About the BBC Feed

Grassroots football on the BBC: why we're streaming FA Cup qualifying rounds

2018-10-17T10:50:00+00:00

Setting up a camera to stream Deeping Rangers v Kidderminster Harriers

BBC Sport began live-streaming matches from the FA Cup qualifying rounds last year, and ahead of this Saturday’s North East derby of Dunston UTS v Gateshead, director Ken Burton explains how it's done.

The idea came from the early rounds of the Rugby League Challenge Cup, where we pioneered having a single camera on a scaffold tower streaming the whole match live. It was very well received and the football unit saw it as a great opportunity for the FA Cup and for putting more grassroots football on.

The pictures are sent back live by a two-person team with graphics and commentary added in Salford. Conor McNamara, Mark Scott, Danny Webber and Leon Osman get what it’s about and how much it means to the teams and to the viewers, and they encourage people to get in touch during their commentary.

And people do get in touch on Twitter with the hashtag #BBCFACup. They might be watching their home town team that they never thought would be on television, or seeing a work colleague playing on screen, or doing a shout out to their own team as they watch on a mobile device on their way to another FA Cup game later.

Even though it’s a single camera with no replays, no cutaways, and if it’s raining you can see the lens being wiped, people are staying and watching online and on the Red Button.

When Maltby Main FC played Frickley Athletic in the first qualifying round, Maltby goalkeeper James Pollard made an absolutely extraordinary double save, and thanks to working with colleagues across the BBC it was on the homepage within minutes.

We got a letter from the club saying it was the best game in their history, even though they lost 2-1, and thanking us. It’s a lovely letter to have, and one of the things that make all the travelling up and down the country installing the cameras and standing in the rain worthwhile.

Never underestimate how much non-League grassroots football is valued both by its watchers and by its participants.

BBC One’s Football Focus tells viewers when we’re going to stream games and where to watch on the website. They tend to dip in to live games, and during the last two they’ve nearly had a goal on both occasions.

Friday night local and regional sports bulletins are also now being broadcast from the football grounds we’ll be streaming from the next day, so it’s all coming together across the BBC.

You can watch Dunston UTS v Gateshead live on 20 October here.

Filming a World Cup legacy debate in Russia

2018-06-14T15:29:39+00:00

An audience member asks the panel if school sports are benefiting from the World Cup

The debate that we broadcast on 6 June was held in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals and on the very edge of Europe.

It’s one of the 11 World Cup host cities, which also include Moscow, St Petersburg, and Sochi, and as it’s the easternmost of them, and a major city where BBC News Russian doesn’t often go, we thought let’s go somewhere that’s a bit more off the beaten track.

The format of the BBC News Russian debate programme is different from BBC One’s Question Time. Our programme is based on a motion, like the Oxford Union debating society, ideally with two speakers supporting the motion and two speakers opposing. We have an audience, invited through our social media channels and our website, who are free to express their views and ask questions and also to vote on the motion.

We knew there was going to be lots of coverage of the preparations for the World Cup, but decided it would be interesting to debate the tournament’s likely legacy and put it into context with other countries, such as the UK with the Olympics, and Brazil with the Olympics and also the World Cup. What sort of infrastructure did they introduce, what happened to all the venues, and have the lives of the people improved?

The initial debate venue was a very prominent one in the city, and everything was going really well. Then, fairly close to the filming date, we were told that we couldn’t film there.

We had to think on our feet and quickly find another location. It was tricky, because such broadcasts are a major operation, but we managed to reorganise it. Even with the alternative venue we had some difficulties, because the local authorities told them not to host us, but they went ahead anyway. Perhaps people were worried that we were going to bring their World Cup preparations into disrepute, or show the city in a disrespectful or unfair way.

There were people in the audience who were very enthusiastic, saying the World Cup is a wonderful opportunity, a huge boost to Russian morale, and an image-creating opportunity. On the other hand there were those who claimed it’s too expensive, that the vast amount of money spent on rebuilding stadiums for the World Cup could be used to do lots of other things across the country, like improving infrastructure.

Our panellists were very good. One of them was Maria Komandnaya, who’s well known because she co-hosted the official World Cup draw ceremony with Gary Lineker. She was very enthusiastic about the World Cup and made a good case for it. We also had a local journalist, Dmitri Kolezev, who argued that the money could have been spent better.

We asked the audience if they or anyone they knew was involved with the World Cup or projects related to it, and many of them raised their hands.

Some of those in the audience were from outside Yekaterinburg, and there was a local councillor from a town in the Urals, Natalya Krylova, who was very vocal in her criticism of the way so much money was being spent on it compared to what people in small towns need, for instance she spoke about people not having working toilets.

I think the debate showed that while a lot of people in Russia are generally supportive of the World Cup, some are frustrated, feeling that - if they don’t live in a host city - then they’re not given enough attention.

People in Russia may not get to see this kind of event often, certainly not on Russian state TV, and so it was a special occasion for us to host such a lively discussion. The BBC Russian debate programme is filmed on location all over the world and is part of the BBC’s expansion plans to enlarge our global audience reach. It was set out to engage with people by providing alternative perspectives which they might not otherwise encounter.

World Cup tongue-twisters: how to pronounce players' names

2018-06-14T08:28:12+00:00

The World Cup is here, and excitement will soon be reaching fever pitch. Thirty two nations are competing, from the hosts Russia to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, South Korea, Iran, Peru and - who can forget that booming handclap that took the world by storm at Euro 2016 - Iceland!

Amid all the excitement, you might spare a thought for all the football commentators and sports journalists who have to get their heads around some pretty tricky footballer names – and lots of them. But just how do BBC broadcasters know how to pronounce them?

Back at BBC HQ, there is a small team of three linguists who make up the BBC Pronunciation Unit. We are all phoneticians who speak a number of languages besides English and we provide an advisory service for BBC broadcasters - it is our job to research pronunciations and provide guidance.

All of our advice is anglicised so that it is pronounceable by broadcasters and intelligible to audiences. We use a phonetic system called BBC Text Spelling to render pronunciations in writing, and in all cases, stressed syllables are shown in upper case.

In general, our policy is that where an established anglicisation exists, that is what we recommend. In cases like Paris, where the English and French forms are spelt identically, broadcasters are advised to use the established anglicised form: PARR-iss not parr-EE.

In cases where there is an established English place name, such as Moscow, pronounced MOSS-koh in British English, we advise broadcasters to adopt the English form of the name rather than the Russian form Moskva.

In the case of little-known place names, we recommend a pronunciation which is as close to native pronunciation as possible, but in keeping with the sounds of English.

One of the place names already getting a lot of attention is England’s base near St Petersburg called Repino, named after the Russian painter, Ilya Repin. The place name should be pronounced with stress on the first syllable: RAY-pin-oh (-ay as in day, note first syllable stress), although the pronunciations REP-in-oh and REP-in-uh (-e as in get, -uh as ‘o’ in cannon) are also possible anglicisations.

