After 30 years of entertaining football fans on a Saturday morning, Soccer AM has been cancelled by Sky Sports. The iconic show, which has just ten episodes left, will come to an end at the close of the current season. Staff were informed of the decision on Tuesday morning and will be made redundant in May. A source told The Sun that the news came as a complete bombshell and morale is at an all-time low. A Sky spokesperson said that Soccer AM had played an important role in their coverage of football for the past three decades and that they would now enter a period of consultation to discuss the proposed changes with their people.
Soccer AM first hit screens in 1995 when it was hosted by Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain. Over the years, the show has evolved with a multitude of hosts, celebrity guests, challenges and formats. Current talkSPORT hosts Andy Goldstein and Max Rushden have also sat in the hotseat throughout the years. The current edition is hosted by John Fendley and ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard, with the latter attracting new viewers with the Soccer AM Pro AM. This saw celebrities and professionals taken outside into an arena to contest a number of shooting drills, with some iconic goals winning fans cash prizes.
Reacting to the news, Goldstein said on Instagram that he was honoured to have been a part of Soccer AM, albeit for just one season. Among others to post on social media was Chris Kamara, who was regularly involved in the show. Kamara tweeted that he had 14 years of going through Premier League and EFL club dressing rooms, training with clubs for features and basically having a laugh. He described it as a fun part of his time at Sky.
Soccer AM’s Saturday slot at 10:30 is set to be taken by Saturday Social, which producers hope will appeal to a younger audience. The show has been a hit with football fans over the years, with its famous Soccerettes feature being one of its most iconic. Lucy Pinder, Natalie Sawyer, Jennifer Metcalfe, Gemma Atkinson and Tamsin Greenway are among the famous faces who have appeared on the show.
The decision to cancel Soccer AM has come as a shock to many fans who have grown up watching the show over the past three decades. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on Sky Sports’ coverage of football going forward. However, it is clear that Soccer AM has played an important role in their coverage of the sport for many years and will be missed by many fans.