Tony Collins

What Has The Spanish Civil War Got To Do With Hull Rugby League?

Soaking-wet sports writer Tony Collins outlines the part a Hull lad played in both rugby and defeating fascism.

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Terrible news that Sydney rugby league historian Terry Williams has died. A great bloke, a good friend, and a man who brought the history of the game to life. He was a huge help when I wrote my Roy Francis bio. He’s a massive loss for us all - the game is poorer for his passing.

Podcast 210 - Jonty Parkin: the man who invented the modern scrum-half In this episode I'm joined by Lee Robinson to talk about his new book 'Jonty: The Life of Jonathan Parkin', arguably the greatest rugby league scrum-half of all time. Jonty's career began as a teena

Before Andy Gregory, before Alex Murphy, there was Jonty Parkin of @wtrinityrl.bsky.social the man who defined the rugby league scrum-half as a cocky, rebellious, trickster; and a leader. 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Lee Robinson about his new biography 'Jonty': on.soundcloud.com/DThmiJkKEFiB...

Podcast 210 - Jonty Parkin: the man who invented the modern scrum-half In this episode I'm joined by Lee Robinson to talk about his new book 'Jonty: The Life of Jonathan Parkin', arguably the greatest rugby league scrum-half of all time. Jonty's career began as a teena

Before Andy Gregory, before Alex Murphy, there was Jonty Parkin of @wtrinityrl.bsky.social the man who defined the rugby league scrum-half as a cocky, rebellious, trickster; and a leader. 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Lee Robinson about his new biography 'Jonty': on.soundcloud.com/DThmiJkKEFiB...

Tony Collins: What the hell is wrong with rugby league? IT'S no accident that England's style of play in the Ashes series also looked like a metaphor for the state of the game off the pitch.

Good article by @collinstony.bsky.social on the state of rugby league in the UK post-Ashes. "The strategy of the RFL has simply been to squeeze more revenue out of existing supporters." (Also an e.g. of UK rugby league discourse using the word "soccer".) www.rugbyleaguehub.com/what-the-hel...

What Does A Sweet Shop Have To Do With Hull City’s Greatest Ever Player?

Sports writer Tony Collins heads to some waste ground on Anlaby Road to link goodies and a very good player.

Supplementals: tinyurl.com/2txcwhy6

@hulllibraries.bsky.social
@collinstony.bsky.social

209. Did Scotland Invent Football?

Great episode from @collinstony.bsky.social putting into context arguments for Scotland having ‘invented’ football

open.spotify.com/episode/4tvc...

209. Did Scotland Invent Football? This week's episode looks at how soccer emerged in Scotland in the mid-1800s. By the early 1880s not only was Glasgow the world capital of football, but Scottish players playing for English clubs had

The Scots revolutionised football, but did Scotland invent soccer? It's complicated... The new episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' unravels the tangled origins of the round-ball game north and south of the border: on.soundcloud.com/jfgUfdyTeFiE...

PRL BOOK CLUB - Roy Francis: Rugby's Forgotten Black Leader by Tony Collins | The Progressive Rugby League Podcast Professor Tony Collins steps us through the life and times of Roy Francis, one of the most significant figures in British Rugby League history

If you want to find out more about Roy Francis, race, and #RugbyLeague I'm talking about my new book on the Progressive Rugby League podcast, which you can listen to here: shows.acast.com/the-progress...

Thanks MrC - hope you enjoy it!

Ad for “Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader” showing the book’s cover.

If you haven’t yet read “Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader” a certain major online retailer is offering the hardback for just £6.99 - it also makes a great Xmas gift (or so I’ve been told).

Who Invented American Football? Part Four: Once upon a time at a cozy London pub . . . Podcast Episode · Who Invented This Sport? · 11/20/2025 · 43m

If you’re interested in the origins of American football - or any of the football codes - I’m discussing the birth of the gridiron game on the new ‘Who Invented This Sport?’ podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

207. What the hell is going on in British rugby league? The new Rugby Reloaded looks at the current state of rugby league in Britain, asks 'What's going on?' and tries to provide some answers by looking at how the history of the sport can give us some insi

The new 'Rugby Reloaded' asks 'what the hell is going on in British rugby league? Listen to a historian's view of the state of the game in Britain: on.soundcloud.com/wJ3BsqOt4TxI...

Our latest episode with @collinstony.bsky.social of @icshc.bsky.social & @lborouniversity.bsky.social discussing his book on rugby league legend Roy Francis earlier this year is now LIVE!

Well worth a listen for lovers of rugby league and/or Black British history!

shows.acast.com/sport-in-his...

206. Oldham Rugby League Hall of Fame This week we sit down with Kevin Fitzpatrick, a member of the Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust, to talk about his documentary on Oldham's Hall of Fame. It's a fascinating look at the history of the

The new episode of 'Rugby Reloaded' talks to Kevin Fitzpatrick about his new Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust Hall of Fame documentary, and updates us on plans for the club's 150th anniversary next year. Listen now via: on.soundcloud.com/QXB7G78bsQNZ...

