Clive Tyldesley facts for kids

Clive Tyldesley (born 21 August 1954) is a famous English television sports commentator. He was the main football commentator for ITV from 1998 until 2020. During his time there, he led the commentary for five World Cups and five European Championships. He also commentated on seventeen Champions League finals and nine FA Cup finals for ITV.

Currently, he is the main commentator for CBS/Paramount Plus in the United States. He covers live UEFA Champions League matches. In 2021, he published his first book, a semi-autobiographical story called Not for me, Clive.

Early Career in Radio

Clive Tyldesley started his career in 1975 at Radio Trent in Nottingham. He began as a "teaboy," which means he helped out with small tasks. Within weeks, he joined the sports team. He started covering matches for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest team.

In 1977, he moved to Radio City in Liverpool. He eventually became the head of sport there. Tyldesley commentated on four European Cup finals that involved Liverpool. He also reported live on the Heysel Stadium disaster before a final in 1985. He also covered the successes of Everton in the mid-1980s. He reported a lot on the events after the Hillsborough disaster.

First Steps in Television

Tyldesley got his first chance in television during the 1986 FIFA World Cup. ITV needed a backup commentator in London. During a live match between Brazil and Spain, the main commentary connection failed. The host, Brian Moore, had to do the commentary from London.

Tyldesley did record a commentary for that match. However, he made a mistake. He didn't notice a Spanish shot that crossed the line but wasn't given as a goal. He also missed a disallowed Brazilian goal. He reported the half-time score as 1–1 instead of 0–0. Because of this, he was sent home the next day.

In 1987, he started working on Sportsweek. This was a late-night sports show on Granada Television. Over the next two years, Tyldesley worked for both Radio City and Granada. His first TV commentary was in May 1988. He covered an indoor football tournament in Australia for ITV. He also commentated on the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship for Eurosport.

Tyldesley joined Granada full-time in 1989. He started as a reporter and sometimes a presenter. He then became their main football commentator in 1990. He also commentated on rugby league matches. His first ITV football commentary was in 1989. He covered Liverpool's win over Manchester City. He also reported for the ITV show Saint and Greavsie. Tyldesley's first network football commentaries were at the 1990 World Cup.

Screensport also hired Tyldesley. He commentated on live coverage of the 1991 Copa América and 1992 African Cup of Nations. His first live ITV commentary was in October 1991. This happened when a problem with a Spanish TV company meant a different match was shown. Tyldesley's last work for ITV in his first period was at UEFA Euro 1992. He was a reporter and backup commentator.

Working for the BBC (1992–1996)

In the summer of 1992, Tyldesley was offered a job at the BBC. The BBC needed new commentators for Match of the Day. This show was returning weekly after getting rights to show highlights of the new Premier League.

He started at the BBC on the first day of the 1992-93 season. He reported on a match between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday. His first match commentary was on September 5, 1992. He covered Queen's Park Rangers against Ipswich Town.

For the next four years, Tyldesley worked on many BBC football shows. He commentated at the 1994 World Cup, the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the 1996 European Championship. He didn't commentate on many live matches. This was because John Motson and Barry Davies were the main commentators. In 1996, he got an offer to return to ITV. His last weeks with the BBC were spent commentating on basketball and football at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Back to ITV (1996–2024)

Clive Tyldesley rejoined ITV in August 1996. He was a backup to Brian Moore. His first job back at ITV was covering highlights of a UEFA Cup match. This was between Arsenal and Borussia Mönchengladbach. His first live match commentary was a UEFA Champions League game. It was between Fenerbahçe and Manchester United in October 1996.

Before Christmas 1996, Brian Moore decided to retire after the 1998 World Cup. ITV asked John Motson to take his place, but he stayed at the BBC. So, Tyldesley became ITV's main football commentator.

In his first season as the main commentator, he covered all of Manchester United's games. This was during their successful Champions League campaign. He also commentated on their FA Cup final win in 1999. Tyldesley commentated on every Champions League final for ITV between 1998 and 2015. He was ITV's main commentator at the European Championships from 2000 to 2016. He also covered the World Cup finals between 2002 and 2018. His regular co-commentators included David Pleat, Jim Beglin, Andy Townsend, Glenn Hoddle, and Ally McCoist.

In July 2020, Tyldesley said he was "upset" when ITV chose Sam Matterface to be the new senior commentator. Later that year, he joined CBS Sports. He became their main commentator for the UEFA Champions League. He also commentates regularly on Amazon Prime Video's live Premier League coverage.

Tyldesley did his final commentary work for ITV at UEFA Euro 2024. It was the match between Germany and Denmark. ITV did not offer him a new contract. In July 2023, Tyldesley also stopped working as a commentator for Talksport.

He has supported the Bobby Moore Bowel Cancer Fund since 2010. This is a charity that helps fight bowel cancer. Among his other broadcast activities, Tyldesley has been a regular voice on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. He has also hosted the International Electronic Games Conference twice at the Edinburgh Festival.

Other Media Work

Video Games

Tyldesley has provided commentary for many video games. This includes the EA Sports FIFA series. He worked on games from FIFA 06 until FIFA 17. From 2011 to 2017, he often worked with Andy Townsend. He also commentated for Championship Manager 2. This was the last game in that series to have spoken commentary. He also worked on the PlayStation games This is Football and FA Premier League Stars 2001.

Podcast

In June 2024, Tyldesley started co-hosting a podcast called 'The Football Authorities'. He hosts it with his friend Martin O'Neill. The podcast looks closely at major football stories. It also has a part where they answer questions from listeners.