Cleats Off

In this episode of Cleats Off, Liz Bhandari speaks to Hannah Wilkes, presenter of Overtime on Sky Sports NFL which you can catch at 9pm every Tuesday. Hannah has a strong background in journalism and sports broadcasting and works for Sky Sports and Talk Sport. Not only is she a regular on our screens talking about the game, but she’s fallen for the sport the same way we all have...
Liz and Hannah discuss...
•Pursuing a career in sports journalism
•Her passion for sports and choosing her NFL team
•Her new show Overtime on Sky Sports NFL
•Plus being in the studio with the likes of Neil Reynolds, Jeff Reinebold, Rob Ryan and more.
// About The Cleats Off Podcast //
Cleats Off is the show that brings you closer to the game you love. Hosted by Liz Bhandari, each episode features a new story in American Football by interviewing players, legends, coaches, media personalities and more.
// About your host, Liz Bhandari //
Liz Bhandari is an American Football writer and podcaster. She founded the NFLGirlUK.com blog in 2014 and is an active member of the NFL UK Community. She is the creator behind the weekly ‘NFLUKChat’ hour on Twitter, and is the event organiser behind ‘NFLUKFanMeetUp’. As well as hosting Cleats Off, Liz is also a co-host of End Zone Scoop, the UK’s only all-female cast discussing the sport.
// Recommended Resources //
Follow Liz via @NFLGirlUK on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and visit her blog at www.nflgirluk.com
Follow Hannah at @hannahjwilkes on both Twitter and Instagram.

In this episode of Cleats Off, Liz Bhandari speaks to Dr Jen Welter, a woman of many firsts, and both a pioneer and trailblazer for women in professional football. She was the first female coach in the NFL, having joined the Arizona Cardinals as line backers coach. She was the first female to play in a men’s professional football league where she played running back. AND She even has two gold medals having played for Team USA.
Liz and Jen discuss...
•her career journey so far
•the amazing memories along the way
•developing a winning mindset
•her children’s book series on coronavirus
// About The Cleats Off Podcast //
Cleats Off is the show that brings you closer to the game you love. Hosted by Liz Bhandari, each episode features a new story in American Football by interviewing players, legends, coaches, media personalities and more.
// About your host, Liz Bhandari //
Liz Bhandari is a blogger and podcaster. She founded NFLGirlUK.com in 2014 and is an active member of the NFL UK Community. She is the creator behind the weekly ‘NFLUKChat’ hour on Twitter, and is the event organiser behind ‘NFLUKFanMeetUp’.
// Recommended Resources //
Follow Liz via @NFLGirlUK on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and visit her blog at www.nflgirluk.com
Follow Jen at @jwelter47 on both Twitter and Instagram.
Don’t forget to check out ‘Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL’ and her Critter Fitter series of children’s books. All are available on Amazon for delivery anywhere around the world.

In this episode of Cleats Off, Liz Bhandari speaks to Maria Gigante, Vice President of Events at NFL UK. Maria has been with the NFL for 27 seasons, managing the likes of the Super Bowl, International Games and more.
Liz and Maria discuss...
•What goes in to organising the London games
•The biggest challenges faced
•The future of the international series
•Her favourite career moments
// About The Cleats Off Podcast //
Cleats Off is the show that brings you closer to the game you love. Hosted by Liz Bhandari, each episode features a new story in American Football by interviewing players, legends, coaches, media personalities and more.
// About your host, Liz Bhandari //
Liz Bhandari is a blogger and podcaster. She founded NFLGirlUK.com in 2014 and is an active member of the NFL UK Community. She is the creator behind the weekly ‘NFLUKChat’ hour on Twitter, and is the event organiser behind ‘NFLUKFanMeetUp’.
// Recommended Resources //
Follow Liz via @NFLGirlUK on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and visit her blog at www.nflgirluk.com

In this episode of Cleats Off, Liz Bhandari speaks to Matthew Sherry, the founder and editor of Gridiron, the UK's only NFL magazine. Over the course of his journalistic career, Matthew has reported on a wide variety of major sporting events, including the Olympic Games, the Ashes, Premier League football and, of course, the NFL.
Liz and Matthew discuss:
•His passion for American Football and how it all started
•The inspiration and motivation behind creating Gridiron Magazine and the journey it’s taken him on.
•And of course, his new book ‘Any Given Sunday: The NFL's Epic 100-Year History in 20 Games’.
// About The Cleats Off Podcast //
Cleats Off is the show that brings you closer to the game you love. Hosted by Liz Bhandari, each episode features a new story in American Football by interviewing players, legends, coaches, media personalities and more.
// About your host, Liz Bhandari //
Liz Bhandari is a blogger and podcaster. She founded NFLGirlUK.com in 2014 and is an active member of the NFL UK Community. She is the creator behind the weekly ‘NFLUKChat’ hour on Twitter, and is the event organiser behind ‘NFLUKFanMeetUp’.
// Recommended Resources //
Follow Liz via @NFLGirlUK on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and visit her blog at www.nflgirluk.com
Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewGridiron and for all things Gridiron Magazine, head to www.gridiron-magazine.com where you’ll find more information on his new book Any Given Sunday.

In this episode Liz Bhandari interviews the multi-talented Amy Trask, a writer, CBS Sports analyst, former Raiders CEO, and BIG3 Board Chairperson. Amy interned with the Los Angeles Raiders shortly after graduating, and 14 years later, after obtaining experience elsewhere, she was named CEO, becoming the NFL's first female CEO, a feat she never dreamed possible. Trask is also known as the "Princess of Darkness" among Raiders fans.
Amy's journey to the NFL is a fascinating one since it was never something she sought out. This episode delves into her parallel legal and football careers, as well as how one led to the other.
We look at how Amy became the NFL's first female CEO in a male-dominated industry. Despite the fact that she was the first CEO, ‘women in the NFL’ is still a topic of debate today. We talk to Amy about this and attempt to figure out how we can make the game even more inclusive in the future. The pair discuss Liz’s suggestion of having a rule similar to the Rooney Rule that is expressly to promote female inclusion. Since Amy joined the league, a lot has changed, so this episode doesn't simply focus on the future. It also honours the achievements made thus far, including a mention of Sarah Thomas, the first female to officiate a bowl game.
We draw on Amy's two decades of expertise to get her thoughts on the ‘taunting’ and ‘personal foul’ regulations, and the two debate whether they're helping to improve the game. Finally, Amy discusses her book, the technique she used to write it, and if she has any intentions to write more in the future!
In this episode we discuss:
1.Amy Trask’s career in law and football. (01:05)
2.Barriers women face in the NFL. (04:00)
3.Shifting women’s inclusion from conversation to commonplace. (08:40)
4.The future of the NFL (12:40)
5.Recent rule changes to the league. (14:15)
6.Amy’s book ‘You Negotiate Like A Girl’ and plans for the future. (15:50)
The Cleats Off Podcast, is a show that brings you closer to the game you love. Liz Bhandari, aka NFLGirlUK, interviews NFL legends, players, and media figures on life in the NFL, what makes them tick as people, and more in this series. Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spreaker, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!
Social Links:
•Follow Amy Trask on Twitter @AmyTrask (https://twitter.com/AmyTrask).
•Follow Liz Bhandari on Twitter @NFLGirlUK (https://twitter.com/nflgirluk).
•Find out more about Liz Bhandari at https://www.nflgirluk.com/about/about-liz-bhandari/.
•Find out all you need to know about the podcast at http://www.cleatsoff.com/.