Karen Carney to be lead Women's Super League pundit as Michael Dawson joins Soccer Saturday; Both also part of Premier League and EFL coverage; Michelle Owen to present EFL on Sky Sports; Jacqui Oatley, Caroline Barker, Lynsey Hooper and Seb Hutchinson also join Sky Sports' WSL team
Thursday 2 September 2021 08:36, UK
Ahead of the start of the Sky Bet EFL this weekend, Sky Sports has revealed the new faces joining their football talent line-up for the 2021/22 season.
Former England and Chelsea captain Karen Carney and ex-Tottenham and England defender Michael Dawson are among the names joining Sky Sports' coverage of the Premier League, Barclays FA Women's Super League, Sky Bet EFL and SPFL this season.
Carney, who won over 100 caps for the Lionesses, joins as the lead pundit for the Barclays FA Women's Super League, which comes to Sky Sports for the first time this September. Carney will also be a part of the matchday team for the Premier League and makes her Sky Sports debut on this weekend's EFL double header.
Speaking about the WSL's arrival on Sky Sports, Carney said: "I'm really excited, I can't wait. I'm looking forward to it, going to games, getting into the tactics, the shape, the goals. I've really missed it, even with the short time it's been off and I'm really itching to get back into it.
"Especially for me personally, joining Sky Sports and there's so much excitement around it here. It's infectious that everyone is buzzing about it and it goes onto you as well."
Dawson will join Jeff Stelling and the Soccer Saturday team as a pundit and also as a regular match analyst for the Premier League and EFL.
Jacqui Oatley has also joined the Sky Sports Barclays FA Women's Super League talent line-up as a commentator, with Sky Sports News' Jess Creighton to present a new show called 'Inside the WSL'.
Airing weekly from Thursday 9 September on Sky Sports Premier League, the half an hour show will review and preview matches, include short form storytelling and exclusive player interviews.
On joining Sky Sports' WSL team, Oatley said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have been asked to commentate on Sky Sports' coverage of the Barclays FA WSL. The new broadcast deal will provide us with a wonderful opportunity to offer in-depth technical analysis of the women's game, as well as showcase the league to a whole new audience.
"The women's game has developed an enormous amount since I first started covering it in 2004 and I'm excited to be involved in this new chapter which will see the league and players elevated to greater prominence".
Michelle Owen, who has been reporting for Soccer Saturday for seven years, will be joining David Prutton as a presenter for Sky Sports' EFL coverage, while Caroline Barker will become the lead presenter for the Barclays FA WSL. Lynsey Hooper joins as the Barclays FA WSL reporter and commentator Seb Hutchinson also join ahead of the new season.
Joining regulars Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jamie Redknapp, Micah Richards and Graeme Souness, the new Sky Sports Football line-up will cover 128 Premier League matches including the top pick fixture every weekend; 138 matches from the EFL; up to 48 matches from the SPFL and at least 35 matches with top picks from the Barclays FA Women's Super League.
The Barclays FA Women's Super League has a new home this season on Sky Sports. From world-class stars like Lucy Bronze and Vivianne Miedema, to competitive derby days, there are plenty of reasons to be excited...
Back in March, Sky Sports announced a three-year deal with the FA to become the primary broadcaster of the WSL from September 2021.
The deal will see Sky Sports show at least 35 games exclusively live per season and further strengthens the broadcaster's commitment to women's sport.
The excitement has kicked up a gear with Friday's fixture announcement and there are plenty of reasons why you should watch this season...
