Jacqui Oatley facts for kids

Jacqui Oatley (born on December 28, 1974) is a famous English broadcaster. She is well-known for her work as a football commentator and sports presenter. She has covered many big football events, including the FIFA World Cup and the Premier League.

Jacqui Oatley has also worked for TNT Sports UK and ITV Sport. In 2007, she made history by becoming the first female commentator on the popular BBC football show Match of the Day. She even presented the show once in 2015. In 2015, she was named one of the most influential women in sport by The Independent newspaper.

Early Life and Education

Jacqui Oatley was born in Wolverhampton, England. She grew up in a place called Codsall. Her father was a managing director, and her mother was a retired nurse from South Africa.

Jacqui's School Days

From a young age, Jacqui loved watching and playing football. She went to St Dominic's Grammar School for girls in Brewood. Later, she studied at Wolverhampton Grammar School. She then went to the University of Leeds and earned a degree in German in 1996.

After university, Jacqui traveled the world for a year. She then moved to London and worked in sales. While playing amateur football, she had a serious knee injury. Doctors told her she might not be able to play sports again. This news made her decide to change her career. She wanted to become a journalist and work in sports, especially football.

Becoming a Journalist

Jacqui started her journey into journalism by taking evening classes. She learned about print journalism and radio production. She also worked at a hospital radio station. To focus on her new career, she quit her old job and even gave up her apartment. She spent a summer doing full-time journalism work experience.

She then studied Broadcast Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. While studying, she joined BBC Radio Leeds as a sports reporter. Her very first football commentary was for a match between Wakefield & Emley and Worksop Town. She also worked as a news reporter for BBC Radio WM before moving to London to report for BBC London 94.9.

Football Commentary Milestones

In 2003, Jacqui joined BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2005, she became the first woman to commentate on a football match on British national radio. This was for the England women's international games at the UEFA Women's Euro 2005. Her interview with UEFA President Lennart Johansson after this became big news.

On April 21, 2007, Jacqui made history again. She became the first female football commentator on Match of the Day. This was for a Premier League game between Fulham and Blackburn Rovers. She has since commentated on many more games for the show.

She also commentated on the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 final. In 2010, she provided live commentary for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa on BBC Radio 5 Live. She was also a reporter for the Great Britain women's Olympic football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In 2019, Jacqui returned to football commentary for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She commentated on seven matches for the "world feed" broadcast. In September 2021, she became the main commentator for FA Women's Super League (WSL) matches on Sky Sports in the UK. She left this role in May 2023.

In March 2023, Jacqui joined CBS Sports in the USA. She became the main television commentator for the NWSL. In 2022, Fox Sports hired her as a main commentator for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the United States. She was the first woman to have this role for the tournament's U.S. broadcast. In May 2024, Fox Sports also hired her as a lead commentator for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.

Presenting and Reporting Roles

Jacqui Oatley has presented sports news on many BBC radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, and BBC Radio 5 Live. She has covered a variety of sports, such as the World Snooker Championship, British Moto GP, Open Championship golf, tennis, and rugby league.

She presented and commentated for the children's TV show Level Up during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. She also reported for BBC Television at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. She commentated on live football matches for BBC Television during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

From 2011 to 2013, she was a regular sports presenter on the BBC News Channel. She also hosted The FA WSL Show for ESPN (UK) in 2012. She anchored the BBC's live women's football coverage, including the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also worked on the Women's Football Show on BBC in 2015.

Jacqui hosted Late Kick Off on BBC One in 2013 and 2014. She was also a reporter on Football Focus and Final Score on BBC One. She presented for the Premier League's worldwide television channel. She has also hosted The Football League Show and World Football Focus.

Since 2015, she has been the darts anchor for ITV Sport, hosting their live international events. She also presented ITV's Africa Cup of Nations coverage in 2015 and their FA Cup highlights in 2014. She has appeared as a guest pundit on TV2 in Norway and The Guardian's Football Weekly podcast.

Jacqui hosted coverage for UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup for ITV Sport. She was a main studio presenter and pitchside reporter. She also commentated live for the host broadcaster's world TV feed at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

She regularly appeared on Sky Sports as a match reporter on Soccer Saturday. She also filled in as a presenter for Goals on Sunday and Sunday Supplement. In the summer of 2021, she co-hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live 5 Live Drive news show.

Awards and Recognition

Jacqui Oatley was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2016. This award was for her services to broadcasting and for promoting diversity in sport. It recognized her work behind the scenes to support women working in football and women's football itself. In September 2016, she received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Wolverhampton. This was for her important contributions to sports broadcasting.

Personal Life

Jacqui Oatley is married to Jamie, and they live in Surrey. They have two children: a daughter named Phoebe, born in 2011, and a son named Max, born in 2014. Her family also has a connection to sports; her cousin in South Africa was a Springboks cricket selector, and his brother was a rally driver.