142. Once Were Kangaroos - Mark Flanagan on the 1986 tour In the wake of the BBC's excellent 'Once Were Lions' documentary, we look back on the 1986 Kangaroo tour of Britain with Mark Flanagan, author of 'The Invincibles: The Inside Story of the 1982 Kangaro

With just two days before the decisive second Ashes Test at Everton, relive the excitement of the 1986 Kangaroo tour with author Mark Flanagan in this classic 'Rugby Reloaded' episode: soundcloud.com/rugbyreloade...

205. The Global Spread of Football with Thomas Adam This week we delve deep into the origins of the football codes across Britain, Europe and the Americas with Thomas Adam, author of the new book The Global Spread of football from the 1860s to the 1880

Could Germany have become a rugby-playing nation? Or could the US have been a bastion of soccer? Join me and Thomas Adam on the new 'Rugby Reloaded' as we discuss his new book 'The Global Spread of Football from the 1860s to the 1880s': on.soundcloud.com/jxKxLGPf5sgU...

It’s been called the Ashes ever since the first test match between the two countries in 1908. For the Aussies, it was their winter equivalent of summer’s cricket Ashes.

The Untold Story of Rugby Codebreakers | ITV Border YouTube video by ITV News In Full

Before rugby league’s Ashes series kicks off this afternoon, watch the brand new documentary from @lucy_itv about Scotland’s rugby codebreakers and the struggles they suffered:
youtu.be/S9jcj5k2pIA?...

127. The 1946 Indomitables' rugby league tour Less than a year after the end of World War 2 rugby league’s Lions toured Australia and New Zealand - a tour made possible thanks to an aircraft carrier, a military train & the President of the Genera

The Countdown to the rugby league Ashes begins - and to kick it off here's a 'Rugby Reloaded' classic episode charting the incredible story of the 1946 'Indomitables' and the first post-war Ashes series: on.soundcloud.com/EMF3GoRrQUuD...

204. A Cultural History of the Ashes (part two) With rugby league's Ashes series imminent, part two of Rugby Reloaded's look at the cultural history of Anglo-Australian rugby league moves onto the post-World War 2 period. It was an era when the b

With the rugby league Ashes' series almost here, 'Rugby Reloaded' resumes its look at the cultural and social history of Anglo-Australian league, exploring how Australia turned the tables on England to become the game's dominant world power. Listen now via: on.soundcloud.com/qkAQwcAbifus...

204. A Cultural History of the Ashes (part two) With rugby league's Ashes series imminent, part two of Rugby Reloaded's look at the cultural history of Anglo-Australian rugby league moves onto the post-World War 2 period. It was an era when the b

With the rugby league Ashes' series almost here, 'Rugby Reloaded' resumes its look at the cultural and social history of Anglo-Australian league, exploring how Australia turned the tables on England to become the game's dominant world power. Listen now via: on.soundcloud.com/qkAQwcAbifus...

Who Was Britain’s First Black Professional Sports Coach?

Sports writer @collinstony.bsky.social visits Airlie Street to discuss a Hull legend who revolutionised rugby.

Supplementals: tinyurl.com/3yrpeazn

@hulllibraries.bsky.social
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And massive thanks to you @collinstony.bsky.social for a great book that does full justice to the brilliant Roy Francis. Buy it, people.

203. The Boston Game and the Origins of Football in America Our new episode investigates the origin story of football in America, in conversation with Mike Cronin and Kevin Marston, authors of 'Inventing the Boston Game: Football, Soccer, and the Origins of a

Why have American football and American soccer shared the same origin story from the 1860s? Find out more about the Boston Game and its curious afterlife with me, Mike Cronin and Kevin Tallec Marston on the new 'Rugby Reloaded': on.soundcloud.com/eZysXDAFx0x2...

If you’re able to get to London on Monday 29 Sept, come to the launch of the new edition of one of the foundational texts of the history of sport in Britain (and I’m very chuffed to be invited as a panellist) - details below:

Heads Up! You can now listen to ‘Rugby Reloaded’ and its back catalogue via YouTube. Just search ‘Rugby Reloaded’ and every episode is available conveniently at your fingertips!

Ahead of today’s Hull rugby league derby, find out about the sliding doors moment that could have turned this afternoon’s match inside out!

curiosityhull.co.uk/why-is-merse...

As we approach tomorrow’s massive East v West derby in Hull, I reveal the bone-chilling truth about Hull and Rovers!

Roy Francis: the black rugby league coach who triumphed in a white world The Welshman was a brilliant, original coach who had to fight against a culture that was prejudiced against him

Massive thanks to Gavin Willacy for this review of ‘Roy Francis: Rugby’s Forgotten Black Leader’ in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/sport/no-hel...