Sky Sports Female Presenters 2024 - Past And Present

• Female Sky Sports News reporters were especially popular in the 2000s

• Kate Abdo, Charlotte Jackson and Kirsty Gallacher are among the most famous names

• Who is your favourite female Sky Sports reporter?

There are new faces appearing on Sky Sports every year.

The broadcaster has been through something of an overhaul over the last few years, resulting in many more female Sky Sports reporters on our screens.

Regulars of the sports betting pages will be familiar with the majority of these reporters.

As with Sky Sports’ offering, there is a bias towards football coverage, but several listed here work on other sports, including Formula One and netball. 

Here are the most recognisable female Sky Sports reporters…

Hayley McQueen

Starting out as a runner for Richard and Judy, Hayley McQueen took on a media role for Middlesbrough before being headhunted by Sky Sports News.

A stint with Fox Sports and then with MUTV saw McQueen leave Sky, but she returned as a presenter in 2010 and has been a regular on the channel ever since.

Alongside presenting duties, McQueen is also a regular awards host and has appeared on Premier League TV and BBC Radio Five Live.

She is the lead presenter for Sky’s coverage of Scottish football. 

Vicky Gomersall

A former player for Fulham ladies, Vicky Gomersall joined the Sky Sports presenting team back in 2005.

Gomersall has been a true stalwart on Sky Sports News after starting her career as a reporter in the northwest. 

Whether reading the news or leading a debate ahead of Super Sunday, Gomersall is an excellent presenter.

While others have come and gone from Sky Sports’ news channel, Gomersall has been one of the few constants. 

Emma Paton

Emma Paton initially joined Sky Sports as a journalist in 2012, but became a presenter in 2019.

She is perhaps best known for leading their darts coverage, though she has also featured heavily on the US Open, WWE and transfer deadline day.

With over a decade of experience in the industry, Paton is set to cover even more major events throughout the 2020s and beyond. 

Olivia Buzaglo

Having worked with Premier League Productions, Olivia Buzaglo has become a prominent face on Sky Sports News over the last couple of years.

Buzaglo is also a regular on Chelsea TV and has covered various events for DAZN. 

With a over 129,000 Twitter followers, Buzaglo has become one of the biggest voices for Chelsea fans on social media. Her following count will only grow in the years to come. 

Vai Bhardwaj

After making her name as a sports writer, Vai Bhardwaj has become an award-winning broadcaster for Sky Sports, Amazon Prime and Premier League Productions. 

With a background as a reporter, including for the Evening Standard, Bhardwaj will often be seen conducting post-match interviews on Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage and has featured on Sky Sports News.

Alison Bender

From Chelsea TV to TalkSport, ESPN and various others, Alison Bender has been a presenter, interviewer and reporter on many of the world’s biggest networks.

Sky Sports is no exception, and Bender has often led the sports coverage on Sky’s standard news channel. 

Often active on social media, Bender is well worth following on Twitter or X. She has also recently begun presenting William Hill’s podcast called High Press. 

Gail Davis

Previously a reporter on rugby, netball and transfer deadline day, Gail Davis has moved into presenting at Sky Sports News. 

Davis delivered an exclusive interview with Erik ten Hag not long after the Dutchman was hired as Manchester United manager. 

Eleanor Roper

Previously providing coverage for a young audience at the BBC, and appearing on various BBC channels, Eleanor Roper is now a journalist, reporter and presenter at Sky Sports.

Roper has given updates on Sky News and Sky Sports News. Her social media channels reflect a diverse sporting interest from rugby through to boxing and MMA. 

Caroline Barker

Starting off her career with BBC Essex, Caroline Barker has become a prominent voice in sports media.

Barker was the first female presenter at Premier League Productions, and has worked at Sky Sports covering football and netball for several years. 

An advocate for non-league football, Barker is a director for the National League, plus fulfilled the same role at Chelmsford City from 2009 to 2011.

While netball and football have been her primary focus, Barker has also worked on the NFL International Series for BBC Sport. 

Emma Saunders

A live event host, commentator, presenter and stadium reporter, Emma Saunders does it all for Sky Sports and BBC.

Saunders is a regular on Soccer Saturday and Super Sunday for Sky, while hosting the football daily podcast for 5Live and BBC Sounds.

Saunders has been the in-stadium presenter for several massive sporting occasions, including MLB’s first games in London in 2019, FIFA World Cup matches and Six Nations fixtures. 

