Match of the Day

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For the Doctor Who novel, see Match of the Day (Doctor Who).
Match of the Day
Image:MOTD logo.png
Match of the Day's Internet logo
Format Sports
Starring Gary Lineker
Alan Hansen
Mark Lawrenson
John Motson
Alan Shearer
Jonathan Pearce
Country of origin Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Production
Running time Variable
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run August 22, 1964 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Match of the Day (sometimes abbreviated as MOTD) is the BBC's main football television programme. It is shown on BBC One every Saturday evening during the English football season, showing highlights of Premiership (formerly Division One) matches. There are also some midweek editions, showing highlights of weekday evening games. Match of the Day also screens FA Cup and Home Nations international matches, either live or as highlights. It is one of the BBC's longest-running shows, having been on air since 1964, though it has not always been aired regularly.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1960s

The first edition of Match of the Day was screened on BBC2 at 6:30pm on 22 August 1964, after being commissioned by Sir David Attenborough during his time as controller of BBC2. It showed only one match; highlights of the First Division game between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield; Liverpool won 3-2. As BBC2 was available only in the London area at the time, the programme's audience was estimated at only 20,000 [1]; less than half of the attendance at Anfield stadium. However this soon expanded; on 3 December new transmitters were opened in the Midlands and the number of people with access increased to over two million.

However, the BBC had been showing live games before MOTD, the first being an FA Cup semi-final game between Fulham and Manchester United in 1958. Although Match of the Day primarily screened First Division matches, under the BBC's initial contract with The Football League, they had to screen three Second Division games per season as well. The following year it also extended its coverage to Third Division matches, and started showing highlights of FA Cup matches. Additionally, in its inaugural season, Match of the Day screened a Fourth Division match between Oxford United and Tranmere Rovers, though it would not do so again until 1978.

Match of the Day was not universally welcomed in the football world; in 1965 several clubs attempted to block a renewed deal with the BBC in fear of a drop in gate attendances at matches. Eventually a compromise was reached where the BBC agreed not to reveal which match was to be shown until after the day's play had concluded, an arrangement that remained until 1983. The show moved to BBC1 the same year, though occasionally in later years highlights of FA Cup matches were screened on BBC2. The first colour edition of Match of the Day was shown on November 15, 1969, between Liverpool and West Ham United.[2]

By then, Match of the Day was not the only football highlights programme on English television; the BBC faced competition from 1967 as ITV started to show highlights on a regional basis on Sunday afternoons; London Weekend Television's The Big Match, which later became the programme for the entire ITV network, was first broadcast in 1968. Match of the Day responded by increasing the number of matches to two per programme.

[edit] 1970s and 1980s

During the 1970s, Match of the Day became one of the BBC's most successful programmes, with audiences peaking at over 12 million. The "Goal of the Month" and "Goal of the Season" competitions were introduced in 1970; slow motion replays followed a year later.[1] However, at the end of the decade the BBC lost a significant share of matches, with a new four-year deal in 1979 splitting the rights between the BBC and ITV (ITV had originally won exclusive rights, but a ruling from the Office of Fair Trading ordered that the rights be split[2]). Match of the Day was moved to Sunday afternoons for the 1980-81 and 1982-83 seasons,[3] but as consolation the number of games per programme went up to three.

In 1983, the rights came up for renewal again; once again the BBC had to share with ITV. For the first time, league games were shown live, on Friday evenings. Additionally, programmes reverted back to Saturday nights and shirt sponsorship was allowed for the first time on the non-commercial BBC. Industrial action by BBC staff hampered coverage that season,[1] but the first live league match shown on Match of the Day was on Friday 16 December 1983, with a Manchester United 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

As the 1980s progressed, Match of the Day focused more and more on the First Division. The final Fourth Division game to be on the programme, between Blackpool and York City, was shown on February 4, 1984. Coverage of the Second and Third Divisions dwindled until it was finally dropped in 1986. However, other competitions were shown; the League Cup Final was covered live for the first time by the BBC in 1985.

In 1985, the rights for League football came up again, but an ongoing wrangle between the TV companies, Football League's TV Negotiating Committee and a rebel group of clubs led by Oxford United chairman Robert Maxwell meant the first half of the 1985-86 season was not televised at all;[3] some clubs even tried negotiating individually with their local BBC and ITV regions. Eventually, in December 1985, a deal was agreed and Match of the Day resumed for the second half of the season.

Typical introductory screenshot to FA Cup match highlights in 2007.
Typical introductory screenshot to FA Cup match highlights in 2007.

