Football Focus
Encyclopedia
Football Focus is a BBC
television
show, broadcast on BBC One
on Saturday lunchtimes, covering football
, presented from the 2009/2010 season by Dan Walker
. The programme is broadcast from MediaCity on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal
in Salford
, Greater Manchester
.
The programme previously formed part of the Grandstand
programme but has since August 2001 been considered a show in its own right. Prior to the launch of Match of the Day 2
, it was often the first chance for viewers (apart from the viewers of Sky Sports
) to see analysis of the Sunday and Monday Premier League games. The programme is now a weekly magazine, with reports from across the country at all levels of English and Scottish football. It previews the weekend's fixtures along with updates from the early Premier League game. Since BBC have the rights to the Premier League, Football Focus also shows highlights from the midweek matches. A version of the programme which looks at world football airs on BBC World News.
The theme song for the 2007/08 season was "Kill The Director" by The Wombats
. The previous theme which aired from the 2003/04 season featured a cover of the Stevie Nicks
track "Stand Back" by Linus Loves featuring Sam Obernik. Before this, the song was "Backaround" by Elevator Suite
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tv_and_radio/grandstand/2685167.stm. The theme song for the 2009/2010 season is Jetstream by Doves (band), from the album Kingdom of Rust
.
As of 2009, presenter Dan Walker is usually joined by the BBC's main football pundits such as Mark Lawrenson
, Lee Dixon
, and Martin Keown
. Match of the Day
commentators, including Steve Wilson
, Guy Mowbray
, Jonathan Pearce
, and John Motson
often check-in with game previews from the stadiums.
Guest Hosts
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show, broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on Saturday lunchtimes, covering football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, presented from the 2009/2010 season by Dan Walker
Dan Walker
Dan Meirion Walker is a British sports journalist. He is the current presenter of Football Focus, the BBC's Saturday lunchtime football show. He has also been seen presenting sport on the BBC News Channel and BBC Network News, as well as regularly reporting for Score, Football Focus and Match of...
. The programme is broadcast from MediaCity on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
in Salford
Salford
Salford lies at the heart of the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Salford is sited in a meander of the River Irwell, which forms its boundary with the city of Manchester to the east. Together with its neighbouring towns to the west, Salford...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
The programme previously formed part of the Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
programme but has since August 2001 been considered a show in its own right. Prior to the launch of Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2
Match of the Day 2 is a football highlights programme shown on BBC Two in the United Kingdom...
, it was often the first chance for viewers (apart from the viewers of Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
) to see analysis of the Sunday and Monday Premier League games. The programme is now a weekly magazine, with reports from across the country at all levels of English and Scottish football. It previews the weekend's fixtures along with updates from the early Premier League game. Since BBC have the rights to the Premier League, Football Focus also shows highlights from the midweek matches. A version of the programme which looks at world football airs on BBC World News.
The theme song for the 2007/08 season was "Kill The Director" by The Wombats
The Wombats
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...
. The previous theme which aired from the 2003/04 season featured a cover of the Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
track "Stand Back" by Linus Loves featuring Sam Obernik. Before this, the song was "Backaround" by Elevator Suite
Elevator Suite
Elevator Suite is a three piece electronic pop group. They were formed in January 1999 by the English DJ Andy Childs, his friend DJ Paul "Robbo" Roberts, and Steve Grainger, who was working as a record producer of a small recording studio in Totnes, Devon....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tv_and_radio/grandstand/2685167.stm. The theme song for the 2009/2010 season is Jetstream by Doves (band), from the album Kingdom of Rust
Kingdom of Rust
Kingdom of Rust is the fourth studio album from British indie rock band Doves. The album was released on 6 April 2009 in the UK via Heavenly Records. A CD/DVD release of Kingdom of Rust, originally announced when promotion started for the album, was pulled by the label three weeks prior to the...
.
As of 2009, presenter Dan Walker is usually joined by the BBC's main football pundits such as Mark Lawrenson
Mark Lawrenson
Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional football player, a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s; he since became a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC and Today FM. He was born in England, but played for the Republic of Ireland because his...
, Lee Dixon
Lee Dixon
Lee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
, and Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
. Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
commentators, including Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson (Football commentator)
Steve Wilson is a British football commentator, currently working on the BBC's Match of the Day programme.Wilson previously worked on BBC Radio Five Live and before that at Capital Gold Sport in London where he was number two commentator to now BBC colleague Jonathan Pearce.-Early and personal...
, Guy Mowbray
Guy Mowbray
Guy Mowbray is a football commentator on British television, who supports York City FC, and is currently with the BBC. Whilst working for Eurosport at the 1998 World Cup, he became the youngest ever television commentator on a World Cup Final, aged 26...
, Jonathan Pearce
Jonathan Pearce
Jonathan Pearce , is a British football commentator for the BBC.Known for his loud, exuberant commentaries, he has worked for both Radio Five Live and Match of the Day, as well as participating in other lower key sports programmes.- Early life and career :Pearce wanted to become a footballer, but...
, and John Motson
John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
often check-in with game previews from the stadiums.
Presenters
- 1974–1994: Bob Wilson (departed to join ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
as its main Football presenter) - 1994–1996: Steve RiderSteve RiderStephen Rider is an English sports presenter, and was the anchorman of ITV's football coverage, which included the Champions League, England Internationals, the FA Cup and the 2006 World Cup. He anchored ITV's Formula One coverage from 2006 to 2008, and football coverage from 2006 to April 2010...
(host of Football Focus and GrandstandGrandstandA grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
and Focus for two seasons, then dropped Focus) - 1996–1999: Gary LinekerGary LinekerGary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
(previously pundit then presented after Steve Rider dropped Focus went to front Match of the DayMatch of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
) - 1999–2004: Ray StubbsRay StubbsRaymond "Ray" Stubbs is a broadcaster and former footballer. He works for ESPN, presenting live Premier League and Scottish Premier League matches, having joined the satellite sports channel from the BBC in 2009.-Football career:...
(Left to present Final ScoreFinal ScoreFinal Score is a BBC TV programme produced by BBC Sport. The programme is broadcast on late Saturday afternoons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually on BBC ONE. BBC Northern Ireland opts away during the last ten minutes to cover local results, BBC Scotland runs a different programme...
on Saturday afternoons, Left BBC in 2009 to move to ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
) - 2004–2009: Manish BhasinManish BhasinManish Bhasin is a sports journalist and presenter currently working for the BBC as presenter of The Football League Show.-Early career:Bhasin graduated in 1997 from Anglia Ruskin University with a degree in "Communication Studies with English" and completed a diploma in "Broadcast Journalism" at...
(Left to become presenter of The Football League ShowThe Football League ShowThe Football League Show is a BBC One football television show hosted by Manish Bhasin, featuring highlights from the Championship, League One and League Two. It began on 8 August, 2009, at 11.45pm and immediately follows Match of the Day on Saturdays...
) - 2009–present: Dan WalkerDan WalkerDan Meirion Walker is a British sports journalist. He is the current presenter of Football Focus, the BBC's Saturday lunchtime football show. He has also been seen presenting sport on the BBC News Channel and BBC Network News, as well as regularly reporting for Score, Football Focus and Match of...
Guest Hosts
- 2007, 2008 Jake HumphreyJake HumphreyJacob John "Jake" Humphrey is an English television presenter, currently best known for his work with BBC Sport, being the youngest ever presenter to host Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score. He currently presents the BBC's Formula One coverage and BBC Sports Personality of the Year...
- Presented during 2007 Ashes and Cricket World Cup while Manish was presenting BBC Coverage. Also was main host during Euro 2008 Football Focus - 2005 - Mark Pougatch