Made in Sunderland: Wise Men Say

Meet Stephen Goldsmith, football podcaster and Event and Applicant Experience Officer at the University of Sunderland, whose journey is being celebrated as part of the Made in Sunderland campaign.

The University's partnership with Sunderland AFC launched on 20 April, and on matchday you can see some of the students, alumni, staff and friends of the University on display on the big screen in Keel Square who are “Made in Sunderland”.

Made in Sunderland is a week-long celebration of the stories, people, businesses and culture that make our city great. Taking place this week, the week will culminate under the lights at the Stadium of Light when the Black Cats face Nottingham Forest on Friday 24 April.

As one of the people behind the fan podcast, Wise Men Say, Stephen is in the premier league of SAFC fans - but, as Stephen reveals, he was destined to be a Black Cat.

“My dad was serving in the Army and my parents were living outside the north-east, but returned home to see family for New Year. My mam wasn’t close to her due date with me, but she went into labour early and I was born in Sunderland - it was my destiny,” Stephen said.

“My early memories of SAFC are my dad and uncles going mental sitting next to the radio listening to Sunderland beat Newcastle in the play offs in 1990. Then the World Cup in 1990 got me hooked and I’ve went to every match since. Now, I’ve had a season ticket for over 34 years and get to quite a few away games.”

Stephen studied combined English and Sports at the University, which, alongside his career working in Recruitment and Marketing, has given him a parallel career as a sports reporter for Sky News, RTE and British Forces Radio, and one of the voices behind the long-running football podcast, Wise Men Say.

“Wise Men Say started in 2013 when I worked for Sun FM on the news desk,” Stephen explained.

“There wasn’t anything dedicated solely to Sunderland for people to listen to so I used my studio access and access to then-Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill to create something. My co-founder, Gareth Barker, a Sunderland Media Production graduate, joined me, as for a while did current first team coach Michael Proctor.”

Wise Men Say featured on season one of the hit Netflix show, Sunderland til I Die, when the crew filmed Stephen and the team recording their podcast and used their commentary to knit scenes together.

Stephen said: “Now, Wise Men Say is the longest-running Sunderland podcast. In two or three shows a week we bring post-match analysis, preview games, take reactions from the pub, have special interviews with ex-players and managers, and have an ongoing quiz for the public to play, Regis Le Quiz.

“It sounds corny but the football club it really is the heartbeat of the community in Sunderland, and in an ever-polarising world and society, I just love the way it pulls us all together as one, all feeling like we belong and are part of the same family.”