The Moscow stadium where the opening game takes place is Luzhniki, pronounced with stress on the final syllable: loozh-nik-EE (-zh as 's' in measure, note final syllable stress).

Nizhny Novgorod is often anglicised as NIZH-ni NOV-guh-rodd (-1st -i as in bit, -zh as ‘s’ in measure, -2nd -i as ‘y’ in happy, -o as in not, note first syllable stress) though the Russian pronunciation is closer to NEEZH-ni NOV-guh-ruht (-ee as in street, -zh as 's' in measure, -t as in top).

One of the host cities Kaliningrad is usually pronounced kuh-LEE-nin-grad (-uh as ‘a’ in sofa, -ee as in street, note second syllable stress) in English; the Russian pronunciation is closer to kal-in-een-GRAT (note final syllable stress).

What about some of the footballer names?

One of the stars of the Russia squad is goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, pronounced: EE-gor ak-in-FYAY-yuhf (-ee as in street, -g as in get, -fy as in few, -ay as in day, -y as in yes, -uh as in oven, -f as in fit, note stress).

Another player to watch is Alan Dzagoev, pronounced al-AN dzag-OY-yuhf (-dz as in bids, -oy as in boy, -y as in yes, -f as in fit, note final syllable stress in first name – unlike the English pronunciation of ‘Alan’).

To conclude, here’s a selection of player names from other teams in Group G:

Tunisia: England’s first match will be against Tunisia so look out for French-born midfielder Saif-Eddine Khaoui, pronounced SAYF uh-DEEN KHAA-wi (-ay as in day, -uh as in oven, -kh as in Scottish loch, -aa as in father, -i as ‘y’ in happy), although the French pronunciation is closer to kaa-WEE (-k as in king).

Belgium: Kevin de Bruyne – the anglicised pronunciation of his name is duh BROY-nuh (-oy as in boy, -uh as 'e' in oven) but the player himself uses the pronunciation duh BROE-nuh (-oe as in French coeur) in Flemish and English, which may be further anglicised as duh BRUR-nuh (-ur as in fur but 'r' is not pronounced). The pronunciation duh BROW-nuh (-ow as in now) is debatably closer to the Standard Dutch rather than Flemish pronunciation.

Panama: defender Luis Ovalle, pronounced luu-EESS oh-VIGH-yay (-uu as in book, -ee as in street, -ss as in less, -oh as in high, -igh as in high, -y as in yes), and midfielder Aníbal Godoy, pronounced an-EE-bal god-OY (-o as in not, -oy as in boy, note stress in each name).

(Even more) Wales at Euro 2016

2016-07-06T11:00:00+00:00

BBC Wales Football Correspondent Rob Phillips has been following the Welsh team at Euro 2016 and, when he gets a chance, he’s been writing updates for his followers and friends on Facebook. We've put together a third set of edited highlights from Rob’s week at the Wales base in Dinard, Brittany, and on the road following the team. Can there possibly be a part four? Well it is Rob's birthday today so you never know...

Sunday 3/7/16 - two days after the quarter-final v Belgium

It's Sunday… So it must be the launderette in Dinard…

You don't know how good it feels to be able to write those words. 'Phenomenal' is one of the superlatives which springs to mind. What a weekend! I expect you might have heard Wales are through to the semi-finals of the European Championships (you really don't know how good it feels to be able to write those words - 'absolutely phenomenal' springs to mind).

Friday night was yet another unforgettable experience, something which appears to be happening every few days at the moment. And it's not just we Welsh who are enjoying it. After travelling back to Brittany from Lille yesterday we had a bit of a celebration last night, which involved a decent meal, watching the penalty shoot-out, and a few drinks with the rest of the media covering Wales. There was a slight air of disbelief among us all, but the barman was convinced Pays de Galles were heading to Paris…

Fast forward to the launderette and an elderly gentleman and I had a somewhat testing conversation (since he didn't speak much England and I spoke even less French - if only I had listened more to my French teacher Mr Burns in Pontypridd Grammar). Anyway, one phrase I did manage to pick up was ''Pays de Galles - Finale!'' - which I took to mean Wales are going all the way to the Euro 2016 final in Paris next weekend. We shook hands on it (so did his partner), so it's almost official.

Today marks a month on this journey now (started at Heathrow, on to Sweden and then France) and the little incidentals take on a new meaning. Whoever would have thought I'd need more toothpaste today? Be honest, you didn't did you? Neither did I. There we go, it must be historic! (Before you ask, yes, it's the same stuff they sell in Wales... Don't be so surprised!).

Gareth Bale spotted in a shop window in Dinard, Brittany

Anyway, on the way to get the toothpaste (for sensitive teeth, I'm that sort of soul), came across this extraordinary signed picture of Gareth Bale. Don't get distracted by the space suit next to it - Tim Peake has had his day in the sun - or should that be stars - the point is, there was no price on the stunning Gareth Bale picture. So I went inside and asked the shop owner, "how much?" ''Not for sale,'' he said....''not until after the final!''

Not dull, this feller. He had correctly worked out the price would rocket (sorry!) if Wales reached those heady heights or even won the whole thing.

His smile was almost as broad as that of the launderette owner who paid a visit while myself and Iwan Roberts were waiting for our respective tumble dryers to finish. As I have noted previously, I suspect his retirement plans are well in hand…

Off to a press conference soon and then to Lyon tomorrow for Wednesday's showpiece. I've given up trying to predict what will happen. You can put nothing past this amazing Wales squad, the new heroes of France. If Wales win on Wednesday, it'll be easy to go with the cliche 'over the moon'.

Maybe that shop owner was really onto something… How much was that space suit?

Monday 4/7/16 - two days before the semi-final v Portugal

This place - yes, and the launderette in town - has basically been home (Chez moi - as they say in France) for the last month. Dinard has been a joy, the people have embraced the Wales squad and all who follow them. Frankly, one of the many major decisions Chris Coleman and his staff have got right in this tournament was being based here on the beautiful Brittany coast. This community and its people will always have a special place in the memory of those who have been here.

I move to Lyon today and - hopefully - on to Paris on Thursday. If Wales can actually continue this fairytale journey all the way to the Euro 2016 final, then the squad will return to Dinard on Thursday - to a no doubt even more rapturous reception than they have had so far (and that's saying something). I am sure more than just myself want to return one day soon.

But for now I say "Farewell Dinard" - you and your charming people have been a delight. You have played your part in an already wonderful Welsh story. Thank you. Bon Chance!

Listen to Rob’s commentary on BBC Radio Wales, followed by the regular post-match phone-in, Call Rob Phillips.
Read the first installment of Rob's Euro 2016 diaries on the About the BBC Blog and the second installment
Read Jon Jacob's blog about how BBC Radio Five Live introduced him to the world of football

(More) Wales at Euro 2016

2016-07-01T13:19:31+00:00

BBC Wales Football Correspondent Rob Phillips has been following the Welsh team at Euro 2016 and, when he gets a chance, he’s been writing updates for his followers and friends on Facebook. We've put together a second set of edited highlights from Rob’s week at the Wales base in Dinard, Brittany, and on the road following the team. Will there be a part three?

