Richard Keys facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Keys
|
|
|---|---|
Keys in 2011
|
|
| Born | 23 April 1957 Coventry, Warwickshire, England
|
| Occupation | Sports reporter |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Television |
|
| Spouse(s) | Lucie Rose (2023–) |
Richard Keys is an English sports presenter born on April 23, 1957. He has worked for many big TV channels like BBC, ITV, and Sky Sports. He is well-known for presenting important football matches.
Contents
Richard Keys's Career in Sports Broadcasting
Richard Keys started his career in London in 1976. He worked for a sports agency called Hayter's. In 1978, he moved to Liverpool. There, he worked at Radio City as a football commentator.
In 1982, Keys moved to Manchester. He became the sports editor and football commentator at Piccadilly Radio. Two years later, in 1984, Keys returned to London. He joined the ITV network as a main presenter for the breakfast show TV-am. While at TV-am, he also commentated on football matches for ITV. He even covered cycling events for Channel 4, including two Tour de France races.
Keys was one of the first presenters for the Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) in 1990. When BSB joined with Sky in 1991, the channel became Sky Sports. He presented TV-am for the last time on December 28, 1990. After that, he focused on Sky Sports.
He presented Sky Sports' coverage of Premier League football from its very beginning in 1992. He was the main presenter for the popular "Super Sunday" show. He also presented "Monday Night Football." Keys later led all of Sky Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage. In 2008, Keys also presented the UEFA Euro 2008 for Al Jazeera Sports.
Richard Keys Leaves Sky Sports
In January 2011, Richard Keys left Sky Sports. This happened after some comments he made about a female assistant referee, Sian Massey, were recorded and shared. These comments were made off-air. Other recordings also showed Keys and his co-presenter, Andy Gray, behaving in a way that was not respectful.
Keys apologized for his comments. He said that "prehistoric banter" is not okay in today's world. He admitted that they did not change when the world around them did.
Keys later joined talkSPORT radio. He presented shows on Saturday evenings. In 2011, Keys returned to television. He helped launch BoxNation, a boxing channel, with boxing promoter Frank Warren.
Working with Al Jazeera and BeIN Sports
In June 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network signed a contract with Richard Keys and Andy Gray. They started presenting English and European football coverage from Doha, Qatar. This included matches from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup.
Their coverage began for the 2013–14 football season. They also continued to present their TalkSport radio show from Qatar. Keys and Gray are now key presenters for the football coverage on BeIN Sports channels. These channels show all 380 Premier League games each season. Since 2013, Keys has also written a blog on his personal website.
Richard Keys's Personal Life
Richard Keys has loved football since he was four years old. His father took him to watch Coventry City play Swansea Town. He went to Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School, where he was a head boy.
Richard Keys married his first wife, Julia, in 1982. They had two children together. In June 2023, Keys married Lucie Rose.
Awards and Charity Work
In 2002, Richard Keys received an honorary doctorate from Coventry University. This award was for his excellent work in sports broadcasting. In 2012, Keys and Andy Gray won an award for their talkSPORT show. They received the best sports programme prize at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Keys has also done charity work. He and Geoff Shreeves have helped raise money for Nordoff-Robbins. This charity uses music to help children with autism. Keys also supports the Willow Foundation. This charity helps people with special needs. It was started by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson.
