android

iPlayer / iPlayer Radio

The BBC’s trusty Match of the Day highlights are once again on offer through the iPlayer app. You can watch it live at the time of broadcast through the app and it’s available to download and watch on catch up later in the week.

Another broadcast option – when you can’t look at the screen – is the BBC’s iPlayer Radio which will allow you to listen to 5 Live and radio commentary of big matches and a host of football related shows.

iPlayer on Apple App Store
iPlayer on Android

iPlayer Radio on Apple App Store
iPlayer Radio on Android

NOW TV

Another live streaming option for the Sky matches is the NOW TV app – where you can buy access to the key matches without an annual subscription.

It’s a lower barrier of entry for many that don’t want lengthy subs or simply want to pick and choose their live matches.

NOW TV on Apple app store
NOW TV ON Android

Guardian / Telegraph / Times / Independent / Sun / Mirror / ESPN et al

British football journalism is the best in the world, and most of the national papers have apps that allow you to read a wealth of football news, opinions and features.

Some of these require subscriptions – like the Telegraph and Times – some are controversial, and not all offer offline access. You can obviously use your browser rather than an app.

There’s also the ESPN Football app – bringing the latest news and its own score centre.

Virgin TV Anywhere / ITV / My5 / YouTube / Facebook

There are other broadcast apps – Virgin’s TV Anywhere will allow you to stream your sports packages if you are signed up and a cable subscriber, for instance. YouTube has begun to show the odd match (though not Premier League), ITV will have England’s home World Cup qualifiers, and Channel 5 with its My5 app has the new-look (and controversial) EFL Cup.

Facebook has also wandered into the world of live sport, although it has limited rights.

Twitter

A deal with Sky Sports means that Twitter will be showing bite-sized highlights to those that like their favourite moments to be short and snappy. Great for sharing that amazing overhead kick or brilliant ‘tekkers’.

Twitter on Apple app store
Twitter on Android

MatchPint

MatchPint is an app designed to allow you to find a local drinking establishment that is showing the game. It’s worth pointing out that both BT and Sky have dedicated services to show where their services are on, but MatchPint is a pretty useful app to have when you’re out and about.

MatchPint on Apple app store
MatchPint on Android

Podcasts

And then we come to the podcasts: There are some brilliant club specific podcasts which we’ll let you find by yourself but there’s also no shortage of fantastic general football ‘casts that will keep you entertained when watching isn’t an option.

Football Ramble is a light-hearted, genuinely passionate podcast that celebrates the game. Marcus, Pete, Jim and Luke have picked up a huge following, do live shows and offer an ad free version and host of extra shows if you’re prepared to pay for Acast, but the weekly classic and another (ostensibly) betting focused show remain freely available and well worth a listen

Sunday Supplement is the audio version of the hugely popular television show on Sky featuring some of the biggest names in football writing and hosted by the amicable Neil Ashton. Providing genuine insight and no shortage of disagreements, this is the thinking man’s take on the beautiful game.

Football Weekly is the Guardian’s football podcast, hosted by James Richardson – the guy who talked a generation of us through Italian football years ago – and bringing a popular take on the goings on twice a week.

[Source: Techrader]