Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off! nominated for Sports Podcast Of The Year by the British Podcast Awards after an outstanding debut season – and will return next month!

Mail Sports It’s all about to begin! podcast has been recognised for an outstanding first season on radio and has been nominated for Sports Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards, from a shortlist of six candidates.

The podcast, which launched last summer and then produced daily high-profile episodes during the Euros, is hosted by football editor Ian Ladyman and Premier League-winning striker Chris Sutton. The shortlist includes Jimmy Anderson’s Tails cricket show and The rest is footballpresented by Gary Lineker.

Jamie East, Head of Podcasts at the Mail, said: ‘I’m delighted that the team’s hard work has been recognised by the BPA. Ian and Chris’s understanding, insight and often downright astonishing analysis have quickly become part of every discerning football fan’s podcast playlist and I can’t wait for everyone to hear where the new season takes us!’

Ladyman added: “This is a huge thrill for me, given the quality and size of the sports podcast market.

‘Chris and I went into this project a year ago blind and to have received this nomination so quickly is testament to the hard work, enthusiasm and talent of our producer Henry Williams, our head of podcast Jamie East and everyone at Mail Sport. The only downside is that I might have to sit with Chris on awards night. Don’t I do that enough already?’

It’s all about to begin! returns at the start of the football season in August with bi-weekly episodes, available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.