Each iconic goal is intrinsically attached to a particular piece of commentary, such as Manchester City’s Premier League-winning goal in 2012 as Martin Tyler screamed “Agueroooo” before noting “I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again. So watch it, drink it in.”
Commentary shapes how we watch football matches, with good commentators knowing what to say, when to say it and even when to stay quiet and allow the action to speak for itself.
Many notable names see it as a vocation, having worked their whole lives to get to where they are, putting in hours and hours of hard work and practice in order to make them stand out among their competitors and get their voices heard by the masses.
Getting a job in commentary is difficult as sometimes it is not always easy to receive an opportunity, but persistence and connections can be key to breaking into the industry. Derek Rae is known as the voice of the Champions League to viewers in the United States and has worked with BBC, ESPN, BT Sport and a host of other broadcasters. Now one of the commentators on FIFA 19, he has been working in the industry all his life but devoted a lot of time and effort into getting to where he is now.
Are there college courses to help become a commentator?
Many universities and colleges in the United Kingdom, United States and worldwide offer courses that can help pave the way for a career in sports commentary.
There is not just one course that is fully focused on football commentary, but many avenues into the industry. Places such as Leeds Trinity College, Southampton Solent University and the University of the Arts in London offer degrees in sports journalism, which can help build skills and contacts for a variety of roles in sports media.
A popular course undertaken by many current commentators is a broadcast journalism degree. Kevin Hatchard has extensive experience calling games for talkSport, BBC, RTE and is currently one of the main commentators for the Bundesliga in English, having gone to university in England to help him work his way into the industry.
What is it like being a commentator?
Life as a football commentator can be very glamorous, covering Champions Leagues and World Cups as well as high-scoring local derbies and title-clinching games.
Rae recalls what it was like covering Europe’s elite club competitions during the 2010s, with Liverpool’s historic Champions League triumph being his most memorable game to date: “The Champions League has given me so much as a commentator and hopefully I’ve done a job that people have enjoyed all around the world. The 2005 final in Istanbul when Liverpool came back against all odds with Milan, I was lucky enough to be there that night for ESPN. I remember saying after the game to my producer: ‘We will never ever get a final like that again.’ To have been able to provide a soundtrack to that, I don’t think it gets any better than that as a commentator.”
How do commentators prepare for games?
ust like how each team prepares differently for a match and each football manager has their own approach for every game, no two commentators are the same in how they prepare.
Commentators do not just turn up on the day and call out what they see, but instead spend days poring over information ahead of a match and even keep long-term databases, spreadsheets and notes of information that they can call upon depending on the teams involved.
“I would start on a Monday [for a weekend game],” Hatchard explains. “I would try watch the footage of the teams’ previous games. I also start collecting newslines and snippets that I have seen. That could range from a coach’s comment about a transfer or it might be something funny I have seen. I like the fun stuff, the silly stuff that does not appear in a stat pack or any official documentation.