Local Grassroots Stories
Local Grassroots Stories
Podcast Description
Local Grassroots Stories (LGS) is a weekly companion podcast to the Soccer Shorts documentary series. Soccer Shorts is a YouTube channel that produces about 10-12 stories a year that shine a spotlight on local grassroots soccer culture. The LGS podcast will go behind the scenes on our Soccer Shorts episodes, allow us to further explore history, people, and events in our grassroots soccer communities, and give time to explore the current events that directly affect local grassroots soccer both in San Diego (our hometown) and across the globe.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores various aspects of grassroots soccer, including historical insights, player profiles, and community events. Specific episodes have honored notable figures like Alex Morgan and Jen Lalor, while others have tackled current topics like the US Open Cup and local soccer culture initiatives. It frequently discusses women's soccer history, impactful grassroots organizations like Bridge Barkada, and community engagement in San Diego and beyond.
Local Grassroots Stories (LGS) is a weekly companion podcast to the Soccer Shorts documentary series. Soccer Shorts is a YouTube channel that produces about 10-12 stories a year that shine a spotlight on local grassroots soccer culture. The LGS podcast will go behind the scenes on our Soccer Shorts episodes, allow us to further explore history, people, and events in our grassroots soccer communities, and give time to explore the current events that directly affect local grassroots soccer both in San Diego (our hometown) and across the globe.
Who says you need 100+ years of culture to build an effective football pyramid that links your local leagues to the top tier professional league? Don't tell that to Japan. They have managed to go from ZERO professional football teams in 1990 to (in 2025) a fully functioning 7+ tier football pyramid, tied together by pro-rel . . . in just 35 years.
Tonight, join John and Dylan for Part 3 of our Pro-Rel series – where we take a deep dive into Japanese football. A developing footballing community that mirrored the U.S. for much of the 20th century only to have the two countries diverge sharply when it came to developing their professional leagues (in the 1990's) and their vision for the future of football in each of their respective countries. With strong leadership and a 100 year vision, the JFA turned a scattered system of semi-professional and regional leagues into a robust soccer pyramid – and elevated its national teams from regional players to regional powerhouses.
And, as always, you'll get the latest cup, lower league, pro-rel, San Diego, and soccer history news.
*****PROGRAMMING NOTE:At around 56:32 (just after the start of the chapter on the J-League) the audio cuts out for about 30 seconds (due to a network connection error.
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LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
FOURFOURTWO / YOUTUBE
Video:Inside Japan's Football Obsession
Channel:@FourFourTwo
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SOCCER SHORTS:
Follow on socials:
BlueSky: @SoccerShorts.BigPineDigital.com
Check out the Soccer Shorts YouTube channel
YouTube: @BPDSoccerShorts
HOST & SHOW INFORMATION:
Host: John Cross ([email protected]). John is the founder of Big Pine Digital (a digital media company that specializes in preserving family history) and Soccer Shorts (a YouTube Channel that specializes in short form documentaries about local, grassroots, soccer culture.
Co-Host: Dylan Wilson
PARTNERS:
SanDiego.futbol
Website: https://www.sandiego.futbol/
BlueSky: @SanDiego.Futbol
YouTube: @SanDiego.Futbol
Disclaimer
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