THE FOOTY CULTURE
WHAT’S IT TO YA?
Born from childhood friends playing and talking about soccer in Vaughan, Ontario, The Footy Culture has become one of Canada's leading soccer podcasts. Hosts Matthews Lysik-Machado, James Matusinec, Daniel Quintero, David Quintero, Jason Lysik-Machado, and Christopher Spadafora offer passionate takes on global football. Years later, the show remains committed to its roots: six friends who love talking footy, while interviewing big names and actively working to grow the culture across North America.
When did you guys all become friends and meet for the first time?
Matthews: It all started on a street called Kelso Crescent in Vaughan, where we grew up. Around 2003, 2004, we all lived on the same street. Basically, I met this guy, James first. He lived right across from me. We became friends, and then down the street a little bit from me, the twins, Dan and Dave. So we all met on the street playing footy, and that’s basically how it happened. That’s how we met. And then afterwards, we met Chris just playing footy. We knew him through playing and then just became friends through high school. And then Jay, of course, my brother, was obviously involved in the group at that point. And that's basically how it started.
How did the idea of the podcast come about?
Daniel: We wanted to do something different that we haven’t really seen in the space — this was six or seven years ago. We wanted to build the culture around the game. We were always talking about footy to begin with, and Jay was actually the one who said, “Guys, why don’t we just start a podcast?” We were always talking about soccer anyway. So why not just put a mic in front of us and talk about what we do on a daily basis? Sometimes it’s funny because we even say, “Guys, leave it for the pod,” because we still talk so much footy in the group chat. But yeah, it’s something we were doing from the very start. On the streets, at home, chilling, so we just got together and started recording.
When did you guys all become friends and meet for the first time?
Matthews: It all started on a street called Kelso Crescent in Vaughan, where we grew up. Around 2003, 2004, we all lived on the same street. Basically, I met this guy, James first. He lived right across from me. We became friends, and then down the street a little bit from me, the twins, Dan and Dave. So we all met on the street playing footy, and that’s basically how it happened. That’s how we met. And then afterwards, we met Chris just playing footy. We knew him through playing and then just became friends through high school. And then Jay, of course, my brother, was obviously involved in the group at that point. And that's basically how it started.
How did the idea of the podcast come about?
Daniel: We wanted to do something different that we haven’t really seen in the space — this was six or seven years ago. We wanted to build the culture around the game. We were always talking about footy to begin with, and Jay was actually the one who said, “Guys, why don’t we just start a podcast?” We were always talking about soccer anyway. So why not just put a mic in front of us and talk about what we do on a daily basis? Sometimes it’s funny because we even say, “Guys, leave it for the pod,” because we still talk so much footy in the group chat. But yeah, it’s something we were doing from the very start. On the streets, at home, chilling, so we just got together and started recording.
Does anyone want to talk about their passion for football and when it started?
Jason: I can speak for myself and my brother, Matthews. We have a Brazilian father, so we were forced against our will to love the game. But yeah, growing up, we were taught that Brazilian football is the essence of the beautiful game. There’s a lot of passion and entertainment when you’re growing up watching it, it’s exciting. We grew up in Vaughan, Ontario, and although a lot of people say Canada’s maybe a hockey country, Vaughan is a soccer city. I didn't know any hockey players growing up. I didn't know any basketball players growing up. We only knew soccer players, so that's our roots.
Daniel: Our family came to Canada from Ecuador, and soccer is the biggest sport there. So just growing up with a family who was devoted to the sport, even playing the game alongside my brother from the very start— playing at youth level, playing Spanish league—until now, still playing the game. It’s been a huge part of our lives and it’s built us into the people that we are today.
What would you say has been the best part of doing the podcast?
Jason: I’d say the best outcome has been a lot of the relationships built within the community. We’ve been able to craft a lot of nice relationships with players, coaches, and other creators in the space. We’ve been able to interview a lot of cool athletes, Premier League footballers, international footballers, Champions League ballers, Canada national team players. Those relationships have been fun to create, but also with like-minded brands in the space, brands like Nike— one of our favourite brands growing up—we were able to form a relationship with them. It’s something we’ve always dreamed of doing which is awesome. So I'll definitely say, yeah, the relationships built along the way and the community that we were able to build and be a part of in Toronto, Canada, and North America.
Jason: I can speak for myself and my brother, Matthews. We have a Brazilian father, so we were forced against our will to love the game. But yeah, growing up, we were taught that Brazilian football is the essence of the beautiful game. There’s a lot of passion and entertainment when you’re growing up watching it, it’s exciting. We grew up in Vaughan, Ontario, and although a lot of people say Canada’s maybe a hockey country, Vaughan is a soccer city. I didn't know any hockey players growing up. I didn't know any basketball players growing up. We only knew soccer players, so that's our roots.
Daniel: Our family came to Canada from Ecuador, and soccer is the biggest sport there. So just growing up with a family who was devoted to the sport, even playing the game alongside my brother from the very start— playing at youth level, playing Spanish league—until now, still playing the game. It’s been a huge part of our lives and it’s built us into the people that we are today.
What would you say has been the best part of doing the podcast?
Jason: I’d say the best outcome has been a lot of the relationships built within the community. We’ve been able to craft a lot of nice relationships with players, coaches, and other creators in the space. We’ve been able to interview a lot of cool athletes, Premier League footballers, international footballers, Champions League ballers, Canada national team players. Those relationships have been fun to create, but also with like-minded brands in the space, brands like Nike— one of our favourite brands growing up—we were able to form a relationship with them. It’s something we’ve always dreamed of doing which is awesome. So I'll definitely say, yeah, the relationships built along the way and the community that we were able to build and be a part of in Toronto, Canada, and North America.
What clubs do you each support?
James Matusinec: Borussia Dortmund
Daniel Quintero: Manchester United
Jason Lysik-Machado: Barcelona
Matthews Lysik-Machado: Barcelona
Christopher Spadafora: Juventus
David Quintero: Barcelona
James Matusinec: Borussia Dortmund
Daniel Quintero: Manchester United
Jason Lysik-Machado: Barcelona
Matthews Lysik-Machado: Barcelona
Christopher Spadafora: Juventus
David Quintero: Barcelona
As a podcast, do you think you guys let your club biases get in the way at all?
Christopher: Me personally, I’m not biased with my club, but every other person in this podcast is super biased. It’s super hard to like argue with them because they’re just biased with their own team.
Matthews: We all know that’s cap. We all know I’m the least biased fan here. I keep it a thousand no matter what, and that’s it.
David: You guys are all liars. We are definitely all biased. I can be real. Yeah, there’s always a little bit of bias when you talk about your own club.
What do you guys think the future holds for the podcast?
James: I think, obviously, for all of us, I think our dream is to continue growing the community, and continue growing the culture here in Canada. Obviously, the World Cup is a huge moment, but I think for us, we think it’s just the start of the game continuing to grow in this country. We’re so multicultural and football is the world’s game. So we want to keep growing that community, keep growing that culture, and make sure that we are a centre point for Canadian soccer.
