Richard Keys facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Keys
|
|
|---|---|
Keys in 2011
|
|
| Born | 23 April 1957 Coventry, Warwickshire, England
|
| Occupation | Sports reporter |
| Television | TV-am Sky Sports talkSPORT Al Jazeera BeIN Sports |
| Spouse(s) | Lucie Rose (2023-) |
Richard Keys (born 23 April 1957) is an English sports presenter. He has worked for many big TV channels and radio stations. These include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Talksport, and BeIN Sports. He is well-known for presenting many top football matches.
Contents
Richard Keys' Career in Sports Broadcasting
Richard Keys started his career in London in 1976. He worked for a sports news agency called Hayter's. In 1978, he moved to Liverpool to work at Radio City. There, he became a football commentator.
In 1982, he moved to Manchester and worked at Piccadilly Radio. He was the sports editor and a football commentator. Two years later, in 1984, Keys went back to London. He joined the ITV network as one of the main presenters for the breakfast show TV-am. While at TV-am, he also commentated on football and cycling, including two Tours de France races.
In 1990, Keys became a presenter for the Sports Channel on British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB). When BSB joined with Sky in 1991, the channel became Sky Sports. He presented his last TV-am show in December 1990 before moving to Sky Sports.
He was the main presenter for Sky Sports' coverage of Premier League football from its very beginning in 1992. He hosted the popular "Super Sunday" show. He also presented "Monday Night Football" and later all of Sky Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage.
In 2008, Keys also presented the UEFA Euro 2008 football tournament for Al Jazeera Sports.
Leaving Sky Sports
In January 2011, Richard Keys left Sky Sports. This happened after he made some unacceptable comments off-air about a female assistant referee, Sian Massey. Other clips also showed him and his co-presenter, Andy Gray, making inappropriate remarks.
Keys apologized for his comments. He said, "Old-fashioned jokes aren't okay in today's world. I know that. We didn't change when the world did."
After leaving Sky, Keys joined talkSPORT radio. He presented shows on Saturday evenings. Later in 2011, Keys returned to TV. He helped launch a boxing channel called BoxNation with boxing promoter Frank Warren.
Working with Al Jazeera, beIN Sports, and Talksport
In June 2013, Al Jazeera 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 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. Sports news often mentions his blog.
Richard Keys' Personal Life
Richard Keys has loved football since he was four years old. That's when his father took him to watch Coventry City play Swansea Town. He went to Whitley Abbey Comprehensive School, where he was the head boy.
Richard Keys married his first wife, Julia, in 1982. They had two children together. In June 2023, Keys married Lucie Rose.
Awards Richard Keys Has Received
In 2002, Richard Keys received a special award from Coventry University. It was an honorary doctorate for his great work in sports broadcasting.
In 2012, Keys and Andy Gray won an award for their talkSPORT radio show. They received the best sports programme prize at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Richard Keys' Charity Work
Richard Keys and Geoff Shreeves have helped raise money for Nordoff-Robbins. This is a music charity that supports 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 to remember his daughter.
Images for kids
-
Keys in 2011
