Melissa Reddy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melissa Reddy
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Melissa Reddy in 2022
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| Born | 24 August 1986 South Africa |
| Occupation | Sports journalist |
| Notable works | Believe Us: How Jürgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool Into Title Winners |
Melissa Reddy was born on August 24, 1986, in South Africa. She is a well-known sports journalist and author, specializing in football. Melissa is currently a senior reporter for Sky Sports and Sky Sports News, where she focuses on the Premier League.
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Melissa Reddy's Career Journey
Melissa Reddy started her career in sports journalism while she was still at university. She completed an internship at Summit TV, a business channel in South Africa.
Early Career in South Africa
In 2007, Melissa moved to Cape Town and joined a company called TEAMtalk Media. She worked on many different sports stories. By 2011, she became the Head of Football. This was a big achievement because she was the first woman to hold this position.
After that, she became the Deputy Editor of Kick Off, which is the biggest sports magazine in Africa. Again, she was the first woman to have this role. Melissa also made history as the first woman to appear as a football analyst on SuperSport's popular shows, Backpages and Monday Night Football.
Working with Top Sports Media
In November 2015, Melissa became the Liverpool correspondent for Goal's many editions around the world. This meant she reported specifically on the Liverpool football club.
Later, she worked as a football correspondent for ESPN. She also wrote articles for The Athletic and became the senior football correspondent at Joe. In November 2019, she joined The Independent as their senior football correspondent.
Television and Radio Appearances
Melissa has appeared on many television shows, including Sky Sports News' Tackling Racism, Sunday Supplement, Red Men TV, and the BBC’s Premier League Show. She has also been a guest on BBC Radio 5 Live.
She has written for, been a guest on, and presented shows for The Anfield Wrap. Melissa has also presented shows on The Football Ramble and appeared on Second Captains and BT Sport’s Football Writers Podcast. In 2020, she started her own podcast interview series called Between The Lines with Melissa Reddy. She has interviewed famous people like Gary Lineker and Mauricio Pochettino.
Her Book: Believe Us
In 2020, Melissa Reddy released her first book, titled Believe Us: How Jürgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool Into Title Winners. The book tells the story of how Jürgen Klopp helped Liverpool become a championship-winning team.
The head coach of the England national rugby union team, Eddie Jones, even mentioned her book. He said it gave him good ideas about how elite teams think and practice.
Overcoming Challenges
Melissa has often spoken about the difficulties she faced in her career, including challenges because she is a woman in sports journalism. She has worked hard to break down barriers for other women in the field.
In 2021, Melissa was recognized for her excellent writing. She was shortlisted for the Best Writer category in the Football Supporters' Association awards.
