Exclusive: Kate Abdo Talks Deadline Day, Manchester Utd and Her New U.S. TV Role

Broadcast journalist Kate Abdo is best known for her role on Sky Sports News HQ in the UK and as a hostess for global ceremonies such as the FIFA Ballon d'Or Awards.

Bleacher Report can exclusively reveal that Abdo will be heading across the pond this summer to front Fox Sports’ coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup™.

The former Sky Germany and CNN anchor caught up with B/R to discuss her forthcoming duties covering the Women's World Cup tournament in Canada as well as her experiences at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, her views on her beloved Manchester United and the mania of Deadline Day...

Bleacher Report: Congratulations on your forthcoming hosting role at the Women’s World Cup on Fox Sports! Are you excited?

Kate Abdo: Yes, I’m very excited! Having travelled to Los Angeles a few times in the past few months to cover friendly matches, it’s clear how much Fox are putting into the tournament.

B/R: What is your opinion on the women’s game? It’s certainly a big deal in the USA, but is it growing in the UK?

KA: Yes, it’s definitely growing in the UK. If you speak to somebody like [former England striker] Kelly Smith, she believes the league standard has really caught up with the U.S. At the time she played, she felt the only option was to play in the States, but now that’s not necessarily the case. I’ve actually been bowled over by the level of interest and excitement in America about the Women’s World Cup. In Europe it hasn’t quite grabbed the public’s attention in the same way yet, but that’s perhaps inevitable because the U.S. women’s team has done so well.

Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images

B/R: You hosted the most recent Ballon d’Or award ceremony and were commended for your multilingual performance. What’s your standout memory from that day?

KA: It sounds very predictable, but it’s probably the moment the winner of the main award was revealed. Just as many people expected it to be Ronaldo as they did Messi, so there was a huge sense of suspense. When you see those guys in the same room, you know there is a big rivalry. Between the female candidates you get a sense of camaraderie, but you don’t really get that between the guys! It wasn’t hostile, but it certainly felt extremely competitive.

B/R: It’s a very formal occasion. Was everyone there on his best behaviour?

KA: I didn’t see any misbehaviour, if that’s what you mean! All the players know they are representing their clubs—It’s a “see and be seen” kind of event. It’s an honour just to be invited so nobody wants to embarrass themselves.

B/R: Well, that’s disappointing. You’ve also hosted several Europa League draws. How stressful are live situations like those, particularly in a social media age when nothing goes unnoticed?

KA: Any number of things can go wrong when you’re live and the Internet immortalises those moments, but I don’t find it stressful. There’s plenty of clips of me on YouTube getting things wrong, and we had a few small glitches in the Ballon d’Or ceremony. As long as you take the mistakes in your stride and with a sense of humour, it’s no big deal.

B/R: There are clips online of you being caught stretching on air and even accidentally swearing. You seem to take it very well, but do you wish Vine didn’t exist at times like that?

KA: [laughs] When I read my Twitter comments I often wish that! I don’t think I’ve had to face vindictive comments, it’s generally just people having a laugh, and there’s nothing wrong with that. As a woman in the sports industry, however, it can sometimes be difficult as you’re catering to a majority-male audience. Sometimes you read the comments and wish that they would be more focussed on other skills you bring to the table—and that’s something that pleased me about the Ballon d’Or: The comments were more about my role as an accomplished sports presenter rather than anything else.

B/R: As a female working in the male-dominated sports industry, do you feel you are treated equally? Is there some distance to go in that respect?

KA: There’s probably still some distance to go, but it has come on leaps and bounds compared to where we were not so long ago. Generally speaking, it’s not a talking point. So many women have proven themselves to be good sports broadcasters that it’s not the issue it once was.

B/R: Let’s talk about Deadline Day. Describe the atmosphere in Sky Sports News HQ studio. Is it more heightened than usual?

KA: It’s a mental day. It’s a credit to Sky that they have made it such a huge event—it’s like their Super Bowl. It thrives off the personality of Jim White and my co-hosts. Jim is a louder-than-life character who’s very well-connected, and it’s a day when everybody works hard on their connections to bring the stories. Jim’s phone is usually ringing off the hook: He’ll be on his phone every time we cut to adverts or an interview. Even if it’s a 15- or 20-second break he’ll use that time to take a call and will hang up at the very last second. We never know if he’s going to hang up on time before we go live again, and that’s part of the fun. He is extremely unpredictable and does a great job of headlining the show.

