Sports documentaries have been a booming industry in the past few years, and next month will see Arsenal become the next club to open their doors in Amazon’s All Or Nothing series.
The critically acclaimed show will see cameras go behind the scenes at Arsenal following an eventful season for the north London side, with the Gunners recently announcing the release date for the series and a teaser trailer for the show.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1541798862360399872
With the short clip showing Aaron Ramsdale losing it in the dressing room and fans calling for Mikel Arteta to go after their awful start to the Premier League season, Arsenal and neutral supporters are in for a treat this August when the series is released.
Indeed, football documentaries have gone to another level in recent years, and ahead of the release of Arsenal All Or Nothing, here are five other shows that have made their mark in the game over the years.
Warnock
The most common type of football documentary is following a player or team for the season and capturing all the highs and lows of the year, and Warnock was one of the first to showcase such a concept back in 2005.
Following Sheffield United in the 2004/05 season, the documentary is best known for the incredible dressing room footage of manager Neil Warnock and his incredible outbursts, many of which have now been turned into memes on social media.
A documentary that was inspired by Orient For A Fiver and has since been used as inspiration for other series’, Warnock is well worth a watch for any English fan eager to learn about the process of managing a top club from one of the best to ever do it in the Championship.
Sunderland Til’ I Die
Another documentary that was widely memed on social media, Sunderland Til’ I Die was initially proposed as a series that would tell the story of the Black Cats’ relegation from the Premier League and hopeful return to the top at the end of the season.
As we know, though, Sunderland were abysmal in the Championship and were relegated yet again for all to see as Netflix found themselves onto a winner, with the second season of the show immediately being ordered after the success of the show.
Just like season one, the follow-up didn’t go to plan as Sunderland missed out on promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs, with Charlie Methven’s David Brent-like personality and the title sing ‘Shipyards’ by The Lake Poets all standout moments from the two-series show.
Take Us Home: Leeds United
With the success of Sunderland Til’ I Die, Amazon tried their hand at a fly-on-the-wall show separate from the All Or Nothing series following Leeds United. And just like with Sunderland, the media empire struck gold with the Yorkshire side.
The appointment of Marcelo Bielsa, the incredible episode of Dan James’ failed move to sign for Leeds and the finale which results in the Whites losing to Derby County in the play-offs all made for one of the best football documentaries ever put to film.
Add in narration from none other than Russell Crowe and a short second season which followed Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League, Take Us Home is a great watch for those who are yet to see it.
Footeuses
Women’s football documentaries are starting to creep into the mainstream, with BBC following West Ham’s women’s side for a season and Chelsea Women set to feature in a six-part series on DAZN. Yet our pick for this list is YARD’s Footeuses.
The French word for ‘footballer’, Footeuses follows women and girls in the streets of France ahead of the 2019 Women’s World Cup and shines a harsh reality on the obstacles many face trying to pursue their dreams in football.
The documentary makes it known throughout its runtime that women still face hardship in the world of football, and Footeuses is well worth the watch for those interested in the beautiful game away from the men’s side.
Copa90: Derby Days
It’s hard to talk about football documentaries in this era of the world and not mention Copa90’s Derby Days, a series that is fondly remembered by younger fans and one that proved how YouTube can be a brilliant platform away from written media to tell a story of the sport.
A series that has been running for the good part of nine years, Copa90 explores derbies from across the world of football in a way very few creators will, with the enthusiastic host Eli Mengem interviewing an incredible cast of characters from all corners of the globe.
From some of the biggest games in world football such as the Superclasico and the Merseyside Derby to lesser-known fixtures such as the Lombardy Derby and the Hamburg Derby, the entire series is well worth a watch on a rainy day and one we hope returns soon in the coming months.
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