Thursday 23/6/16 - two days before Northern Ireland

Well what an eventful first trip on the French railways! Arrived in Rennes to wait for train to Paris and suddenly an official looking gentleman wearing a cap - without any great fuss - started to cordon off part of the platform with rolls of tape.

Didn’t think too much of it, because the cafe continued to serve as normal and a few yards away there was a pianist in full flow. Yes, a bloke on the piano, later joined by a woman who started to sing! I have to say, this is not something I have ever seen at Ebbw Vale Parkway, or even Cardiff Central… but what a good idea.

So my colleague Dafydd Pritchard and I sat nearby and enjoyed a musical accompaniment to his chicken salad and coffee and my ham and cheese baguette (but no crisps), a glorified French version of a custard tart and coffee (grande).

That was until the girl who had served us our food appeared from the cafe and calmly suggested we might want to move, since this was a proper security alert and she wasn’t going to hang around…

Meanwhile the pianist played on!

Sunday 27/6/16 - the day after the Northern Ireland match

Back in Dinard after yet another memorable weekend watching this unbelievable Wales football team - backed by its joyous, slightly disbelieving fans.

I’ve said it previously, there really is a homely feel about the Brittany base Wales have chosen. After yet another tumultuous few days in the French capital, it's good to be back here (yet again) before heading for Lille later this week.

We had one special moment when outside our hotel in Paris on Saturday night, a rather tired and emotional Northern Ireland fan told our motley crew Wales had to go on and win the tournament, having beaten his side.

Then he was told he was talking to former Everton and Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe. The gentleman bowed in adoration and suddenly a chorus of “Ratcliffe's on fire!!” (adapted from Northern Ireland’s ‘Will Grigg’ version) crackled through the Paris night time air!

Just another memorable moment on this adventure as Wales have made the quarter finals of the European Championships... Just take a while to think about that… the last eight of Euro 2016!

Wednesday 29 June - two days before the Quarter Final v Belgium

Dafydd Pritchard, Rob Phillips, and Dyfrig Gwent.

Forgive me, this is a strange feeling. I may, stress ‘may’, have left Dinard for the final time on my personal journey through Euro 2016.

I am writing this on the way to Lille with my colleagues Dafydd Pritchard and Dyfrig Gwent. Lille is, of course, where Wales meet Belgium in the quarter final, on Friday night.

A defeat and for me it’s ‘home’ the following day… the stakes are that high!

The point is, I have become quite attached to Dinard, from my favourite ice cream, the local Facebook blogger who was videoing himself while he played goalkeeper in the press football match on the beach last night (just one point on this game, the organisers ensured the English media were evenly spread among both sides - just in case those on the losing side thought the exuberant celebrations at the end were aimed at them) and, yes, even the launderette, which I visited on Monday evening, only to be disturbed by a TV film crew. It’s just a lovely place with a warm ambience.

Gareth Bale was speaking to us again today. Once more he exuded confidence and summed up the spirit within the squad. Asked about motivation to play well every game he looked at the Wales badge on his shirt and said “the Dragon” was all he needed.

Asked whether the squad got bored between games, he said ‘no’ - they were all mates and, tellingly, added: “It's like being on holiday”.

Now, I should quickly point out, this has been no holiday (honest!) but I know exactly where he’s coming from. My spirits were sent soaring. I’ve got two big suitcases in the back of the car and a few other bags, too, just in case the Belgians have a cunning plan to send us packing. But ten minutes in the same room as Gareth Bale and I am suddenly a lot more confident.

As you know the Welsh fans have excelled on the singing front, particularly with the anthem. They have chorused their way around France - making a delightful, tuneful impression.

So in our car, with Lille still a long way off, we’re breaking into: “Don't take me home!”

Listen to Rob’s commentary on BBC Radio Wales, followed by the regular post-match phone-in, Call Rob Phillips.
Read the first instalment of Rob's Euro 2016 diaries on the About the BBC Blog
Read Jon Jacob's blog about how BBC Radio Five Live introduced him to the world of football

Learning to love football

2016-06-28T08:15:46+00:00

Euro 2016 triggers the need for a confession: I hate football.

I’ve always hated football, ever since the other boys in my class at school laughed mercilessly at the patchwork gym bag my Mum had proudly made for me on her Singer sewing machine. I’ve long since learned to revel in my distinctiveness. But back then the drawstring bag, and the white PE kit I carried inside it for games lessons, attracted so much guffawing from my contemporaries that football and any kind of sporting pursuit has been linked to childhood trauma.

The PE kit was totally unsuitable for games lessons. The mud stains I managed to get caked all over it was largely because of my inability to spot the ball, or maintain the most straightforward of dribbles. Uncontrollable tears were also a feature of my games lessons, usually shed at the side of the pitch from where I would look on at my contemporaries, knees trembling, wondering where I had been when the love-of-football gene had been handed out.

Such detail may at first seem trifling. This blog is not the place for confessionals nor sob stories, but back-stories are important, because what I notice is that 35 years after the childhood trauma that killed off any subsequent interest in football may well have healed. I may well be catching up on my peers. I may now, thanks to combined influence of colleagues at work and BBC Radio Five Live, I may well be … getting into football. Odd.

It all began with the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision is an event I understand, one I’ve stood by since 1981 (even through the ‘dark’ 1990s) and, to this day, still get ridiculously excited about every single year. I’m one of an army of hardcore fans (and passionate defenders).

Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm's Globen. My kind of football.

This passion provokes a strange kind of bewilderment amongst my football-loving colleagues. Whenever I talk about Eurovision, they display a look on their faces as though I’ve brought my Fisher Price Car Park and Garage (I still have it, by the way) to work, and whipped it out during a serious meeting about metrics.

What is it that confuses them about Eurovision? What is it that makes them smile about my nerdy fascination with broadcasting history? Is it the same thing that makes me roll my eyes about the painstaking detail some of them pick over about the ‘beautiful game’? And, if I could understand the answer to those questions, might I get a taste of the thrills and spills those same colleagues express when they enter into the post-match analysis every Monday morning during the football season?

When I started asking myself those questions I began to notice something a little alarming: I was beginning to get interested in something I’d hitherto completely overlooked. So the implicit private challenge was unwittingly set: could I manage to sustain my concentration for an entire football match. And, if I could do that, might I grow to like the game?

It was worth a shot.

I acknowledge one obvious block very early on in proceedings: my partner, Simon. I propose a change to our usual weekend TV viewing habits with a tentative but hopeful, “but I want to watch the England match for research purposes.” Silence. He reluctantly agrees, trying desperately to communicate his displeasure by forcefully keying ‘115’ on the Sky Remote. We sit. We watch. We leap up and down when England scores. And we sigh when Russia equalise.*

Post-England vs. Russia I’m aware of two things: firstly, I’m not hooked, haven’t been swept away by the emotion and don’t see a need to resort to dramatic measures to ensure future enjoyment. On the plus side, it hasn’t been an agonising 90 minutes. I haven’t been distracted by my mobile phone, I haven’t wanted to participate in a discussion online at the same time and I haven’t flicked over to see what’s on another channel. My most significant learning from this first toe in the water? Getting ‘buy-in’ from my significant other watching any non-England matches is going to be a tough number – not so much low-hanging fruit, more bare branches on a petrified tree.

