There has never been a set of play-offs quite like it, but it will be a familiar face broadcasting from Wembley.
Bela Shah joined Sky Sports in 2018 and this weekend, she will take to the national stadium to host some of the most lucrative matches in football.
It begins with Brentford’s Championship play-off final against Swansea, a repeat of last season’s semi-final.
For Shah, it’s the latest realisation of her dream job, albeit one to which she gained entry via an unconventional route.
Starting as a lawyer at ITV Sport, Shah admits she initially didn’t consider a career in sports journalism, not least because she “didn’t see many people that looked like me” – but that landscape is changing.
“Sports journalism is still a male-dominated industry, but there’s been such a huge positive shift over the last few years,” she told i.
“In the past, there were times when I felt intimidated and that maybe you have to prove yourself a bit more being a woman in sport. But I don’t feel like that now. I think the industry is welcoming change and diversity.
“There have been occasions when I’ve been asked ‘oh, so do you like sport?!’ It’s such a strange question to ask a sports broadcaster. Are male sports broadcasters asked the same question? But these types of questions usually come from outside the industry.
“In my day-to-day working environment, I feel respected, I feel like I’m on a level playing field. The landscape is really changing in more ways than just gender. I get messages from Asian women – and men – saying they are really proud to see me on screen. And that means a lot.”
Shah, who first joined Sky after sending in a showreel of her previous live shows, is the latest indicator of the growing opportunities for broadcasters from different backgrounds. “When I watch TV, on the credits I would always try to spot an Asian name,” she adds.
“I would always spot it because it made me think ‘it’s possible’. But when I first started in broadcasting, I felt intimidated a little because it was a male-dominated space. I don’t know if that was my own reservations.
“I have had comments in the past at previous organisations where it’s made me question ‘do they think I’m just here ticking two boxes?’ But I had confidence in my abilities and I knew that I was there on merit.”
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3wG0Q8J
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