In 2025, it is hard to avoid live coverage of the English top flight, with the Premier League dominating sports programming. The 2025/26 season will see Sky screen a record 215 live fixtures, up from 128 under the previous deal. However, following the action live wasn’t always so easy.
The English Football League was formed in 1888. For almost 40 years, fans hoping to track the exploits of their favourite side had two options – go to the game or read about it in the newspaper. That all began to change in 1927.
The BBC Enters the Sporting Arena
Formed as the British Broadcasting Company in 1922, early BBC radio broadcasts largely consisted of news, music, drama, and talks. Not too much changed until 1927, when a Royal Charter saw the British Broadcasting Company become the British Broadcasting Corporation. With this change came the rights to provide live coverage of sporting events – an ability the BBC quickly put to use.
The Five Nations clash between England and Wales at Twickenham became the first live sporting event ever broadcast on the radio. Former rugby player Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Blythe Thornhill Wakelam – known to all as Teddy Wakelam – provided the commentary on that 11-9 victory for the hosts on 15 January 1927. Following the success of that initial broadcast, the BBC turned their attention to the round-ball game, with a First Division clash the following weekend catching their eye.
22 January 1927: Arsenal vs Sheffield United
Highbury provided the stage for the first live radio broadcast of a football match as Arsenal played host to Sheffield United. While both sides were loitering in mid-table at the time, Sheffield United had revenge on their minds, having been dumped out of the FA Cup by the Gunners two weeks earlier.
16,831 spectators braved the wintry weather to witness a game played in dismal conditions, with sections of the thawing pitch beneath pools of water. Despite his rugby background, Teddy Wakelam was again called upon to provide the commentary, having warmed up by commentating on a schools’ game in the week leading up to the match.
This fixture saw the introduction of a commentary technique that would remain in use until the late 1930s. Before the game, the Radio Times produced a diagram of the Highbury pitch divided into eight numbered squares. During the broadcast, Wakelam provided commentary on the action, while his assistant C.A. Lewis announced the number of the square in which the ball resided. This method enabled listeners to visualise the game and is often credited with popularising the phrase “back to square one.”
As to the game itself, both sides struggled in the difficult conditions, leading to a dearth of goalmouth action. With 10 minutes remaining, a bore draw was on the cards, but up popped Arsenal skipper Charles Buchan to head his side into the lead. However, the advantage didn’t last long, with Billy Gillespie scoring a header of his own for the visitors. Final score: 1-1. Arsenal would go on to end the season in 11th position, three spots behind Sheffield United in eighth.
Far from a classic for a first radio broadcast, but Wakelam was praised by The Times for his “notably vivid and impressive” description of the action. Arsenal’s managing director at the time, George Allison, was a regular contributor to sports broadcasting and would go on to provide commentary for the first live broadcast of an FA Cup Final later in 1927, before becoming Arsenal manager following the death of Gunners icon Herbert Chapman in 1934.
Growth in Popularity and the Advent of Television
At the time of the first live radio broadcast, only around one in three British households owned a radio. Despite that low percentage, the Football League stated concerns that radio commentary negatively affected match-day attendance. This led to a ban on live commentaries in 1931. However, this ban was lifted in 1934, and radio coverage was soon back in full swing, broadcasting over 100 games per season. Radio ownership climbed to around 71% of households, but a new threat emerged in the shape of television.
First entering the sports broadcasting field in the 1930s, TV set out on a course which would see it inevitably become the broadcasting medium of choice for football fans in the UK and around the world.
- 16 September 1937 – First live televised football match: Arsenal vs Arsenal Reserves
- 30 April 1938 – First live televised FA Cup Final: Preston North End vs Huddersfield Town
- 10 September 1960 – First live Football League match on TV: Blackpool vs Bolton Wanderers
- 22 August 1964 – Launch of BBC’s Match of the Day
- 2 October 1983 – First live televised league match since 1960 following an attendance-related ban: Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest
- 15 August 1992 – Premier League launches with Sky’s first live game: Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool
- 2013-2019 – BT Sport (later TNT) entered the live rights market in 2013 followed by Amazon Prime in 2019
- 2025-2029 – Record £6.7bn domestic TV deal, increasing the number of live Premier League matches to 267 per season between Sky and TNT
Radio Coverage Still Going Strong
Given the restrictions of the medium, Radio may never be able to match TV. However, in 2025, radio remains a big player in live coverage of the game in England. Having come a long way since the days of C.A. Lewis announcing squares as listeners glanced at their grids, sports radio now features a selection of the finest commentators in the sport, insightful analysis from former pros, engaging fan phone-ins, and more.
In common with the TV deal, the current radio rights arrangement runs from the 2025/26 to the 2028/29 season. BBC Radio 5 Live remains the official national radio partner and will broadcast around 144 games per season, in addition to coverage on local radio stations. talkSPORT is the leading commercial station, with 111 games per season.