So, the following night I opt for an alternative option: live commentary on Five Live. It’s here in the kitchen, methodically preparing dinner in between surreptitious sips of cheap red wine, that I hear something different: the sound of people somewhere else in the world getting excited about something I cannot see. There is nothing more riveting than hearing someone else’s fun someplace else described by people I can’t see. In that respect, football on the radio is not unlike Radio 3’s Live in Concert – there is nothing I like better than ‘dropping in’ on somebody else’s party.

This is, it seems to me as I pour myself another glass of wine on my own in the kitchen, my gateway to football. The commentary seems jumbled and packed full of technical terms I don’t understand; I can’t picture the images in my head quick enough to follow the action on the pitch.

I’m struggling, but remain committed to the challenge, remembering a piece of advice a different colleague gave me when attending a Shakespeare: trust yourself, listen to the lines, but don’t get bogged down in the detail; you’ll be surprised how easily to follow what’s going on. Quickly, I get drawn in. My mood elevates, cushioned by a bed of gentle roars from an excited crowd somewhere over the water and far away.

This is when I realise my guard might be down. I’m swept along by the excitement of a distant crowd, an unseen image, and the raw passion of broadcasters. In this way, I’m transported to another place in the same messrs Klein, Derham and Trelawny do when they describe proceedings at the BBC Proms on Radio 3. My delayed entry into watching football seems to be via broadcast, being present with thousands, possibly even millions, of other people: participating in a shared experience.

I relay all of this to my partner on a daily basis. As my confidence grows, I even suggest, “Maybe we could watch the match tonight?” This is met with the inevitable question: “What have you become?” Still conscious he’s not as willing to participate in my personal challenge with the same zeal I am, I turn to Five Live whenever I can. This is my chance to ‘dip in’ to what’s going on in much the same way my A-Level German teacher suggested dipping into German novels from time to time to boost my comprehension and translation skills.

When I go on a last-minute unexpected lone trip to Budapest, I set aside a night to find a (quiet) bar where I can watch a game. This is when I realise something quite surprising: I’m actually looking forward to the prospect. In the space of a handful of matches I’ve gone from fearing the game I was traumatised by as a kid, to now ‘rather looking forward to it’. Now I sit at a table at a bar in central sunny Budapest, watching Hungary play Iceland on the screen on my left, and observing local fans at the bar across the road look on proceedings with a mixture of horror and excitement. It is a delicious experience: a televised event making me feel part of a continent-wide moment.

I return from Budapest with renewed confidence and a spring in my step. Like all good journeys, I’ve been on a personal journey at the same time. I am now someone who ‘watches the football’. Proud of this, I seek to comment on colleagues’ Facebook feeds whenever I am engaging with the game, as if to prove to them that I am good as my word. Sometimes I post pictures of me watching a game so the proof is irrefutable. I think it’s turned into a bit of a habit now.

My new status as viewer is confirmed during the Slovakia vs England match, a combination of TV viewing (on ITV) and listening on Five Live. Needing to watch live (and not via live-pause on my PVR has become important all of a sudden), not missing a moment when I go to the bathroom similarly so. Me and the partner (by this point he’s insisted he’ll only watch England games) now find ourselves commenting on strategy, uttering terminology like ‘passing’ and ‘possession’, and commenting on tackles. My tried and tested description seems to be, “it’s all a bit messy, isn’t it?” This also boosts my confidence, demonstrated in the way I relay our rookie assessments to my colleagues the morning after. Do those views have any validity? Do they trigger any further clarification amongst those more in the know? It seems that they do. Football doesn’t seem all that difficult to understand. I’m met with wide eyes and one or two dropped jaws.

I’m not a convert. I’m not a fan. A lot of the time I’m watching and listening and sort of understanding what’s going on but not really being sure whether I really do understand it. Last night’s England match – listened to at first on Five Live sees me race to break the early score to the partner who in turn leaps to switch over to BBC One. Disappointment follows 37 seconds later.**

But it gives me an ‘in’ with my colleagues. I can empathise with them as they shuffle into the office this morning. Even dipping my toe in the water makes me feel part of the pack. Actually playing a game of football may well be a long way off, but I may well be en route to a new viewing obsession. That journey has started because of Five Live. As to whether I shall be continuing that journey alone or in the company of my partner, I've yet to negotiate. I'll get back to you.

* I can’t remember any other occasion when I’ve needed to use the word ‘equalise’ in anything I’ve written before. In the spirit of full transparency, I’m am excited by this.

** I’m amazed I can even recall the time Iceland equalised.

Wales at Euro 2016

2016-06-24T13:22:56+00:00

BBC Wales Football Correspondent Rob Phillips has been following the Welsh team at Euro 2016 and, when he gets a chance, he’s been writing updates for his followers and friends on Facebook. Here are some excerpts from Rob’s week at the Wales base in Dinard, Brittany - and on the road following the team.

Friday 17/6/16 (the day after England match in Lens, 3 day to go until Wales v Russia)

Just had a meal and was joined by a group of England fans. Could not disagree they deserved to win the game. But the manner of the defeat - in injury time - just adds to the hurt. That said, as I prepare to return 'home' to Dinard tomorrow, I would ask you to bear in mind the following:

Wales are still well placed to make the last 16
Russia, by all accounts, are eminently beatable
Gareth Bale is extraordinary
My voice survived intact - ok not quite so important to you as me, but I'll throw it in anyway and the picture below proves how much medicinal aid I had in place!
Wales and England fans mingled so well in the stadium and outside, which said much about the reaction to the isolated, abhorrent violence which has marred this tournament

Saturday 18/6/16

Just watched Wales players training and happy to report Joe Ledley was looking fine. As you can see, the training was also watched by the pupils of Cwmtawe Community School, Pontardawe. One of their pupils was responsible for the best comment of the morning: ''Ledley! Your beard is amazing!'' Could not argue with that. But more amazing is surely the standard of school trips these days. Go to France and watch Wales train - how good is that?? Beats Longleat by a street!

Monday 20/6/16 - the day of the Russia match in Toulouse

(1) Had a quick stroll in the bit of Toulouse I find myself - saw this feller. Chap in a pram making baby noises… makes a living I suppose!!! PS - also saw many Welsh fans looking happy, but slightly nervous, about the game later.

(2) Don't know about you, but I am nervous and there's still 90 minutes to kick off.