After the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, the BBC and ITV signed a new deal which left screening of highlights at the broadcaster's discretion; the BBC decided to suspend the regular weekly highlights apart from a couple of FA Cup Saturdays, instead showing basketball highlights in its slot. However, in the following season highlights of league football were reintroduced, though this was only occasional and not as often as before as the main focus was still on live games and the top teams.

In 1988, an even more competitive scramble for TV rights meant that the BBC lost all rights for League football to ITV, although they retained rights for FA Cup and England matches, shared with satellite channel BSB. For the next four seasons, Match of the Day only appeared on FA Cup weekends. However, ITV's negotiating stance and poor quality match coverage proved unpopular with the clubs. With the breakaway of the top clubs in England to form the Premier League in 1992, the BBC regained highlights of matches (though Sky gained exclusive live rights), and regular Match of the Day programming resumed with highlights of three main games, and for the first time all the goals from the other games played that day.

[edit] 1990s and 2000s

Although the BBC lost highlights of European Cup matches after its revamping as the Champions League in 1993, apart from the final in 1994, the joint Sky/BBC bid was renewed in 1996. In 1997, the BBC lost all live rights to the FA Cup meaning Match of the Day's live coverage was restricted to UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup matches. However the BBC were still able to show Saturday evening highlights of FA Cup games. However things got much worse for the network when, in 2001, the Premier League awarded highlights rights to ITV in a three-year contract.

Gary Lineker presents a West Ham v. Fulham Premiership match.
Gary Lineker presents a West Ham v. Fulham Premiership match.

Match of the Day did not totally disappear; the same year the BBC regained full live coverage of the FA Cup and England's World Cup qualifying matches, as well as retaining UEFA Cup coverage. ITV's league highlights programme, The Premiership, fared poorly (especially after being forced to reschedule from 7pm to the traditional late-evening slot) and, in 2004, Premiership highlights returned to the BBC. Since 2004, the programme has shown highlights of all the matches on that date, with commentators at every ground (when Radio Five Live offers a live radio broadcast, Match of the Day uses a different commentator). With more matches played on Sundays, a sister programme, Match of the Day 2 was launched on BBC2 on Sunday nights. This show was closer in style to the old style Match of the Day with up to ten minutes of action from the normal two games played that day, plus a round-up of Saturday's goals. In addition to Saturdays and Sundays, the programme airs on any weeknight in which at least six matches are scheduled (including a two night period with as many matches), or negotiates specially with the Premier League.

Traditionally, midweek BBC football shows were included under the Sportsnight banner, particularly highlights from matches on Wednesday night. However, as the 1990s progressed the vast majority of football coverage was shown on Match of the Day, a situation that increased further when Sportsnight finished in 1997.

In 2006, the BBC agreed a new deal with the Premier League which means that league highlights coverage will continue on Match of the Day until at least the end of the 2009-10 season.[4] However, ITV did win rights to the FA Cup and England matches starting in 2008, thus limiting the BBC's live coverage to the tournaments proper (shared with ITV) and the League Cup/Championship package which begins in 2009.

In 2005-2006, a Save of the Season competition was introduced (in addition to the traditional Goal of the Month and Season contests) with the inaugural winner being Tomasz Kuszczak, then of West Bromwich Albion. In 2006-2007, Jussi Jaaskelainen of Bolton Wanderers won the award.

For the 2007/08 season, new opening titles were introduced, as was a new studio. The intro is set in a round, stadium type building with glass walls, various different Premier League players, past and present can be seen either in picture frames or in the building itself doing ball skills or just running past the screen. It climaxes with Manchester United captain Gary Neville placing the Premier League trophy on a stand, due to Manchester United being reigning Champions, the camera then zooms into it, and the Match of the Day logo appears. An alternate version of the opening titles is used for shows which predominantly focus on the FA Cup, using past cup highlights and culminating in footage of Chelsea lifting the cup at the end of the 2006-07 tournament. Also, the BBC's website began simulcasting Match of the Day for UK-based visitors.

[edit] Presenters and commentators

Match of the Day's first match was presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme, who also commentated alongside Walley Barnes. By 1970 David Coleman had established himself as the programme's main anchorman. Jimmy Hill then took over the role in 1973 after moving from ITV,[1] although Coleman continued to feature as a commentator. One of the programme's most famous presenters, Des Lynam, joined in 1979 as a commentator before taking over from Hill in 1988, although Hill was retained as a pundit.

