Less than three weeks since it was named Team of the Year for its newspaper coverage of the 2006 World Cup, The Times has picked up two award nominations for its online football shows.

TheGame Podcast with Danny Kelly and Baddiel and Skinner’s World Cup Podcasts are on the five-strong shortlist in the best internet programme category at this year’s Sony Radio Academy Awards — the “Oscars” of the radio industry — beating off stiff competition from the likes of Ricky Gervais.

You can read TheGame on Monday mornings and listen to it via Times Online in the afternoon. Compered by Kelly, the Times columnist and award-winning broadcaster, the shows are crammed with spiky debate and sharp humour from our writers and interviews with some of football’s biggest names.

Guests have included Chris de Burgh, who discussed his love for the Liverpool men in red, David Moyes, from the blue part of Merseyside, Trevor Nelson, the Radio 1 DJ and Chelsea fanatic, and Nigel Winterburn and Terry Butcher, the former England defenders. Among the regular contributors are Gabriele Marcotti, who provides insight into overseas football, Bill Edgar, The Times’s statistical guru, and Alyson Rudd — who sings.

“I really believe in the new world of podcasting, video and audio on demand,” Kelly said. “The technology is new, but the old radio skills are still crucial. It’s been a lot to learn, but I’m thrilled to be nominated — delighted for me, the team and The Times.”

In the latest edition, Jeff Kenna, the former Ireland defender, reflects on Roy Keane’s criticism of the Ireland team and the panel have their say on the new Wembley and the same old England. But one of the most memorable shows came when Gianluca Vialli, the Chelsea and Italy legend, was in the studio.

“We stir things up and shout at each other,” Kelly said. “Vialli was astonishingly quiet and dignified. We asked him questions and listened and we got an extraordinary piece of broadcasting.” David Baddiel and Frank Skinner were easily the most entertaining Englishmen in Germany last summer and the duo’s 15 World Cup podcasts for Times Online were the internet broadcasting success of the summer, attracting vast audiences.

The edition broadcast after England’s defeat by Portugal, “The Britishers are Coming Home”, was a particular highlight. In the episode, sober reflections on the all-too-predictable death by penalty shoot-out are spliced together with commentary from Baddiel and Skinner as they watched the drama unfold from inside the stadium.

The nominations are further indications of the growing stature of Times Sport, which has picked up a host of individual and team awards in the past year. The awards ceremony will take place on April 30.

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