Tuesday 21/6/16 - the day after Russia match

Thanks to my dad being a football supporter, I have watched Wales both as a fan - and professionally - for a lifetime. Reporting it has been nearly 30 years. And I can honestly say I have never experienced a game like that… I'm not name dropping but John Hartson and Kevin Ratcliffe were so emotional either side of me in the commentary box, it was difficult not to get carried away. When you have 110 caps worth of football talent stood up clapping their successors, it makes an impression and adds to the memory.

And there are other winners, too - notably the launderette in Dinard which will again do a roaring trade when I get back to Brittany.

Weds 22/6/16 - 2 days after Russia match, 3 days until knockout game vs. ???

So here it is!! The most famous "Welsh" launderette in the world!

Tomorrow I am leaving Dinard as part of an advanced party heading off to Paris, where Wales play an historic knockout game on Saturday against… Well, that's the point. As my shirts and smalls rotate at 40 degrees in machine number 5 ‪#‎creasedbutclean‬ - we just don't know who Wales will be playing…‬‬

Bottom line is - the Wales players probably won't care who they play. And neither will the Welsh fans who have been walking ambassadors for our great country and will love to bring their melodic presence to the French capital. Anyway, by the end of today, we should know.

In other words… it'll all come out in the wash!!

Rob Phillips is Football Correspondent for BBC Wales.

FA Cup magic on BBC Local Radio

2015-10-30T13:44:00+00:00

Charles Runcie, Head of Sport for BBC English Regions, reflects on the early rounds of the FA Cup, the magic it holds for those smaller teams taking part, and the special coverage they will get via our BBC Local Radio stations.

I always smile when FA Cup ties played in early November are referred to as being in the “first round PROPER”. What, you mean all the action before then was a sham? Dozens of clubs have endured multiple qualifying rounds, aiming to get their name picked out of that FA velvet bag live on TV, and take their place near the summit of the footballing world.

The mighty FA Cup… the world’s oldest cup competition, giant-killing prospects, the media spotlight, the glamour. That’s the magic that drives romantic-sounding clubs like Sporting Khalsa, Runcorn Linnets and Rushall Olympic, all dreaming of a lucrative cup run. Sadly they didn’t make it to the first round, as the competition steps up a gear, but Didcot Town did. A place better known for its railway junction, their team is aptly nicknamed The Railwaymen and are the lowest ranked side still left in the competition. Normally they play in the Southern League, but for a day they can live in the spotlight, hosting League 2’s Exeter City.

Have a thought for Maidenhead United, who travel to Port Vale. Their boss Alan Devonshire must be one of the very few managers in the first round to have actually won the FA Cup. Remember when? The answer is at the bottom*. Also could Basingstoke be the only side in the round yet to win a league fixture this season? If they beat League 2 high-flyers Northampton Town that would more than compensate for their poor form.

Those stories and many others are all part and parcel of the FA Cup. For our network of BBC Local Radio stations, which cover these teams week in week out, it’s just reward for all those commentaries done from dodgy press boxes on rainy Tuesday nights at the other end of the country. Jerome Sale, BBC Radio Oxford’s sports editor, will be forsaking his beloved Oxford United for the day to commentate on that Didcot-Exeter cup tie. BBC Radio Leicester’s Russell Hobbs (and yes, he’s heard all the jokes) will be looking forward to the weekend after commentating on village side Barwell’s 1-nil replay win over Rushden + Diamonds.

Barwell AFC

They and dozens more hardy reporters will wonder if their game, their result will be the story of the round. For BBC Hereford and Worcester’s Dan Johnson it actually happened. He commentated on Worcester City’s momentous 2-1 away win over 1987 Cup winners Coventry City last year. The BBC highlights package with his commentary led Match of the Day that night. “It was without doubt the sporting highlight of my 43-year-old life so far” he remembers. “Having grown up watching Worcester City, to be able to broadcast their biggest win for over 50 years was as sublime as it was surreal. When it did, "Pandemonium at the Ricoh!" tumbled from my gaping mouth and the enormity of my beloved team's achievement began to dawn. To feel such pride, to be there to see this homeless band of brothers revelling in this, their moment in the sun, that day seemed impossible to beat”.

The dream is not yet over for Dan, though. “We travel to Sheffield United to see if lightning can strike twice, safe in the knowledge that now nothing is impossible” Dan’s words and all those fans listening, hoping and wondering back home, sum up for me the special importance BBC Local Radio has for our communities. Special Cup, special coverage.

Charles Runcie is Head of Sport for BBC English Regions

Keep up to date with FA Cup matches on the BBC Sport website.
Find your Local BBC Radio station.
*Alan Devonshire was in the West Ham United team that won the FA Cup in 1980. A Second Division side at the time, Devonshire started the move that led to the winning goals scored by Trevor Brooking.

In the dugout: delivering regional football coverage

2015-07-29T09:12:45+00:00

Charles Runcie, Head of Sport for English Regions, goes behind the scenes with the sports teams of BBC Local Radio, to explain more about the 2,500 plus football commentaries they bring to their listeners each season.

With TV and radio sports channels, texting and social media, is there still a place for local radio football commentary? This season BBC Local Radio will be the only regional radio stations in major cities, including Liverpool and Birmingham, providing commentary on the latest matches that matter in their area each week. This development has brought into sharp focus the coverage our BBC Local Radio stations provide for fans of around 90 clubs each week and emphasises why the BBC must remain committed to promoting regional football at all levels of the game.

From Manchester City - all glitz, galacticos and Champions League glamour - to homely Harrogate Town in National League North, sports coverage is woven into the fabric of our 38 stations. The behemoths of the Premier League may command most attention, and we do commentary on 17 of those 20 teams, but it's further down the footballing food chain where BBC Local Radio comes into its own. While their results get mentions on national 5 Live Sport or Final Score, we’re able to expand and concentrate on our local sides, with informed passion being the normal house style.

Some go to huge lengths to satisfy their demanding fans. Such are the county rivalries that Radio Devon splits in three on Saturdays, for separate commentaries on Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United. Meanwhile Radio Shropshire’s Nick Southall and James Bond (yes, it really is his name) went to Hungary to cover The New Saints in … a Champions League qualifier. Although TNS are Welsh Premier League champions they’re actually based at Oswestry, so off went Nick and James on the team bus. They shared the commentary with Radio Wales, a dramatic game which went to extra time before TNS went out, and I’m told returned home neither shaken nor stirred.

Radio Guernsey also clock up plenty of air miles following their team in the Isthmian League Division 1 South. Flight times to the UK are as much a part of their sports teams’ preparation as the team line-ups.

It’s not just the tens of thousands of miles covered or resources devoted to those 2,500 or so commentaries. Even getting on air can be an adventure. BBC Hereford + Worcester’s coverage of the FA Cup’s longest-ever penalty shoot-out, when Scunthorpe United eventually beat Worcester City 14-13 in a 2nd round replay, was all the more remarkable as the station’s broadcast lines failed that night. The match was done via sports editor Trevor Owens’ iPad, with him sitting between the commentators holding the microphone between them while monitoring the strength of the signal. Radio on a wing and a prayer, and without doubt the longest night of Trevor’s life.

