The Principality of Sealand is an unrecognised micronation that is located on a fort in the North Sea, approximately 11 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk in the Unted Kingdom.
Despite its tiny size – at 50 metres long, it is not even large enough for a football pitch – Sealand has a national team which is about to re-enter the fray after 12 years of inactivity.
So where on earth do they play their matches? Who plays for them – and who do they play against? Why are they returning to action now after more than a decade on the sidelines? And are they your best route to becoming an international football player?
Plus, a look at the celebrities who have previously been involved with Sealand’s football set-up and the other bizarre micro-nations that have been established around the world.
Join us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/SweeperPod) for Monday's bumper bonus podcast which is a round-up of the other big domestic cup stories from the final week of October, including German supporters doing their best to cement the away sector shut and the Polish fanbase forced to pull a collective sickie to watch their team’s biggest-ever game.
Read Adam Hurrey's article on Sealand for The New York Times on The Athletic here.
The Guardian's article about Pontinha is here.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:55 – The Principality of Sealand
03:24 – First forays into international football
06:58 – Return to action after 12 years
11:50 – Ambitions to join UEFA/FIFA?
15:55 – Bizarre micro-nations worldwide
