Kelly Cates is about to begin the busiest year of her career. That, to be fair, is an estimate, because the football presenter and broadcaster has always been a grafter. From Setanta Sports to Channel 5 there are few places where she has not applied her blend of deep knowledge and emotional warmth, and as of this weekend she will be the face of the BBC’s and Sky’s coverage of the Premier League.
The action gets under way at a second home, Anfield, from where Cates will host Sky’s Friday Night Football coverage of Liverpool v Bournemouth. This follows two preview shows for the BBC, and precedes her first shift on Match of the Day.
Cates offers another distinction from many of her peers; she is not an avid user of social media. She has no account on X and tends to use Instagram to promote her work rather than share her worldview. “I haven’t ever really used my social media for that, so it isn’t something that I’m going to have to change,” she says.
“I think that in a lot of cases, I’m not the best-placed person to talk about some of those issues. And I think there’s a tendency to believe that if somebody isn’t talking about something they don’t care about it. I think it’s perfectly possible to care about something and keep quiet and let experts talk about it, which I think is a lot of the time better. I always feel like if I couldn’t cope well with being challenged heavily on it, then I shouldn’t be putting my opinion out publicly.”
That she should be asked about her posting reflects the Gary Lineker-shaped presence in the room. Cates, Chapman and Logan are being asked by the BBC to team up to replace a broadcasting legend, with all the public scrutiny that entails. Cates says she has not spoken to Lineker about the job, but defends his reputation despite his being a “controversial” figure.
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“He hasn’t got in touch and I haven’t got in touch with him, but not because we’re avoiding each other. We just don’t know each other that well. I think [Chapman] was saying that Gary said: ‘Why would I tell three broadcasters how to do their job?’ Which is very lovely of him because he was brilliant at the job. And as much as he was a controversial character at times, any focus group that researched these things would tell you how much he was adored in that role.”
On how she will approach following in the footsteps of yet another football legend, Cates is matter of fact.
“I don’t want to be Gary. I think there’s a temptation to try and be someone else, and I think that you get a job because of yourself. If then you try to be someone else, it can all just get a bit confused. I don’t need another thing to think about. I don’t need to be sitting there thinking: ‘What would Gary do?’”
Cates has enough talent and experience to help her adapt to her new prominence. Britons will see a lot more of her on their screens and she will be watching even more football. Is there any possibility that more could become too much? “If it was going to happen, it would have kicked in by now,” she says with a smile.
