Alex Scott reacted to the axing of Football Focus by saying she was quitting the show anyway.
The BBC announced on Thursday that it is dropping one of its longest-running sports programmes at the end of the season after 52 years on air.
The past five of those have been hosted by Scott, a former England women’s player, during whose tenure the show appears to have been on borrowed time.
It did manage to arrest a dramatic ratings slide that began before her appointment but not enough to spare it from the axe.
Scott posted on Instagram: “After 52 years on air, Football Focus is coming to an end. To have been part of it has been incredibly special, and I’m so grateful and proud of the eight years I’ve been involved, including the five years I’ve had the honour of presenting it.
“I always knew this would be my last season on the show, which the BBC were aware of too. My intention was to move quietly into the next chapter, but sometimes things change.
“When this show began all those years ago, social media wasn’t a driving force, podcasts didn’t exist, and there was no instant access to information in the way there is today. Now, by the time we go on air, the reality is you’ve already seen it, debated it, and lived it across so many platforms. That shift has changed the whole industry. TV audiences have been declining for years, while digital and on-demand viewing continues to grow.”
The demise of the BBC’s best-known football show after Match of the Day comes amid plans for the corporation to cut up to one in 10 jobs within its 21,500 workforce over the next two years.
The Saturday lunchtime show avoided being cancelled just over a year ago amid a major shake-up of the BBC’s sports department by director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski that included scrapping news programme Sportsday.
Scott and her team were ordered to deliver punchier interviews and debate to arrest a long-standing slump in ratings, despite viewing figures enjoying a small upturn the previous year.
It has been alleged that Scott felt bruised by BBC inquests into the declining performance of the show.
Such concerns were highlighted in September 2023, when Dan Walker, the previous host, stirred up debate over the programme’s future by posting on social media: “It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show every week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
Scott posted a single-word reply – “Interesting” – in an exchange that hinted at tension between the show’s two most recent presenters. About the same time, she posted: “Thank you to everyone who tuned into Football Focus, your support for such an iconic show means so much to everyone who works across it. Viewing figures double that of anything on TV at that time yesterday.”
Kay-Jelski confirmed that Scott will still feature in the BBC’s football coverage. He said: “Alex Scott is one of our finest presenters, is hugely popular across the men and women’s game and is a big part of our present and future. She will remain at the heart of our sports output across the men’s World Cup this year and the women’s World Cup in 2027, as well as continuing her lead role on the Women’s Super League and BBC Sport Personality of the Year.”
Kay-Jelski added: “Football Focus has been a hugely important programme in the history of BBC Sport and has played a key role in telling the stories of the game for generations of viewers. This decision was made before last week’s wider BBC savings announcement, reflecting the continued shift in how audiences engage with football and our commitment to evolving how we deliver content to reach fans wherever they are.”
In an age before social media and instant video highlights, Football Focus was essential viewing, featuring exclusive interviews with players and managers before the weekend’s action began.
Its best-known presenter is still its first, Bob Wilson, who retired from his career as Arsenal’s goalkeeper in 1974 and went straight into the studio for Football Focus for the start of the following season.
Wilson thus found himself up against a vastly more experienced broadcaster in Brian Moore, who presented ITV’s On The Ball in the 1960s.
In his autobiography, Wilson wrote: “Whenever we met up… [Moore] would claim a larger midday audience and I would challenge his figures.”
Originally, Football Focus lasted for only 15 or 20 minutes, but as its audience grew, so too did its duration, reaching 40 or 50 minutes by the turn of the century.