The relationship extends off the field too. BBC Coventry + Warwickshire marked 10 years since Coventry City left their 106-year-old former ground with stories, conversations, experts and memories with fans in a week of broadcasting called Remembering Highfield Road. They also created a BBC iWonder guide in partnership with Match of the Day to pay tribute to one of Coventry City’s most influential figures, Jimmy Hill.

Jamie Hoyland, former Burnley midfielder and ex-Preston coach, is a popular, funny Radio Lancashire match summariser. He says what he sees with enormous passion and knowledge of local football, and even wins over fans from clubs he never played for. On Olympic Way at Wembley prior to May’s League One play-off final between Preston and Swindon, the 100th game he’d watched that season, he encouraged supporters of both sides to take part in #Hoyland100 on social media. Fans came up to take selfies, with a huge amount of positive reaction following. One group of fans even recognised him, and invited him to a forthcoming wedding.

Sport never stops for busy Radio Manchester, with both codes of rugby, boxing and cricket having to jostle with coverage of their seven clubs. Presenter Jimmy Wagg has seen it all. Starting on sport in 1989 he’s been to Wembley 18 times, 6 trips to Cardiff, and in 1995 won a Sony Radio Award for a live programme done a couple of hours after the death of the legendary Sir Matt Busby. On Saturday 5 September Jimmy presents his 1000th sports show – and he’s never missed one. As he told me, “Working in Manchester, the epicentre of English football, has given me the chance to pursue my passion for football and pretend it's a real job. Any wonder my friends call me lucky?”

Covering our local football teams is part of the DNA of any BBC Local Radio station, and something we’re expected by listeners to do and do properly. Our local radio coverage is a unique part of the sporting landscape which provides a much needed lifeline to die-hard fans following the Premiership to the National Leagues up and down the country.

Charles Runcie is Head of Sport, BBC English Regions

Read also BBC confirms commitment to local football - around 2,500 games covered across 15/16 season

Football fans unite for Songs of Praise

2015-05-29T11:11:17+00:00

The FA Cup returned to BBC TV this season and as well as the live games, BBC Sport has been working with a host of other programmes to bring FA Cup related content to audiences. One unique project - The Songs of Praise FA Cup Fans Choir competition - is a great example of these partnerships. Read Lindsey Hammond’s blog below about how the unlikely pairing came about.

As a researcher for BBC Songs of Praise and a massive Hull City fan I never thought I’d see the day when I could combine the two. I’ve worked on some fantastic live events with the BBC including The Great North Passion and D-Day but Songs of Praise FA Cup Fans Choir is perhaps my favourite project to date.

At first glance there’s no obvious link between Songs of Praise and the FA Cup but when I heard that the BBC had won the broadcast rights again I began to consider how we could engage with it. I went to my first ever FA Cup Final last May and reflecting on that experience I remember the emotions that Leona Lewis, singing Abide With Me, provoked – and there it was, that was my connection!

I knew Abide With Me had been part of the FA Cup Final tradition since 1927 but before this project I had never looked into its history and why it was sung. After a bit of research I found that it was King George V’s favourite hymn and the FA Chairman had arranged for it to be a part of the football match, probably to get into the King’s good books. Looking back on archive footage of the hymn being sung in the old Wembley stadium is fantastic - it really creates a sense of the crowd unified by one song. I instantly saw an opportunity in this. Songs of Praise and BBC Religion has a long history of choral singing and creating choirs for different occasions so all of a sudden the FA Cup Final, Abide With Me and Songs of Praise seemed like an ideal fit.

My initial idea was to make a film about the history of hymns at the FA Cup; I never dreamed that we would actually be able to sing at the Final. I shared the idea with Mike Smith, our Executive Producer (and a massive Leeds United fan) and he saw the potential. It quickly became a really collaborative effort with BBC Sport and the FA, it just grew and grew as the idea for a choir competition took shape.

We’re a small team and it’s fair to say we have been up to our necks in the project. We had to pull everything together really quickly to launch in January, just before the fourth round in the FA Cup. When we started to see the first entries coming in it suddenly seemed very real and I thought ‘wow, this is actually going to work’. People instantly seemed to understand what it was we wanted to do and it just showed me how the FA Cup is in every football fan’s heart.

The mechanics of it all were relatively simple. We asked people to send in their stories which reflect the personal memories and passion of the cup from every level of the game. Maybe witnessing giant killings, perhaps the first time their non- league team made the third round or the first time you were in the final with tales of great players, key moments, unforgettable goals and family anecdotes.

We had to narrow down over 1,300 entries to just five from each of the 64 clubs. This was a challenging task as people had spent a great deal of time sharing their incredible stories with us so we had to make sure each one was given the care and consideration it deserved. Once we had picked the top contenders it was then up to our judges to select their favourite story from each club. Calling the winners to let them know was such a great experience - there were tears, screaming, all sorts of emotions and it was such a unique and amazing thing to be able to do.

Singing experience or skill was never a factor in the process at all. The FA Cup is for everyone and a lot of people have a deep connection with it so we really didn’t want to exclude anyone. Also singing at football matches is common place and being pitch perfect has never been a factor. When the crowd at Anfield sing You’ll Never Walk Alone it’s about more than being in tune, the moment is more emotional and raw than that.

It was vital to us that the fans were at the heart of what we were doing we wanted to give them a lasting memory and the chance of a lifetime. They will sing alongside The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and will be joined by special guest, tenor Alfie Boe, best known for playing Jean Valjean in the musical Les Miserables. Boe said of being chosen to sing at Wembley Stadium “I can't wait to perform at the FA Cup Final. I'm proud to be a part of such a historic final, at such a historic venue...I know the atmosphere will be electric and I know that the excitement of the game transfers to each household and venue around the world.”

We’re hoping the fans, almost 90,000 of them, at the match will get behind our choir and join in too. Football matches can be very separated and tribal occasions but singing Abide With Me creates unity, everyone comes together and it’s a very powerful experience.

One thing we discovered during this process was just how much this means to the people involved. We’ve had such an overwhelmingly positive response it’s been humbling to see how grateful people are and how proud they are to represent their team. But it’s also about more than just the football, a lot of the entries focused on family memories, either going to matches with their grandfather or their mum – it truly was emotional stuff.

From the North of Scotland to the very tip of Cornwall, the 64 members of our choir are from all over the UK. It’s a diverse group of men and women aged from 21 to 100. Yes, 100! So when they all stand out on that pitch before the match begins I think we’ll be a true representation of a football crowd.

With the Songs of Praise FA Cup Fans Choir the BBC has brought people together in a way no other organisation can. We’re allowing football fans to watch and participate in the FA Cup Final, who else can say that? The FA has been fantastic in terms of setting up the choir competition logistics and giving permission to put 64 people onto the pitch at Wembley. It’s been a massive collaboration project both inside and outside of the BBC and it’s enabled us to interact with people we may not otherwise reach.

Lindsey Hammond is a researcher on BBC Songs of Praise.

FA Cup on the BBC: Living up to high expectations

2015-03-06T11:50:53+00:00

Of the 736 teams that entered this year’s FA Cup, eight still have the chance to get their club’s name on the trophy. The competition has certainly not disappointed this season; the likes of Warrington Town, Blyth Spartans and Bradford City have written new chapters into the history of their clubs. In a recent survey, more than three-quarters of respondents said they wanted to see events of national importance like the FA Cup on the BBC. We are doing our best to live up to those high expectations.

Already more than half the viewing population, approaching 32 million people, have watched our FA Cup programming with millions more accessing our website and listening to coverage on BBC Radio 5 live. That’s 50% more viewers than the same time last season.

One of the reasons the Football Association trusted us with the rights to the FA Cup, was a promise we made to give it the full BBC treatment. It’s been hard to miss the wholehearted commitment and passion shown for the FA Cup on the BBC. The One Show, Question of Sport, Pointless, Songs of Praise, Blue Peter, BBC Breakfast, Saturday Kitchen, BBC Learning, BBC Online and BBC Radio have all enhanced the competition in new and creative ways. BBC Get Inspired has also teamed up with the Football Association to launch the FA People's Cup, a free knockout competition giving members of the public the chance to play in their version of the FA Cup. More than 30,000 people took part in the opening round.

This weekend’s FA Cup fixtures promise yet more drama, entertainment and suspense. All of the matches will be live on BBC TV and/or BBC Radio 5 live, culminating in the mouth-watering clash between Manchester United and Arsenal on Monday night. No teams have won the Cup more times than these two, and both know just how much is at stake.

Barbara Slater is Director BBC Sport

Photographing Football

2015-01-09T11:08:17+00:00

5 Live and Match of the Day football commentator Conor McNamara covered two FA Cup 3rd Round matches last weekend. In this post he explains how he goes about enhancing the listener's experience of 'the beautiful game' using the camera on his phone, its microphone and social media.

The job of a football commentator is to paint a picture for those who are not at the event. As a commentator, I want the audience to feel the atmosphere and visualise the play in their own heads. So, making use of social media, I like to complement the words I say on air with photographs from the games I commentate on. There are a few reasons for this.

The photos prove that you are really there - they provide credibility. It sounds obvious, but we live in an age where many broadcasters add on their commentary while sat in a studio somewhere. I feel that showing visual proof that you are at the event helps build the listeners trust in you. They can see that you have a very clear view of what is going on. The audience can trust that you are conveying the real experience.

We are very privileged in BBC Sport to be granted access to many places the public does not get to see: tunnels in football stadiums; training grounds; interviews with the players. Photos on social media help to share this personal insight - they give behind the scenes access.

I believe that social media has become the "Radio Times of our generation". There are so many choices out there for the audience, how do we ensure they know about our coverage? By posting photographs from sporting arenas we remind people about of our coverage of it and where they can find it. Insodoing, we signpost our coverage.

Working for BBC Radio 5 Live and Match Of The Day, I’m lucky enough to attend Premier League matches every week. It is arguably the best league in the world. However, without hesitation I would name The FA Cup 3rd round as my favourite weekend of the football calendar.

The attraction is the imbalance: The professional superstars against those further down the football chain. Sometimes it’s teams made up of players who do ‘real’ jobs during the week. The prospect of elite millionaire footballers up against butchers, bakers and candlestick makers is what entices us all back every year for the 3rd round.

It’s often about redemption. Footballers who were let go as youngsters by top flight teams getting a chance to show they could have made it in the big leagues. The bounce of a ball, a gust of wind, a slice of luck… They’ll take whatever they can if it means the chance of beating one of the big boys.

Our job in BBC Sport is to convey this excitement and genuine drama. This year my two games over FA Cup 3rd round weekend saw brave efforts by Sheffield Wednesday and AFC Wimbledon, even if ultimately they failed to overcome illustrious opponents.

Of course, lightning will not always strike, but that does not take away the cup’s magic. Sheffield Wednesday took the lead away from home at Manchester City, and held that lead for almost an hour, before the class of the Premier League Champions finally told.

Sheffield Wednesday (in yellow) against the might of Manchester City

As a club, Sheffield Wednesday are no minnows. Their players are full time professionals, but the gulf in class compared to the billionaires of Manchester City was illustrated just a few months ago when Sheffield Wednesday lost 7-0 to City in the League Cup.

My first photograph was taken while the visitors were still in the lead. I like how the stands look huge, an indicator of the might they were up against. And yet, the winning goal for Manchester City did not come until the very last minute of the game.

Arriving at Kingsmeadow Stadium – Twenty times fewer seats than Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium

My commentary on Monday night featured a far greater gulf in talent. Three Divisions and over 70 league places separated AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool. Also thrown in the mix was the FA Cup history between the sides. The Old Wimbledon famously beat Liverpool in the 1988 final.

Mark Pougatch interviewing Dave Beasant, Lawrie Sanchez and Martin Keown on the pitch

My third photograph shows our presenter Mark Pougatch on the pitch before kick-off, interviewing Wimbledon’s two main heroes of 1988: Dave Beasant, who saved the penalty that day, and winning goalscorer Lawrie Sanchez.

I’m often asked about the colour reduction style I use in these photos. I’m not a proper photographer, I don’t use a proper camera. These images were all taken on my phone.

The trouble with photos taken on phones is that you don’t have the ability to zoom-in like the professional snappers. In order to attract the eye to the part of the photo I’m focusing on, I leave that area in colour, and washout everything else in black and white.

Wimbledon and Liverpool players walking out

Commentating on a game of football is the fun part of this job. The “work” part is the preparation and homework you must do in advance.

Here are my notes from the AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool game:

This system is heavily influenced by the football stickers I used to collect in my youth. I use stickers because we don’t get confirmed team line-ups until one hour before kick-off. Instead of having to write out the teams in their formations, I can simply stick the players’ details down on my sheet in the positions that they will play. If a substitute comes on during play I simply stick him over the player he has replaced.

My new years’ resolution to ease off eating pies at football games lasted all of four days. I succumbed during half time in the Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday game.

Conor McNamara is a commentator for BBC Radio 5 live

Listen to Conor commentating the FA Cup third round replay between West Ham v Everton on Tuesday 13th January, Radio 5 live, starting at 19.45 kick-off
Find out more about the FA Cup action with BBC Sport.
Discover more about sports journalism on the BBC Academy website.
Follow Conor McNamara on Twitter.

Tunics for Goalposts: Football on the front line in WW1

2014-12-11T16:03:00+00:00

After I retired as football correspondent and commentator at the World Cup in Brazil, I was invited to make occasional contributions to some special programmes on 5 live. Little did I know how ‘special’ the first one would be.

I have never taken part in anything before like Tunics For Goalposts – never felt so emotionally involved in a project – never learned so much from one hour.

Like most people, I have been made aware of the horror of the First World War. There probably isn’t a single family in the UK without some connection to the horrendous events between 1914 and 1918.

My knowledge though was sketchy and superficial. I had never visited any of the frontline battlefields in Belgium and France, something I would now urge everyone to try and do.

When you do, as I discovered, it is of course impossible to fully comprehend what it must have been like to experience such personal carnage and trauma – however walking ankle deep in autumnal mud on a raw November morning shrouded in mist across the ploughed battlefields on the Somme does offer an insight into how desperate it must have been for the troops, huddled together in rat-infested trenches, deprived of sleep, numb with cold and terrified that every day could be your last.

Everywhere you walk in those farmlands and forests, you are mindful of the fact that more often than not your footsteps are being made over hallowed soil, a massed burial ground underneath filled with so many bodies never recovered from the bloody conflict after vanishing beneath a quagmire of craters.

Among those entombed having lost their lives so young were footballers, who would never return to their clubs. Players from all levels of the game united in their supreme sacrifice.

Originally our intention on 5 live was to make a programme about the infamous Christmas truce matches in 1914, to discover and debate whether they were fact or fiction. This will be an important part of the programme, however the more we researched the subject it became clear that we should take on a wider brief and pay tribute to the footballers who gave their lives for their country.

When war broke out in August 1914, football was initially pilloried in many quarters as the league programme continued and the game came under great pressure. Attitudes soon changed. Hearts in Scotland led the way as football answered the call, and uniquely many of the players who decided to enlist for service did so by signing up for the 17^th Middlesex regiment which was to become known as the footballers battalion.

I was accompanied on my visit to France by Andrew Riddoch, author of When the Whistle Blows, the definitive story of the footballers battalion. In the book and in the programme, Andrew documents stories of remarkable gallantry by footballers on the frontline and records how whenever the opportunity presented itself they still managed to put their tunics down for goalposts and play games.

Andrew highlights the story of one of the most popular players who lost his life, the Grimsby Town captain Sidney Wheelhouse. 5 live made it possible for two of his descendants to travel with us in France to visit his grave for the first time. Sid’s great granddaughter Diane and husband Dean, a Falklands veteran have ensured that his name is never forgotten in Grimsby and after laying a wreath and leaving a Grimsby Town scarf by his gravestone now feel an even closer bond with him after what was an overwhelmingly emotional experience for them both.

Sidney was one of the unlucky ones who didn’t return. The Great War was such a lottery. My mother was born five years after the war ended and told me that her father jack had signed up for service after lying about his age. At the tender age of 17. A notebook in the breast pocket of his uniform deflected a sniper’s bullet and saved his life…and mine!

Mike Ingham is a presenter on BBC Radio 5 live.

Tunics for Goalposts will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live on Thursday 11 December at 8pm.
Find out more about footballers in WW1 on the BBC iWonder website.
Experience BBC iWonder’s interactive drama Footballers United.

MOTD at 50 - a reflection by Barry Davies

2014-08-22T07:52:50+00:00

Barry Davies

Match Of The Day was five seasons old when I joined the team. When I left it had just reached 40. Come August the 22nd it will celebrate its 50th birthday. That a highlights programme has survived in an age when immediate gratification is expected, when live football can be watched somewhere on television just about every day of the season and newspapers carry full page advertisements disputing whether Sky or the new-born BT offer the best selection of Premier League immediacy is, to use a favourite expression of David Coleman’s, “quite remarkable.”

It has not always been an easy journey. Having produced the regular call of “time gentleman please” as an audience of 10million plus headed home to watch the programme, MOTD was unceremoniously put out to grass on Sunday afternoons at the start of the Eighties. Later, the Football League contract was twice lost to ITV and for a while the suffix ‘the road to Wembley’ was added to the title. There were doubts about the value of highlights, and live FA Cup matches were tried on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. But throughout, the MOTD ethic has stayed strong and that without question is a major reason for the programme’s success. The quality of those who work behind the scenes, editors, producers and assistant producers, has remained consistent and true. The viewers, with their love of football, recognise that. Familiarity has bred contentment.

By the time I arrived MOTD, born of the determination of the Head of Sport, Bryan Cowgill, had moved on from the pioneering days. But the programme was still evolving. Instead of just the one match, there was to be a second as the regions opted out on a set cue to show teams in their area. This was my chance. But the opt-out idea was not a success. The ‘mad movies’ we began to call it in the north-west, as technical problems and limited facilities made life quite hairy.

Film was still sometimes used in the regions, but not with the main match for which video tape was well established, though the editing bore little relation to the modern electronic sophistication. Some ‘dodgy edits’ made ‘the real’, usually preceded by a phone call to the gallery in the hope of distracting the producer and editor. There was a moment when Brian Kidd passed to himself and a match when the replays of three goals were inserted in the wrong order. Such mistakes were a rarity but the miscreant would be taken to task the following Monday, and that applied every bit as much to mistakes by commentators.

It was a few years down the road when I made my worst mistake. I credited Gerry Gow with a goal for Bristol City which was scored by Geoff Merrick. It was not a close call, just an aberration. After the match I had to stand in the middle of the Ashton Gate pitch, microphone in hand, as the sound supervisor tried to insert my correction. Precisely on cue Merrick walked round the ground and shouted “I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t score many of them”: as John Motson might say: “10 goals in 367 appearances over 15 years, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

If I had made that error in my first commentary for Match of the Day I might have been forgiven. On second thoughts, probably not; but I would have had an excuse. I began the day in Leeds fully prepared, if rather nervous, to cover Leeds against Spurs, but before the breakfast toast had been consumed everything changed. Ken Wolstenholme (pictured above), the original presenter, who with beautiful simplicity provided the definitive commentary line at the greatest moment for English football, was ill. David Coleman awoke with laryngitis. As a result I was taken by car back to London, to Selhurst Park, to cover newly promoted Crystal Palace against Manchester United. With the guidance of Alec Weeks and his Outside Broadcast team I named the right goal scorers in a 2-2 draw and then went back to Lime Grove Studios to assist Frank Bough with the presentation. Quite a start for the ‘new boy!’

Now the ‘old boy’ looks back from a distance of 10 years since he did his last commentary, after so many matches that I am reluctant to pick from an unknown total.

Commentary has changed much since the days of Ken Wolstenholme, each generation, perhaps, has the style of its age, but dare I suggest the expression ‘silence is golden’ has on occasions, been rather lost. Of course it can be argued that there is more to talk about with the output of 15 plus cameras and replays from all angles. The producers of the early Seventies had only four cameras and Motty and I summarised a goal or significant moment in our mind’s eye, the slow motion being added when the match was over. We survived and over the years, despite efforts by some in the written press to have us at each other’s throat, enjoyed a friendly rivalry. It could be that our different styles assisted our longevity.

Over the years the presenter’s chair has been filled by characters, each endowing the programme with something a little different, and, since Jimmy Hill (pictured above) began it, pundits have played an increasingly important part. It has been, and will continue to be, a team to be proud of.

Barry Davies is a BBC sports commentator