‘i Don’t Want To Be Gary’: Kelly Cates On Sky, Match Of The Day And Social Media

Kelly Cates is astir to statesman nan busiest twelvemonth of her career. That, to beryllium fair, is an estimate, because nan shot presenter and broadcaster has ever been a grafter. From Setanta Sports to Channel 5 location are fewer places she has not applied her blend of heavy knowledge and affectional warmth, and arsenic of this play she will beryllium nan look of nan BBC’s and Sky’s sum of nan Premier League.

The action gets nether measurement astatine a 2nd home, Anfield, from wherever Cates will big Sky’s Friday Night Football sum of Liverpool v Bournemouth. This follows 2 preview shows for nan BBC, and precedes her first displacement connected Match of nan Day. Asked whether her schedule mightiness beryllium daunting, Cates appears almost bemused. “I’ve conscionable exchanged rings weekends, but I activity successful sports truthful I expect to person engaged weekends,” she says. “It’s not arsenic analyzable arsenic you deliberation – there’s a very accelerated train to Manchester.”

Cates, speaking astatine Sky’s HQ, says she doesn’t want to sound cliched but “it’s bully to support doing caller things”. Her caller roles are a chance to “keep things fresh”. Having worked successful nan manufacture for 27 years, starting pinch a presenting domiciled connected nan opening greeting of Sky Sports News, “to get a chance to do thing caller and still person nan unrecorded shot and person truthful galore unrecorded games, it’s conscionable really beautiful to person that balance”.

For galore years Cates had to strengthen questions that her colleagues don’t; from being a female successful a man’s world to being nan girl of a shot legend, Sir Kenny Dalglish. She has agelong since carved retired her ain spot successful sports broadcasting however, truthful erstwhile she was approached for nan domiciled of Match of nan Day host, alongside Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan, Sky instantly brokered a woody that would support her connected its roster too.

While her antheral colleagues whitethorn get much attention, usually adjacent to immoderate controversy, Cates’s little combative attack has besides helped style modern sum of shot connected TV (and radio). Her much approachable and conversational style is suited to nan property of podcasting and long-form interviews.

“I deliberation that nan reside mostly has changed to go much conversational connected air, and I deliberation that’s astir apt because that’s travel from digital,” she says. “A batch of that was fan-led and a batch of it was conscionable group starting up connected their ain astatine nan beginning. But I deliberation you tin person a conversational reside without having a conversation, and you tin still question and reply personification while having a conversational tone.”

Kelly Cates has small societal media presence. ‘There’s a inclination to judge that if personification isn’t talking astir thing they don’t attraction astir it,’ she says. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Cates offers different favoritism from galore of her peers; she is not an avid personification of societal media. She has nary relationship connected X and tends to usage Instagram to beforehand her activity alternatively than stock her worldview. “I haven’t ever really utilized my societal media for that, truthful it isn’t thing that I’m going to person to change,” she says. “I deliberation that successful a batch of cases, I’m not nan best-placed personification to talk astir immoderate of those issues. And I deliberation there’s a inclination to judge that if personification isn’t talking astir thing they don’t attraction astir it. I deliberation it’s perfectly imaginable to attraction astir thing and support quiet and fto experts talk astir it, which I deliberation is simply a batch of nan clip better. I ever consciousness for illustration if I couldn’t header good pinch being challenged heavy connected it, past I shouldn’t beryllium putting my sentiment retired publicly.”

That she should beryllium asked astir her posting reflects nan Gary Lineker-shaped beingness successful nan room. Cates, Chapman and Logan are being asked by nan BBC to squad up to switch a broadcasting legend, pinch each nan nationalist scrutiny that entails. Cates says she has not spoken to Lineker astir nan job, but defends his estimation contempt his being a “controversial” figure.

“He hasn’t sewage successful touch and I haven’t sewage successful touch pinch him, but not because we’re avoiding each other,” she says. “We conscionable don’t cognize each different that well. I deliberation [Chapman] was saying that Gary said, ‘Why would I show 3 broadcasters really to do their job?’ Which is very beautiful of him because he was superb astatine nan job. And arsenic overmuch arsenic he was a arguable characteristic astatine times, immoderate attraction group that researched these things would show you really overmuch he was adored successful that role.”

On really she will attack pursuing successful nan footsteps of yet different shot legend, Cates is matter of fact. “I don’t want to beryllium Gary,” she says. “I deliberation there’s a enticement to effort and beryllium personification else, and I deliberation that you get a occupation because of yourself. If past you effort to beryllium personification else, it tin each conscionable get a spot confused. I don’t request different point to deliberation about. I don’t request to beryllium sitting location thinking: ‘What would Gary do?’”

Cates has capable talent and acquisition to thief her accommodate to her caller prominence. Britons will spot a batch much of her connected their screens and she will beryllium watching moreover much football. Is location immoderate anticipation that much could go excessively much? “If it was going to happen, it would person kicked successful by now,” she says pinch a smile.