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Friends, football, and poetry

With male loneliness widespread in our modern age, award-winning poet Lewis Buxton comes to Nottingham to share his very personal struggles and how he found a way forward... 

Breaking ground: we catch up with Nottingham Forest Women

Forest Women are no strangers to the top of the table. The dream of climbing the ranks to the Women’s Super League is aspirational, but with the recent announcement that  Nottingham Forest  Women will be a full-professional club by 2025/26, now feels within reach. Megan Hill caught up with Amber Wildgust, Head of Women and Girls Football at Nottingham Forest, to find out what turning pro means for the future of the club, both on and off the pitch.

The Return to Hinterlands -more Travels Around England’s Non-league Football Grounds, With Chris Towers

From alt-rock and grunge, to football and surrealism. Here's what's on in Nottingham, 23 -29 September

There's no shortage of energetic gigs, side-splitting comedy, or thought provoking art and design shows, to keep you busy in Notts this week. Here's what's on. 

Gig review: American Football at Rock City

25 years ago, four friends from Champaign, Illinois formed a band, made a record together and then headed off to college - not once thinking of the potential impact of their music. Little did they know that album would go on to become a seminal masterpiece, one that would inspire a whole genre, as well as a new generation of artists and legions of fans all around the globe. Now travelling the world in 2024 celebrating that album’s quarter century, American Football stopped by Rock City to play their iconic LP1 in full…

American Football

We caught up with The Art of Football about their collaboration with Self Esteem about domestic abuse

In a recent campaign with Rebecca Lucy Taylor - AKA musician Self Esteem - Nottingham based designers The Art of Football have designed a football shirt to open up a conversation about domestic abuse. Head of Brand Kelvyn Quagraine and designer Nicole Kaminska spoke with LeftLion to reflect on the collaboration and football’s light and dark side.

The Secret Diary of Henry VIII

Nottingham Refugee Football Club Celebration Event

The best Nottingham pubs, bars and venues to watch Euro 24

Euro 2024 kicks off on 14 June with both England and Scotland representing the home nations in the tournament. Here’s our guide to bars and venues around the city where you might want to watch the games…

How local football team Fanzines United FC was created from a conversation in Selectadisc record shop

In 1990 a conversation in Selectadisc record shop led to a group of Notts County and Nottingham Forest fanzine creators putting their rivalries aside to form a football team together. Fanzines United FC was formed and is still going strong to this day. Andy Lowe, founder of the Tricky Tree fanzine explains how it happened…

A Celebration of Nottingham Football Fanzines

We Speak to Jim Cooke, Co-founder of 1980s-2000s Notts County Football Fanzine The Pie

Merging football, music and real ale, Notts County fanzine The Pie took football back to the community when it ran over 87 issues from the late 80s to the late 00s. We speak to one of the original founders Jim Cooke about the history of the publication...

Left Stag: April

A History of Notts County fanzines

For a relatively small league club Notts County more than punched its weight in fanzines. The Pie was the dominating one in the scene, but there were quite  a few others over the years…

We Speak to Julie Pritchard, Creator of 1980s-90s Nottingham Forest Football Fanzine Brian

It’s the late ‘80s, the internet doesn’t exist yet, and neither does the Premier League. However, the community around local football clubs is strong and one avid supporter, Julie Pritchard, decides it’s time for a Nottingham Forest fanzine. Thus Brian is born lasting eight years and 47 issues…

Gig Diary: We Visit Some of Nottingham’s Most Loved Music Venues

In Nottingham, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to live music venues. From the Motorpoint Arena with its capacity of 10,000 to smaller rooms like The Bodega and The Chameleon, we really do have it all. Our Kira O’Boyle set off on a journey, attending as many gigs as possible over a two-week period to decide once and for all which one is her ultimate favourite. Here are her gig diaries…

Celebrating Nottingham’s History of DIY Football Fanzines thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Two of Nottingham’s best loved football fanzines Brian and The Pie will be given a new lease of life thanks to a regeneration project by LeftLion, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund…

Left Stag: September 2023

Our man Josh Pickering is back with a run-down of the last month of action at for Mansfield Town and some news of his own offspring donning the amber shirt...

Football Isn’t Just a Game: How Teaching English to Foreign Players at Nottingham Forest Formed Life-Changing Connections

Emily Boaler was just seven years old when her mum was offered a job teaching English to foreign players at Nottingham Forest. So began a love of languages, football and life-changing connections...

Queer Diary

Christopher Towers Talks Poetry Book Hinterlands, the Collection Musing on Non-League Football

Whether Kane’s calamity, Messi’s magic or the many questions around Qatar, it’s been even harder than usual to avoid football this winter. However, for some—including many around Nottinghamshire—following their regional non-league team means much more than the glitz, glamour and greed that the World Cup has come to represent. I met up with Nottingham poet Christopher Towers to chat about his latest poetry collection Hinterlands, which is dedicated to the more local side of the global game.

5 Events to Check Out in Nottingham This Week: Football Manager Therapy, Pussy Riot and More

Adam Kay, Alan Carr and an important exhibition are also coming to the city this week... 

University of Nottingham Graduate Ayo Oyelola Chats American Football, Chasing Crazy Dreams and Joining the Jacksonville Jaguars

Nottingham and the NFL have hardly gone hand-in-hand over the years - but with the University of Nottingham graduate Ayo Oyelola recently joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, they do now. We catch up with the defensive back ahead of the 2022/23 season…

Inside Art of Football’s Mission to Make the Beautiful Game a Source of Community, Identity and Celebration

Just a couple of avenues up from the LeftLion offices sits Art of Football, a Sneinton-based arts and fashion brand that centres around - you guessed it - football. They’ve seen their bucket hats on Ian Wright’s head, they’ve collaborated with Umbro, and they’re still only just getting started. We chat to Director Luke Cuthbert about immortalising people’s memories, the importance of community, and their plans for the future…