UCFB students of both campuses recently had the privilege of receiving a guest speaker session from BBC sports presenter and authority on all things sport, Gabby Logan.
The four-time Sports Presenter of the Year gave an exclusive, up-close and personal session at the UCFB Wembley campus, streamed live simultaneously to students in UCFB Burnley. The internationally-renowned broadcaster then answered questions from students at both campuses, as well as guests including former England & Everton goalkeeper and UCFB Ambassador Rachel Brown-Finnis.
A former Welsh international gymnast, Gabby’s television career began in earnest in 1998 when she fronted ITV’s football show, On the Ball. Her broadcasting career at ITV spanned many years, including hosting two live UEFA Champions League Finals in 2005 and 2006. Gabby left for the BBC in 2006, where she has been the face of the iconic Match of the Day programme, the live sports news show Final Score as well as BBC athletics coverage and the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year event.
On giving advice to the aspiring sports media and sports management professionals at UCFB, Gabby emphasised the importance of experience in establishing a successful career in sport. She urged UCFB students to put their name forward for as much experience as possible across a variety of media in order to gain an invaluable understanding of the industry.
Gabby spoke candidly on the embarkation of her career in sports media, citing obstacles that UCFB students will be required to overcome in any given industry. She described how her determined, hard-working and driven attitude had proved central to making her a leader in her field.
When asked about her opinion on UCFB, Gabby commented:
“What an incredible campus; what a brilliant place to learn and engage in sport.
“Sport has many areas in which you can be involved, whether it is sports marketing, sports management, a sports agency or sports broadcasting. Ultimately, it is what happens on a pitch like this that sends us all into our jobs. You really are in the heart of it at this campus.”