Laura Woods

One of the biggest names in sports broadcasting, Laura Woods has appeared on several major channels, including fronting pre- and post-match coverage for Sky Sports. Woods often presented darts events, too. She left Sky Sports in 2022, and now works for TNT Sports and ITV.

Followers of NFL predictions will be familiar with Woods as well. The Arsenal fan has taken on a role alongside Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora on ITV, presenting weekly highlights.

She also hosted the Sports Breakfast show on TalkSport with Ally McCoist. 

Over the last few years, Woods has amassed a sizeable Twitter following, and frequently goes viral with her cutting ripostes. 

Natalie Pinkham

Working for Sky Sports’ excellent Formula One coverage since 2012, Natalie Pinkham started out reporting from the pit lane during practice, qualifying and race sessions with occasional interviews.

For the following season, Pinkham took over as presenter of the F1 Show, and became a staple of Sky’s Formula One offering.

In the first practice of the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Pinkham became the first woman to commentate on a live Formula One session on British television alongside former drivers Jenson Button and Karun Chandhok. 

Rachel Brookes

First working for Sky Sports on a freelance basis, Rachel Brookes became a permanent member of their team in 2011.

Brookes is primarily a pit-lane reporter, conducting quickfire interviews throughout the race weekend, but she has also hosted several shows and anchored the live coverage of some races over the last few seasons. 

Brookes is often at the front of Sky’s features with high-ranking team officials and drivers, from gimmicks between teammates to in-depth discussions with principals like Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. 

Pien Meulensteen

Pien Meulensteen is a history-maker. She is the first woman to commentate on a live Premier League match on Sky Sports, and landed the ‘One To Watch – On Air’ gong at the Sports Journalism Awards in 2023. 

Starting out at BBC Manchester after graduating from Salford, Meulensteen has gone from strength to strength, working with 5Live, BBC Sport, Premier League Productions, CBS and MUTV. 

We will be seeing a lot more of the Dutch-born presenter and commentator on our screens in the coming years. 

Bianca Westwood

Bianca Westwood is a long-serving regular on Soccer Saturday, who has become known for her back-and-forths with Jeff Stelling.

A West Ham fan and destroyer of social media trolls, Westwood offers tips to aspiring broadcasters and has grown a considerable following with over 120,000 followers on Instagram and 173,000 on Twitter.

In 2023, Westwood spoke out about how she deals with trolls.

"I often get asked about this & it’s not gender specific but 99% of my trolls (as infrequent as they are these days) are men.

"For those who message me to ask for advice in dealing with this issue, I wish I could give them the gift of indifference…because I promise you I do not give one single f**k about what anyone online says about me. They honestly matter less to me every single day."

She has been a commentator on Soccer Saturday since 2008, working her way up from an editorial assistant. 

Katie Shanahan

When keeping up with the latest live betting options, you may well have seen Katie Shanahan on Soccer Saturday. 

Shanahan presents for Sky Sports as well, and has also conducted some high-profile interviews, including a sit down with Sean Dyche soon after he was hired as Everton manager. 

Transitioning from hockey player to broadcaster, Shanahan has presented for FIFA at the Qatar World Cup, and broken huge news, such as the postponing of the Tokyo Olympics and Manchester City’s UEFA ban.

When time allows, Shanahan also presents for Chelsea TV, and has been the one asking the post-match questions at some significant moments. 

Suzanne Winters

Capped 105 times by Scotland, Suzanne Winters followed the well-trodden path from footballer to reporter.

Winters has worked at grounds and in the studio for Sky Sports, providing live commentary of matches.

Her passionate, in-the-moment reactions when covering Scotland matches proved very popular on social media in 2022. 

Melissa Reddy

Initially making her name covering Liverpool, Melissa Reddy made it to Sky Sports via KICK OFF Magazine, Goal, ESPN, The Athletic, JOE and The Independent.

A specialist in the Premier League, Reddy became a senior reporter at Sky Sports in 2022, and regularly appears on Sky Sports News to analyse the latest happenings in the topflight of English football.

Over the years, she has won awards for her writing. Reddy has also developed an audience through social media presence and podcast appearances, including her own series, which featured interviews with Gary Lineker and Mauricio Pochettino.

Famous Sky Sports Female Presenters:

• Georgie Thompson

• Charlotte Jackson

• Millie Clode

• Kate Abdo

• Natalie Sawyer

• Kirsty Gallacher

Past Female Sky Sports Presenters:

• Hayley McQueen

• Jo Wilson

• Rachel Gredley

• Vicky Gomersall

• Bela Shah

• Alex Hammond

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*