Current presenter, former England captain Gary Lineker, joined as a pundit in 1995, becoming main presenter after Lynam's departure in 1999. If Lineker is unavailable or there are multiple live matches on the same day then a stand-in presenter is used; this is usually Ray Stubbs (main presenter of the BBC's Final Score programme), but Gabby Logan, who joined from ITV in 2007, or Jake Humphrey, who became the programme's youngest ever presenter in January 2007, also occasionally present the show.

Currently Lineker is joined by two pundits for highlights shows, with three pundits for most live matches. Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer are the lead pundits, with Mark Lawrenson also appearing regularly. Occasionally Lee Dixon, Gavin Peacock or Les Ferdinand appear, and the show also uses prominent managers such as David Moyes or Mark Hughes for live matches, as well as Marcel Desailly, Leonardo and Peter Schmeichel.

The longest-running commentator is John Motson, who made his first appearance on October 9, 1971. He continues to feature on the programme to this day, and is currently the principal commentator for live matches. Barry Davies was another longstanding commentator, featuring on the show between 1969 and 2004. Other previous noted commentators include Stuart Hall, Alan Weeks, Alan Parry, Gerald Sinstadt, Harry Carpenter, Clive Tyldesley, Jon Champion and Paul Mitchell.

On 21 April 2007, Jacqui Oatley became the first woman to commentate on the programme. [5] She joins Motson, Jonathan Pearce, Steve Wilson, Guy Mowbray, Simon Brotherton, Tony Gubba, John Roder, Dan O'Hagan, Martin Fisher, Ian Gwyn Hughes and Alistair Mann in the team of Match of the Day commentators. For live matches the commentator will be joined by a co-commentator, usually Mark Lawrenson, the principal co-commentator, Mark Bright, Iain Dowie, Gavin Peacock or Martin Keown.

[edit] Theme music

  • The show's theme tune is called "Match Of The Day" and was written especially for the programme in 1970 by Barry Stoller, and has become so ubiquitous in British culture that it is associated not just with the programme but football in general. It is often incorrectly labeled with the title "Offside", which was actually the name of an alternative commercially-released version in 1970, which was conducted by Mike Vickers. [2]
  • The original theme tune to MotD was written by Major Leslie Statham, the band leader of the Welsh Guards and was entitled 'Drum Majorette' (He also wrote the popular Guards regiments' march Birdcage Walk). This remained the theme tune from 1964 until 1970 when the current tune by Barry Stoller replaced it. At the time Major Statham wrote his original works using the pen-name 'Arnold Stock'.
  • The theme tune appears in popular children's party song The Music Man by Black Lace.
  • Genesis honoured the program with their song "Match of the Day" in 1977, on the "Spot the Pigeon" EP.
  • In some parts of the UK the MoTD theme is used by some Ice Cream Vans as opposed to the usual Greensleeves.

[edit] Related Shows

Between 1995 and 1999, the BBC broadcast Match of the Seventies (1995-96), Match of the Eighties (1997) and Match of the Nineties (1999). Each series acted as a chronological review of seasons through each decade, presented in a slightly off-beat style, and relied heavily on footage originally included in Match of the Day broadcasts. Presenters included Dennis Waterman, Danny Baker, Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley. Sometimes if matches are shown on BBC Northern Ireland and nowhere else in the UK they would be broadcast on Northern Ireland's own Match of the Day programme called Match of the Day from Northern Ireland, it is the same with matches broadcast only on BBC Wales they would get broadcast on their own Match of the Day programme called Match of the Day Wales. BBC Scotland airs Sportscene in place of Match of the Day when a Scotland match airs across the network (in addition to its usual coverage of the Scottish leagues and cups).

[edit] Match of The Day Annual

Since 2005, the Match of the Day Annual has been produced as a spin-off publication aimed at the teenage market. Edited by football journalist Chris Hunt, the annual traditionally features charts of the Top 100 players in world football and the Top 50 players by position.

[edit] The Magazine

Since 2008 Match Of The Day has run a weekly magazine released on a Tuesday.The magazine commonly features comic strips, interviews with Premiership players and posters of the players in the Premiership. A strip about a world famous players life is also common feature.

[edit] See also

BBC Portal

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d History of Match of the Day. BBC Sport.
  2. ^ a b c MOTD through the ages. BBC Sport.
  3. ^ a b Blackout. World of Sport.
  4. ^ BBC keeps Premiership highlights. BBC Sport.
  5. ^ Match of the Day gets first woman commentator. Reuters.

[edit] References

[edit] External links