Kelly Cates earned a one-up on her fellow new Match of the Day hosts with a victory at the Sports Journalism Awards. Cates, who presents for both Sky Sports and BBC Radio 5 Live, will assume co-hosting duties from Gary Lineker when the legendary footballer-turned-broadcaster steps down at the end of the season.
Lineker has spent over two decades in the Match of the Day hosting chair, having first taken up the role in August 1999. With his contract having been due to expire in the summer, Lineker agreed with the BBC to step back from Match of the Day hosting duties but did sign a mini-extension with the broadcaster that will see him stick around until after the 2026 World Cup.
However, instead of replacing Lineker with one main presenter, the organisation have appointed a three-person cast of rotating hosts. Cates makes up part of the trio, alongside fellow BBC regulars Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.
What’s more, the three had all been battling it out for the Presenter of the Year prize at Monday night’s Sports Journalism Awards, with Cates finishing out on top. It’s an early victory for the 49-year-old ahead of her new job induction later this year.
Speaking shortly after she was announced as one of the three hosts, she said: “We are all friends and we’ve known each other for a long time and that’s a really lovely part of it. Not only is it a great role just on its own but I’m sharing it with two people I really admire, respect and genuinely like. It’s a great set-up.”
Cates and Chapman have worked alongside each other on BBC Radio 5 Live coverage before, and Chapman, 51, said: “People might find this hard to believe but there’s absolutely no competition between the three of us. We’ll do a mix of everything that works for us all as individuals, and all of us are really keen that it’s fair.”
Logan added: “I think what’s interesting is although we’re sharing the role, we won’t actually be working together on Match of the Day. It’s really great to share it because we bring different experiences and different interests within the game. We bring different ways of broadcasting and that will mean our pundits are kept on their toes and share different kinds of analysis.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk