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Her odds to succeed Gary Lineker as the following Match of the Day host have shortened dramatically, however Kelly Cates appears glad sufficient along with her lot in life proper now.
“Have you learnt, and also you by no means wish to say this, however in the meanwhile I’ve received a extremely beautiful mixture of all the things,” the Sky Sports activities presenter tells The Unbiased from her house in London.
“I’ve received TV, stay matches, radio, and when it will get in direction of the top of the season I do stay Champions League video games too. I might be at an Olympics or a World Cup through the summer time so the steadiness of all the things feels very nice. However I’m not tempting destiny.”
Cates has earned big approval for her presenting on Sky Sports activities’ Premier League protection, together with its flagship Tremendous Sunday programme, working alongside pundits resembling Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards.
She additionally hosts on BBC Radio 5 Reside and lately began her personal podcast with Hayley McQueen and Christine Lampard.
Cates’ easy-going fashion has gained her a popularity as one of many UK’s main sports activities presenters. She is behind Mark Chapman and Alex Scott within the early operating to succeed Lineker on Match of the Day, however forward of Kelly Sommers and her shut pal Gabby Logan on the time of writing.
Talking final week earlier than information formally broke of Lineker’s exit on the finish of the season, the daughter of Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish was diplomatic when requested about her probabilities.
“Gary remains to be very a lot within the job and I do know him,” stated Cates. “Chappers and Gabby, who’re additionally being talked about as frontrunners, are actually good mates of mine.
“I’m definitely not going to place myself within the body for a job that also has any individual in it and the place the folks being linked with it are my associates. And I really like doing stay soccer. I’m glad the place I’m.
“After I cowl Liverpool video games at Anfield, I get to meet up with my mum and pop, even when it’s simply 5 minutes as a result of they’re all the time the final ones out of the constructing. I often head straight again to London if it’s a Sunday recreation, however I all the time pop up and say hi there.
“I do some work at Premier League Productions out of Stockley Park on a Monday morning present with Ian Wright. We pick the large tales of the weekend, so I get to do every kind of actually fascinating issues and I’m actually busy.
“Furthermore, I do all of them in other places so folks don’t get sick of me! I’m not angling or seeking to do one thing totally different as a result of I’m genuinely proud of what I’m doing.”
Whether or not or not that may change ought to Cates’ BBC bosses desk a tantalising supply to host the best sporting establishment in British tv historical past stays to be seen.
Cates grew up in a football-dominated family and has all the time been across the recreation.
In her early twenties, she give up her maths diploma at college in Glasgow to take up a task on the newly created Sky Sports activities Information channel in 1998 and has by no means appeared again.
The 49-year-old remembers: “Immediately Sky took on a load of youngsters, mainly, who got here straight in and so they stated, ‘We’ll allow you to go and make telly’.
“There wasn’t a large finances however Sky simply wished younger, enthusiastic folks and so they didn’t wish to take an excessive amount of of a threat by placing their greatest folks on it. It was an enormous choice to go away college, however I assumed, ‘This isn’t a chance I’m going to get once more’.”
Cates grew up watching Des Lynam presenting Match of the Day and cites him and Logan as her inspirations.
“Des was the gold commonplace,” says Cates with an enormous smile. “He had that sense of being engaged with followers and received each single facet of it proper – I cherished that tone. It’s the sort of tone that I like watching and listening to. It sort of is smart that I might goal for, however not fairly attain, that.
“I labored for ESPN years in the past and so they had a mantra of ‘Take the game severely however don’t take your self severely’. For me, that’s the most effective strategy to take.”
At 51, the extra skilled Logan is somebody Cates has lengthy admired.
“I all the time checked out Gabby’s profession progress and watched her journey,” she defined. “It was sensible to see and, although she’s not a lot older than me, it felt like she was all the time the following step.”
Girls resembling Cates, Logan and Laura Woods have loved vastly profitable broadcasting careers however the business stays largely male-dominated.
“Clearly you see much more girls on display screen, however I’d prefer to see that backed up in the identical numbers behind the cameras as nicely,” she says. “Now I’m older, I really feel rather more protecting of youthful girls coming into the business.”
How does she take pleasure in working with Neville and Carragher?
“I don’t understand how Gary has time for all the things he does – he simply can’t cease,” laughs Cates. “He simply must be on the go on a regular basis, his thoughts works that shortly. It’s nice working with him, however generally the producer might want to rein him in a bit of bit, saying ‘we will’t do all of that and we definitely can’t do it with 5 minutes’ discover, we would must put a little bit of planning into this.’
“However I’m fortunate in that I work with among the most revered voices in soccer. In case you have any questions you wish to ask, these guys are the most effective folks to ask. It’s very nice to work with folks once you’re all the time curious about what they must say. Typically I’ve an concept of the place they’re going to go along with a solution, however I all the time care about what they’re going to say and that’s nice.”
Cates’ relationship with them is essentially skilled, although, with little socialising away from work.
“We wouldn’t telephone every up and go for a espresso exterior of labor,” she admits. “However I get on with them and so they’re in that bit between mates and colleagues. I’m not saying I wouldn’t exit for a espresso with them! However everyone seems to be all the time so busy so it by no means actually works out.”
Cates cut up from her husband Tom Cates in 2021 however their relationship is amicable, which helps her juggle a busy work schedule with mentioning their two teenage daughters.
“The women are with their dad at weekends,” she says. “Though we’re not collectively, we get on advantageous and he’s actually versatile with the ladies, so we handle it principally between us. The women are getting a bit older now and so they suppose they don’t want as a lot; that’s what they inform us however they do!”
