BBC Sport presenter Kelly Somers has lit up our screens at the Euros interviewing England’s stars.
From sit-down chats with Jack Grealish and Jordan Pickford to pitchside post-match breakdowns with Gareth Southgate, the pretty 35-year-old has been a breath of fresh air.
Her honest interview with Southgate after the Three Lions beat Germany 2-0 in the last-16 particularly hit home.
Not only did he reveal his Euro ’96 penalty miss still hurts him to her, he also admitted a belief he was to blame for his team-mates losing the semi-final. Since then, Alan Shearer has defended his case.
Somers’ love for football began from childhood…
LOVES WATFORD
Growing up in London, Kelly supported Watford.
Her mum and grandma were season ticket holders and she would often attend games.
It was in 1999, aged 13, she got her first taste of Wembley at the play-off final.
Watford beat Bolton to gain promotion to the Premier League and Kelly was ecstatic.
But it was the atmosphere and the spectacle of the event that won the teenager over.
“My mum said I was captivated from the moment I walked into the stadium,” she told Fast And Fearless.
“From then on, I was hooked and went to any game I was allowed to. It was tough as my friends weren’t interested but it’s always been a big thing in my family, so for me it just felt normal.”
FIRST JOB IN FOOTBALL
After graduating from Loughborough University, Kelly got a place at Nottingham Trent to study broadcast journalism.
However, months before she would start the course she got a job offer she couldn’t refuse.
Then League One club Bournemouth hired her as their media assistant, impressed by her volunteer work with Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers.
She was just 21, and as the club continued to progress Kelly worked her way up the chain.
When they were in Premier League, she had already found her specialty – interviewing the players for the club’s online video channel. Soon, she was presenting on the pitch on matchdays.
In recent years, Kelly has worked for Premier League Productions, BBC’s Final Score, talkSPORT, West Ham United and the Women’s Football League Show.
“Reporting is something I love – nothing beats the buzz of being at a match. To be there for work is incredible and nothing beats the exhilaration of being thrown to live, to describe a goal.
“That said, I do a lot in the studio too – and sometimes nothing beats the warmth of that.”
STICK IT TO THE TROLLS
As a woman in sport on TV, Somers is unfortunately a target for keyboard warriors – better known as internet trolls.
Back in March, she was subjected to sexist abuse and told to “stick to women’s football” on Instagram.
Unbelievably, when she looked up the man who had sent her the nasty message, Somers discovered he had a daughter of his own.
“On Saturday I got a message from a man on Instagram, telling me myself & other females should get off Final Score & stick to women’s football,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I searched the man, he has a daughter. Does he send her the same message? That she can only do certain jobs?
“The point of me telling this isn’t for sympathy (I feel sorry for him), it’s because messages on IWD are fab but they’re not enough.
“Everyone should think about their attitudes to women & their jobs, everyday. How would he feel if his daughter received the message he sent?!”
As always, Kelly is bang on the money.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
