America's Game in the UK

Before the age of satellite television brought us wall to wall sporting coverage from every corner of the world, a new television channel called Channel Four brought American football to British screens on a Sunday evening. The game reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1980’s and developed a hardcore following. In 2007, the NFL brought a regular season game to the UK to the first time and the publicity that accompanied the match at Wembley introduced a whole new generation to America’s game. For a sport that has no significant domestic league in this country and remains at the periphery of Britain’s sporting mainstream, there is a wealth of coverage devoted to the NFL.

The NFL has four broadcasters in the UK. The main television broadcaster is Sky Sports who show games at 6:00pm and 9:00pm on Sunday. Coverage is presented by Kevin Cadle and Nick Halling who are joined by a guest pundit. Sky Sports also show the Thanksgiving games and then show the Thursday Night game which is aired in the US on NFL Network. This year, American football has returned to Channel Four as they have secured rights to Sunday Night Football. Gary Imlach, who had previously fronted American football for the channel, is joined by Mike Carlson, who was a pundit on five’s NFL coverage.  ESPN show Monday Night Football which is the flagship programme of their American counterparts and show the entire American production, including Monday Night Countdown. The BBC shows the Superbowl live with Sky Sports, who show the game exclusively in High Definition. While the coverage this year is an improvement on last year when Monday Night Football was absent from UK television, to watch every game shown you need two subscriptions and only one game a week is on free to air television and it is on late Sunday night. The quality of coverage is exceptional, especially in high definition and the studio programmes ensure that British viewers are not subject the frustrating number of advertising breaks that plague American viewers.

British fans can also listen to radio coverage which began last season. BBC 5 live sports extra provide coverage of a game at 9:00pm on Sunday nights. Commentary is taken from an American radio station or from the BBC’s own commentators in the states while the studio keeps the listener informed of the scores from around the league. The radio coverage is as good as the rest of Radio 5 live’s output and the inclusion of many of the best known NFL UK personalities such as Neil Reynolds means that it is as knowledgeable as anything the US can offer. For those seeking more audio coverage, the NFL UK ‘Inside the Huddle’ podcast provides both previews and reviews of the week’s action with Neil Reynolds and Mike Carlson.

Coverage of the NFL in the UK is as comprehensive as it can get, with at least four games a week shown live on television and another on the radio. It is covered as well in this country as football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket which means that following the league has never been easier for the American football fan.

The Joys of Local Radio

As a seasoned listener to Radio 5 Live, I am well acquanited with sports commentaries on the radio. However, except for a podcast or two, this particular radio statation has some what of a monopoly in what I listen to in terms of sports radio. Sport on five is a fantastic programme, as are the commentaries that are offered. 6-0-6 is probably past its sell by date in terms of its concept as the programme is lucky to attract perhaps one intelligent caller a programme, if that (The peak of such idiocy was achieved a few weeks back when one caller, a United fan, suggested that Wayne Rooney wasn't the standard expected of a Manchester United player). The World Football phone in on Saturday mornings as part of the "Up All Night" programme is far superior and the podcast is one of the best out there. All of this content is great, but it tends to focus on the more mainstream issues, and to be honest, there isn't enough sport on the station. I'm not a huge fan of Talksport, so what was I to do to satisfy my insatiable desire for sports radio? I put on local radio.

A lot of local radio programming is hit and miss. My home station is BBC Radio Kent, and up until recently I'd never listened to it unless to hear if the school was closed due to snow. This was changed when i clicked on a link that would give me live commentary of a Friends Provident Trophy match involving Kent. I've always been a fan of Test Match Special and the fact that they can often make certain cricket matches more entertaining than if it was on the television, but this cricket commentary was much different. It seemed to attract a much more hardcore following, and while I though such a programme would have limited appeal, I was wrong. There were people sending in questions from all over the country, and seemed very informed. Much like the World Football phone-in, this attracted a much more intelligent sports fan than 6-0-6.

As I support Manchester United, I had no reason to turn on the radio to listen to football news, and although I follow the fortunes of Gillingham, Ebbsfleet and Maidstone United, the lack of a major sports team in the county is represented by the relatively small amount of sports content on the station. As I write this, I am listening to live commentary of Ebbsfleet United v Torquay in the FA Trophy final at Wembley on BBC Radio Kent. Admittedly, there are only the Football League play-offs to offer an alternative for my sporting attention, but its entertaining and is a refreshing change from the good, but predictable, Five Live football offering on a Saturday.

The BBC website offers links to local radio commentaries when they are on, and next time you are looking for something to listen to, there are far worse alternatives than taking a punt and listening to one. The BBC, i feel does not promote local sport content enough and although it might take a while to find, it is generally interesting and worth that time. I shall be looking forward to the Kent cricket matches over the summer, although favourites such as Sport on Five and Test Match Special will still be essential listening.