Kelly Cates is preparing for the busiest year of her career as she takes on dual roles with Sky and the BBC. The football presenter will host Sky's Friday Night Football coverage of Liverpool v Bournemouth from Anfield this weekend, alongside preview shows for the BBC and her first shift on Match of the Day.
Cates, who has worked in the industry for 27 years, says she welcomes the challenge. 'I've just got busy weekends, but I work in sports so I expect to have busy weekends,' she said. 'It's not as complicated as you think – there's a very fast train to Manchester.'
The broadcaster, daughter of Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, has carved out her own place in sports broadcasting with a conversational style. She believes this approach suits the modern era of podcasting and long-form interviews. 'I think that the tone generally has changed to become more conversational on air,' she said.
Cates is not an avid user of social media, with no account on X. She uses Instagram mainly to promote her work. 'I haven't ever really used my social media for that, so it isn't something that I'm going to have to change,' she said. 'I always feel like if I couldn't cope well with being challenged heavily on it, then I shouldn't be putting my opinion out publicly.'
On replacing Gary Lineker as part of a trio with Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan, Cates said she has not spoken to Lineker about the role. 'I don't want to be Gary,' she said. 'I think there's a temptation to try and be someone else, and I think that you get a job because of yourself.'
