EXCLUSIVE: Sky want BBC’s 5 Live and MOTD2 presenter Mark Chapman to replace Jeff Stelling as Soccer Saturday host when the 66-year-old steps down this summer
- Jeff Stelling leaves his role as the Soccer Saturday host at the end of the season
- Sky have approached Mark Chapman with a view to putting him in the hotseat
- Chapman has been with the BBC since 1996 and would leave a major hole
- It is not clear whether he would still work for the BBC if he accepts the job
Sky want Mark Chapman to replace Jeff Stelling as host of their Soccer Saturday programme.
In what would be a coup for the broadcaster – and another major blow for the BBC – station bosses have approached the popular 48-year-old with a view to making the switch.
Chapman is a well-known voice across BBC platforms and presents BBC Radio 5 Live’s flagship Saturday coverage, along with the Monday Night Club show. Arguably the voice of BBC Sport, he also hosts Match of the Day 2 and the channel’s rugby league coverage.
Mark Chapman is Sky’s preferred option to take over from Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday
Stelling will step down as host of Soccer Saturday at the end of the season after 25 years
Talks are understood to have taken place with no decision yet forthcoming, according to Sky insiders.
Stelling, 66, is stepping down at the end of the season following a career spanning 30 years with Sky. He has hosted Soccer Saturday since 1994, two years after its inception.
In recent times the likes of longstanding pundits Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier have been shown the door but Hartlepool supporter Stelling denied reports that their departures had prompted his own decision.
Chapman, from Sale, Manchester, has been with the BBC since 1996. After reading sport bulletins on Radio 1 he made what has been a successful switch to 5 Live in 2010.
He has presented a number of programmes on radio and on television and replaced Mark Pougatch on Saturday’s in 2016. Chapman also presented the broadcaster’s NFL coverage until November 2020.
Chapman is popular with viewers and has worked at the BBC for more than 20 years
Listening figures for Radio 5 Live’s Saturday show, at around 1.7m, are the highest the broadcaster has pulled for four years.
In an archived Q&A on the BBC website, Chapman said Stelling was his favourite reporter, branding him a ‘true pro, a proper broadcaster and journalist’.
It is unclear if the Manchester United supporter Chapman would continue to work for the BBC should he make the move.
Last week, the broadcaster lost two of its leading lights when the Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis and former North America editor Jon Sopel announced they were leaving to join the media group Global.
The pair are to front a podcast for Global Player, host a radio show together on LBC and provided commentary and analysis for the station’s website.