John Dykes facts for kids
John Dykes is a well-known sports TV host, commentator, and journalist. He lives in Singapore. Many people know him from "The John Dykes Show" on Disney+ and before that, on Fox Sports Asia. He was also the main host for the Premier League's own TV service, which is shown to broadcasters around the world. John first became famous in Asia after working for over ten years at ESPN Star Sports. There, he hosted their coverage of the Premier League, European football, and many other big sports events.
Contents
About John Dykes
John Dykes was born in Essex, England, in 1964. He went to Brentwood School. Later, he moved to Hong Kong with his family. In 1997, he moved to Singapore, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
John's Early Career
John started his media journey as a college radio DJ. This was while he was studying English Literature at Warwick University. After college, he moved to Hong Kong. There, he worked at the South China Morning Post newspaper. He was a Sports Writer, Feature Writer, and Entertainment Editor for the Sunday paper.
While in Hong Kong, he also worked at TVB. He hosted TVB's live coverage of the Academy Awards for five years. After that, he went back to sports. He became a football commentator and host for STAR Sports.
Working at ESPN Star Sports
When John first joined ESPN STAR in Singapore, he hosted many different sports tournaments. These included tennis, golf, cricket, and rugby.
Some big moments from his time at ESPN STAR Sports include:
- Hosting the broadcast of the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England.
- Traveling to Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows for big tennis tournaments. He worked alongside tennis legend Vijay Amritraj.
- Working in Augusta for Tiger Woods' big win at the 2001 Masters golf tournament in 2001.
Over the years, he also hosted shows like "Inside Cricket" and "Raceday," which was a pre-show for Formula One races. He also helped launch "Sportsline" in India, which was a show similar to "SportsCenter."
Football Hosting with ESPN Star
From 2001 to 2010, John Dykes was the main football host for ESPN Star Sports. He covered live Premier League matches, post-match shows like "Final Score," and other football programs.
His popular "Up Close" series featured long chats with famous football players. Some of these included David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Michel Platini, and Sir Bobby Robson. John also hosted "First Edition" with Sky Sports' Richard Keys. This weekly show discussed the main football news from Europe.
John left ESPN Star Sports in March 2010. His final shows were for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in June–July 2010.
Premier League Productions
In March 2010, it was announced that John Dykes would become the main host for the Premier League's own TV service. This service started in August 2010. It is a 24/7 channel made in London. It shows content about the 20 Premier League clubs to TV channels around the world.
John hosted "Matchday Live" every weekend. He also hosted "Football Today," a discussion show that aired twice a week. He worked on the "Barclays Asia Trophy" tournaments in Hong Kong in 2011 and 2013. He also hosted "BPL Live" fan events in Mumbai in 2014 and Cape Town in 2016.
In 2016, John became the commentator for the 3 PM "Goal Rush" kickoffs. He would broadcast goals from different matches happening at the same time. Manish Bhasin took over his role on "Matchday Live" on Saturdays. John then hosted the Sunday edition of "Matchday Live."
Many TV channels around the world, especially those showing the Premier League, wanted John to help with their shows and ads. He worked with SuperSport in Africa, Star Sports in India, Orange in Indonesia, Singapore's mioTV, Hong Kong's nowTV, and CTH in Thailand.
He left Premier League Productions after the 2016-17 Premier League Season ended.
Back to Singapore
On May 29, 2017, it was announced that John Dykes would return to Singapore. He would host a new show about English football on Fox Sports Asia. This meant he was reunited with his old team from ESPN Star Sports, which had been bought and renamed FOX Sports Asia.
His new show, "The John Dykes Show," started on July 31, 2017. It was a chat show that aired three times a week, mainly covering English football. John was also often asked to host events for the Asian Football Confederation and other clients. He also wrote for www.foxsportsasia.com.
When Disney bought Fox Sports International, John also helped with ESPN International's SportsCenter show. He was a regular guest during the Euro 2020 football tournament.
In November 2021, Disney launched "The John Dykes Show" weekly chat show on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. It launched in Singapore and Hong Kong on Disney+ in January 2022. The show covers football leagues and tournaments in Southeast Asia. It also focuses on important topics in European and English football. Michael Owen is a regular guest, and John co-hosts the show with Singaporean football expert Rhysh Roshan Rai.
In February 2022, it was announced that John Dykes would be back on screens across India and nearby countries. He would host a weekly show called "The Top Corner, with John Dykes" on the Sony Sports Network.
Personal Life
John Dykes is a citizen of Singapore. He lives there with his wife and two daughters.
