The Big Goal is delighted to have the valued support of Sky Sports News presenter David Garrido, who has agreed to host the National Finals to be staged on the Sir David Beckham pitch at St George’s Park – the Home of England Football – on June 11th and MC the Gala Dinner in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite after the tournament.
David took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some TEAMTALK questions about his life in the Sky Sports News hot seat and his commitment to The Big Goal.
Where did your journalistic career start?
“The first experience I had was doing student radio whilst at university in Oxford – I vividly remember the first time I was on air at Oxygen FM reading a sports bulletin for its Saturday afternoon sports show called Touchline. I knew immediately that I had a real connection with radio and I just kept feeding that from then on. I also presented music shows at Oxygen, which was good fun, but I soon realised that sport was the passion I wanted to pursue.”
What was your big break?
“I entered a campaign called BBC Talent in 2000; think X Factor, but much smaller! It was a nationwide search for presenters, so I entered the sport category and somehow won it. The prize was a contract with BBC Sport, which I started officially after I finished my degree, and I was a BBC staffer for almost 10 years. It was maybe an unconventional route into professional broadcast media, but I wasn’t complaining!”
How long have you been with Sky?
“It’s been 15 years so far. At the start of my career, if someone had offered me almost a decade at the BBC followed by 15 years at Sky, I would have ripped their arm off! But I feel I’ve still got plenty to give, be it at Sky Sports News as a presenter, in my role representing purpose and impact, doing breaking news, Deadline Day and live sport or documentaries. It’s a very exciting place to work where if you have an idea, you can find a home for it.”
What football team do you support?
“Oof… that’s a painful question right now. I support Sheffield Wednesday. Yes, I know, earliest relegation in EFL history and all that. It’s been a horrendous last few years. My team in Spain is Valencia and they’re doing only a tiny bit better in LaLiga – and fair to say that both are bonkers clubs.”
Do you have a story of a worst moment on screen?
“I’m not sure I’ve got a worst moment, but there are plenty of occasions when things have not gone to plan! The one that I get reminded of most was when the cameras captured me taking penalties in a half-time competition at Hillsborough. I had three chances to score past the two mascots, Barney and Ozzie Owl, who were the goalkeepers. The second effort was the most memorable and embarrassing as I spooned it over the bar. Utterly, utterly terrible.”
What’s the most exciting moment you’ve had on screen or a career highlight?
“I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve witnessed some incredible things in elite sport, be it working on radio or TV. I’ve been to three major football tournaments with England, I’ve covered three Champions League finals, numerous Wimbledon Championships, Formula 1 Grand Prix and lots of cricket including all of the 2005 and 2009 Ashes series. But I’d probably have to pick the 2010 World Cup Final, when my favourite player of all time, Andrés Iniesta, scored the winner for Spain against the Netherlands in the 116th minute. It took the edge off England going out in the last 16!”
What is your memory of the first time you presented live?
“I vividly remember my screen test at Sky Sports News. I was convinced it didn’t go all that well. I was a bit fazed by the fact I was in a Sky studio, the lights felt super bright and I just couldn’t say the words ‘Sky channel 405’ so it all got in my head a bit. Thankfully, it didn’t negatively affect my career in the grand scheme of things, as I joined Sky a few months later. My first shift at Sky Sports News went fine, I felt relatively at home, but by this point I had done a fair bit in TV and media, and I was just relieved to get going on air and start building my career at Sky.”
What has been the biggest breaking news you’ve had delivered to your ear while presenting live?
“Sadly, it’s a truly tragic story – I broke the news that Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne had died. It was a huge story; he was only 52 years old when he passed, and we knew him well as one of our top pundits at Sky. Shane was always great to me personally, whether interviewing him in the studio or out in the field. I was on air on that story – and that story only – for two-and-three-quarter hours.
Fortunately, I knew his career well, having covered a fair bit of it, and the work behind the scenes was exemplary as we quickly brought elements to air, memorably the ‘Ball of the Century’ – Warne’s first delivery in Ashes cricket – which completely confounded and dismissed Mike Gatting in 1993. We also spoke about his incredible stats and talked to players who either played with him or against him. It was such a sad day, but at the same time it was a story that I felt we really did justice to on air.”
Why do you support The Big Goal, and what are you looking forward to most about hosting the National Finals again this year, and of course, the Gala Dinner?
“As I’ve got older, the metrics for success in my career have evolved, and now it’s a lot to do with purpose and impact. In other words, I enjoy telling stories that showcase the power of sport and how it can be harnessed for good. The Big Goal struck me as a simple idea of how the world of business can play its part in tackling youth homelessness, and most importantly, help create opportunities for young people to thrive.
The quality of the football is decent, and it was super competitive last year. So I’m looking forward to more of the same, if not better, a real sense of camaraderie between the teams, and a chance for everyone to relax and let their hair down in the evening at the Gala Dinner. St George’s Park is an incredible venue, and I’m sure a fantastic time will be had by all.”