"

Alright stop. Jim White time. By @vonstrenginho. https://t.co/SaKGSEyKx0

— Kate Abdo (@kate_abdo) February 3, 2015"

B/R: You hear stories of SSNHQ presenters and reporters frantically juggling three or four mobile phones, waiting for tips and calls. Is everybody on the case trying to chase down news?

KA: Yes, absolutely; it’s a team effort. A lot of the stories come from our reporters based at grounds and training complexes, whether they are pursuing contacts on the ground or on the phone. I’ve also experienced Deadline Day at Sky Germany, but they don’t have the same last-minute push and excitement that you get in the Premier League. I guess the Germans like to have their business wrapped up earlier; maybe they are generally more organised. In the UK, the whole day is extremely tense but exciting. Everyone is usually pretty exhausted in the 24 hours that follow.

B/R: Do you like wearing yellow?

KA: [laughs] On Deadline Day I definitely do! It’s part of the branding of the day. I know people think Sky go a bit far with it, but they’re having fun with it. The news we report is absolutely serious, but we like to have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously.

B/R: You’ve worked in football broadcasting in Germany, the U.S. and the UK. What are the differences in the ways the game is presented? Is there more humour in the UK coverage, for example?

KA: Well there’s not much humour in the German coverage! In the UK there tends to be a long pre-game analysis which goes into plenty of depth. In the States everything has a lot more energy and it moves quickly from one point to the next. For a British viewer it might move too quickly.

B/R: I find that American pundits often make bold predictions and are willing to put themselves “out there,” whereas in British coverage there is more nuance and thoughtfulness.

KA: Yes, the U.S. pundits are generally willing to be slightly more provocative. The Brits are generally quite reserved, whereas the Americans are generally quite outgoing and definitely more relaxed and willing to show personality on camera.

B/R: Who do you support?

KA: I grew up in Manchester going to Old Trafford with my dad. I got to go when he didn’t give the ticket to my brother! My mum is a Liverpool fan, so unsurprisingly she chose not to join us.

B/R: What is your opinion of Louis van Gaal’s reign so far? Is he doing a much better job than David Moyes?

KA: Any Manchester United fan would probably agree it would be hard not to do a better job than Moyes. But of course, he faced an impossible task coming in after Sir Alex Ferguson. I was slightly skeptical when Van Gaal arrived simply because I was in Germany during his departure from Bayern Munich. It felt pretty acrimonious, and relations were very strained between him and the club. He’s made no secret about being an authoritarian figure, and I wondered how that would play out at Man United. But the results are slowly turning, and the win at Liverpool was obviously a huge deal. Not getting back into the Champions League would be a failure, but we’re on course to do that, and I think he’s done a good job so far.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

B/R: What is your favourite league to watch?

KA: Probably the Premier League. It holds a special place in my heart because I grew up watching every weekend with my mum and dad; I grew up with those teams. But I do enjoy watching Spanish games—I particularly enjoy Atletico Madrid at the moment—and I used to go and watch Malaga when I lived there. The best place to watch live football, though, is Germany. The atmosphere in those stadia with standing areas really is exceptional. You just have to watch a Borussia Dortmund game on TV to see how involved the fans are.

B/R: How did you get into sports broadcasting?

KA: I fell into it really; it wasn’t planned. I was living around Europe, travelling and learning languages when I got the opportunity to work an internship at a German TV station. When a presenter left they needed someone at short notice, and I was persuaded to try out. After two days of training I went live on air.

B?R: Finally, Kate, do you have any words of advice for aspiring sports journalists and broadcasters?

KA: Broadcast journalism is a difficult industry to get into; a lot of it is about being at the right place at the right time. You need determination and a willingness to work the beat and prove yourself as a journalist. Be willing to do the stories that are less glamorous at the beginning, and as long as you’ve got talent and you work at it, somebody, somewhere should see it. And if you get an opportunity to go in front of the camera, it’s important to enjoy it. The more you enjoy it, the more the viewer enjoys it.

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FOX Sports is planning the most expansive multi-platform coverage ever of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, including an unprecedented 16 matches airing live on FOX broadcast network when the tournament commences in Canada this June. FOX Sports televises all 52 games in the expanded tournament from six cities across Canada between June 6 and July 5, live on FOX; FOX Sports 1, America’s fastest growing sports network; and FOX Sports 2. Digitally, all games are available on tablets and mobile devices via the FOX Sports GO app and online at FOXSportsGO.com.