Sportscaster Kelli Underwood will create history as the first woman to call Australian Rules football on television.
Underwood, 31, will join broadcasting great Tim Lane to call the Adelaide v Geelong NAB Cup match on February 21 on Network TEN.
She and fellow reporter Rob Waters will call a match each during the pre-season competition.
Ten’s head of football David Barham said Underwood had earned the opportunity on merit. “It is well deserved,” he said. “We’ve got a 24-hour sports channel starting so we need more callers and more talent.
“I think people will judge her on her ability, not her gender.
“It doesn’t matter that she’s a woman. It has nothing to do with the decision.
Underwood first called a match on radio several years ago when she joined Rex Hunt at 3AW for a quarter in a move largely considered a publicity stunt.
Underwood said she had called two ABC radio matches to the Sydney market last season and TEN had asked for a copy of the tape.
“I have always wanted to broadcast any sport. It has been a dream,” Underwood said.
“It’s so exciting and I am looking forward to it.
“I’m probably more nervous calling alongside Tim Lane than the actual calling itself.”
Way to go, Kelli.
Source: Sunday Herald Sun
@dansdan
FYI – Dennis Cometti was a good WAFL player and coach for many years
Dwayne Russel was a Geelong player and SANFL Champion
MAtthew Campbell played for the Brisbane Bears
So your comment about the above was not entirely true
Is this the sort of commentary Kelli will bring – ‘he runs around the ahh Geelong player and hoicks the ball’… quality monotone commentary from another channel 10 attempt at getting ratings. Reminds me of crickets attempt to raise ratings with female commentary when the ball was being hit to 5 o’clock (that’s mid on right?).
Peter – most of our AFL commentators have never played the game, definately not professionally (Bruce MacAvaney, Dennis Commeti, Stephen Quartermaine, Anthony Hudson, Dwyane Russell, Matthew Campbell, the late and great Clinton Grybas & Tim Lane – the only proper commentator that I know who has played a game who commentates on FTA is Michael Christian – Christianson??). I dont see how that should affect her ability to call the game
Good luck to her I say.
omg this is shocking, i dont want sum womens voice calling a footy match, will kill the game of aussie rules
hope she fails
Are you serious?
You need to have played the game to have the ability to truly commentate on it.
Sorry.
this is great news and like others have said, about time
Nice going channel 10, and Kelli. Good luck to you.
I’ve heard her once before and sounded good. Second Zambora’s comments in that it’s about time. There aren’t enough female commentators in Australia that can broadcast all sports. Kerryn Pratt’s the only other one I can think of (she does Tennis primarily, but she’s called a whole bunch of sports at the Olympics). I know there are specialist female commentators, but we need more general female sports commentators.
Good luck Kelli.
Also, Rob Waters has called AFL matches for ABC Radio before, so he should have virtually no problems commentating on TV.
good on her!
About bloody time.
Congrats to Ten, let’s hope the public and those annoying network execs give her a chance.