Warmth: The word keeps coming up during conversations about Kelly Cates and is used as a barometer of her ability to convey the importance of a situation.
It also tends to focus on a specific incident. It involves Liverpool (some will immediately assume it couldn't involve anyone else, given who her father is), but it illustrates why she is one of the leading sports broadcasters in the business, one with impeccable judgement.
On the night of July 22, 2020, Liverpool would be crowned Premier League champions. The devastating Covid pandemic meant Anfield was virtually empty, but after Chelsea were beaten 5-3, Jurgen Klopp's team were determined to celebrate this long-awaited success.
There was ticker tape and fireworks, but Klopp had media obligations to fulfill and was placed in front of Cates as he began a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. Time is money in these high-pressure situations, every word and every second counts, but the lady with the microphone saw the bigger picture.
“Jurgen,” he said, as Klopp searched for some words of his own. Come back to us when you're ready. Go and enjoy the moment with your team.'
It takes bravery and courage to break out of the order of a live production, but Cates possesses those qualities (and many more) in abundance. That is why he has reached the top of his profession. And that is why she will soon be a regular on our screens through Match of the Day.
Kelly Cates to be part of a team of three Match of the Day hosts next season
Cates will share presenting duties on the flagship show with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.
The trio will attempt to fill Gary Lineker's void on a show that is effectively national property.
Finding the right successor to Gary Lineker on a program that is effectively national property was a huge task for new BBC sports director Alex Kay-Jelski. It's not an understatement to say that making the wrong decision could have hastened his end.
But teaming Cates along with Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan (both high quality and very experienced) is smart. This triumvirate has been known for many years; Cates and Chapman first worked together for ESPN in 2009.
It also represents joined-up thinking, with Cates and Chapman also working together on Five Live. Many will wonder why a former player doesn't take on Lineker's role, but that doesn't make sense. The quality of the show will be dictated by the quality of the presenter, not whether he kicked a ball.
“The one thing Kelly has above all else is warmth, and that's exactly what you want in a presenter for a Saturday night TV audience,” says Ed Chamberlin, face of ITV Racing and Mail Sport columnist. 'You are inviting someone into your living room and you want to feel comfortable with that person.
Don't have any worries about it. The show will thrive with Kelly, Mark and Gabby. I go back a long way with Kelly: she was my favorite co-presenter from the years we had at Sky; We were on Sky Sports News and then she stood in for Kirsty Gallagher on a show called 90 Minutes.
“Nothing was ever a problem for her, she took everything in stride. We had an incredible relationship. You always had to be on guard with her since she doesn't miss any tricks and doesn't get carried away by anything; She's witty, charming, but don't let that take away from anything else.
'He has incredible football knowledge; She knows the game inside out and is meticulous in everything she does. She can hold a conversation with anyone on any topic and has the ability to bring out the best in those around her. He is a brilliant signing for the BBC.
So how did it end up here? Being the daughter of Sir Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's greatest ever player, would have opened all sorts of doors for her and what a foundation she had, listening to the kitchen debates between her father and those other Scottish greats, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.
Cates (right) has been praised for her “warmth” and “football knowledge” as a presenter
Cates is the daughter of Sir Kenny Dalglish but has carved out a career in her own right.
Former Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlin called her his 'favourite co-presenter'
“She's fantastic at this job because she's been in a football house all her life,” Souness, who used to push Cates in a stroller as a baby only to find her asking him questions in a stroller, once told Mail Sport. study. .
Many people in her position would have been inclined to use the surname as a means to profit, but her parents were workers (she takes after her mother, Lady Marina) and this is a career she has carved out in its own right. Not that it has always been easy, of course.
“Just like his success is not mine, then what I do has no bearing on him,” Cates said during a YouTube interview with 90 Minute Football in October 2020. We are different people. I can be proud of him without living off of him, if that makes sense?
“It was difficult for me to make that distinction from the beginning. If I mentioned him at the beginning (in my career), I felt like I was living off of him, his reputation and his career. But I can be both: I can be your daughter and I can have my own career. It's taken me too long to get to that point.
Cates, 49, is the eldest of the four Dalglish children (she was followed by brother Paul and sisters Lauren and Lynsey) and has two daughters whom she adores. She separated from Tom, her husband of 14 years, in 2021 and keeps her personal life private.
His professional life, however, is an open book. He worked for many major broadcasters, from Sky to Setanta, GMTV, ITV at the 2010 World Cup and Channel 4 when London hosted the 2012 Paralympic Games; Since August 2017, he has presented Friday Night Football on Sky.
There has also been years of experience in radio, with a stint at talkSPORT and presenting roles on 5 Live (he was the lead voice at the World Cup final in 2022) and the popular 606 phone, across all capacity to get to the heart of the matter.
In an industry where egos can run rampant at the slightest opportunity, those who know her well emphasize that she puts the team first and never stops preparing, ensuring she always speaks within the time allotted to her and never gets down. nervous.
Mail Sport columnist Graeme Souness used to push Cates in a pram as a baby, only to find her asking him questions in a studio years later (pictured together in 1979).
Souness once said: “She is fantastic at this job as she has been in a football house all her life.”
Cates has earned his reputation with an impressive background in television and radio.
“It's his real, genuine warmth,” says former West Ham and England goalkeeper Rob Green, who is a respected member of 5 Live's team of experts; It is significant that you mention that word again: warmth.
'When you meet her, she's exactly like you would see her on TV. The first time I worked with her was for a Liverpool match in the Champions League, we were together in the studios in Salford. She made me feel so comfortable that I almost forgot I was on air.
“I think she is someone who will appeal to all types of viewers and is really respected by almost everyone who wants to watch football on television.” I'm absolutely thrilled for her, it's fantastic news.
'She knows what questions to ask, when to ask them and how to ask them – it may seem simple, but it really isn't. She asks the questions, but listens carefully for that little nugget that will extract a little more detail from you. Will have a sparring match if necessary!
'That's important with Match of the Day: you only have a few minutes to talk about the matches and the moments within them. She's the kind of host who will maximize that window to extrapolate a little further. It's a tremendous skill to make it look as easy as she does.
'During the World Cup (in Qatar), he met my wife and my children. My wife walked away and said, “Oh, she's lovely. You can see why you want to work with these people.” “That conversation reflects who Kelly is.”