Steve Wilson (Football commentator)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, in a less populated section. For the 20 year anniversary, he filmed a piece of his experiences for Football Focus
.
He is a Tranmere Rovers supporter.
He is married with three children.
), Wilson moved to BBC Radio Five Live
in the summer of 1998. His first commentary for the network was the opening game of Celtic
's title defence in Scotland
- a 5–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic
.
. He also continued his occasional work on Match of the Day
and, following Jon Champion
's move to ITV
in 2001, Wilson became a permanent member of the Match of the Day team.
Because ITV held rights to Premier League highlights between 2001 and 2004, Match of the Day was more infrequent, covering mainly FA Cup and international matches, meaning Wilson was still able to continue commentating on Five Live during this period. Since the BBC regained the rights to Premier League highlights in 2004, Wilson has been an integral part of the commentary team.
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...
's 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...
programme.
Wilson previously worked on BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
and before that at Capital Gold Sport in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he was number two commentator to now BBC colleague 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...
.
Early and personal life
Wilson was present on the Leppings Lane terrace at the time of the Hillsborough disasterHillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
, in a less populated section. For the 20 year anniversary, he filmed a piece of his experiences for Football Focus
Football Focus
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...
.
He is a Tranmere Rovers supporter.
He is married with three children.
Radio career
After several years working for Capital Gold and occasional work on Talk Radio (now talkSPORTTalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
), Wilson moved to BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
in the summer of 1998. His first commentary for the network was the opening game of Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
's title defence in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- a 5–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic
Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They currently compete in the Scottish Premier League....
.
Match of the Day
During his first season with the network, Wilson's commentary opportunities were limited, but he impressed enough to be given several outings on Match of the Day. During the 1999–00 season Wilson's role on Five Live was significantly increased as he shared many more matches with the likes of John Murray, Ian Brown and Simon BrothertonSimon Brotherton
Simon Brotherton is a principal football commentator for the BBC, appearing on Match of the Day and BBC Radio Five Live.Brotherton was still at school when he began his career with BBC local radio and developed further while he was studying at Birmingham University where he joined Birmingham's...
. He also continued his occasional work on 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...
and, following Jon Champion
Jon Champion
Jon Champion is ESPN UK's number one football commentator. Champion is a well-established and experienced commentator who has also worked for the BBC and ITV over the past 20 years. His late father David Champion was the deputy headmaster of the independent school Bootham School, York...
's move to ITV
ITV
ITV 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...
in 2001, Wilson became a permanent member of the Match of the Day team.
Because ITV held rights to Premier League highlights between 2001 and 2004, Match of the Day was more infrequent, covering mainly FA Cup and international matches, meaning Wilson was still able to continue commentating on Five Live during this period. Since the BBC regained the rights to Premier League highlights in 2004, Wilson has been an integral part of the commentary team.