Jon Champion

103
Jon Champion bigraphy, stories - Soccer

Jon Champion : biography

23 May 1965 –

Jon Champion (born 23 May 1965 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire) is a sports commentator and currently ESPN UK’s number one football commentator. Champion is a well-established and experienced commentator who has also worked for the BBC and ITV over the past 20 years. He has commentated on four FA Cup Finals and six League Cup Finals, as well as numerous games across the Premier League, Champions League and Football League.

His late father David Champion was the deputy headmaster of the independent school Bootham School, York. Jon’s commentaries can also be heard on the worldwide feed of many Premier League and League Cup matches around the globe.

Amusing quotes

A regular figure in Private Eye’s Colemanballs, below are a few memorable lines:

  • "A full-blooded encounter for a number of reasons, many of them illegitimate."
  • "They seem to be in total, if not complete control"
  • "Victor Hernandez, like an orchestral conductor directing his troops…"
  • "Two late goals, both in the last twenty minutes…"
  • "There’s 30 minutes gone and we’re in the first quarter of the game."
  • "Given away by Carvalho… here’s Rooney, it’s a horrible error by the Portuguese!!!"

As a commentator:

  • Match Intro – Arsenal vs. Man Utd (January 2007) "Meetings between these clubs are never dull, they are often momentous. League championships have been won… tempers have been lost… pizzas have been thrown."
  • Celtic vs. Milan (February 2007), after Alberto Gilardino performed a clear dive in the box: "And Gilardino’s gone down almost posthumously!"
  • In the 94th minute of Turkey vs. Czech Republic (June 2008) "If a spaceship landed in the centre circle, direct from Mars, I wouldn’t be surprised now."
  • Just after kick off in the England v Czech Republic international friendly (August 2008) "His predecessor was a legend, but he just looks like a plumber." About the Czech Republic manager.
  • Manchester United v Middlesbrough (December 2008) "And here is Ronaldo…and he’s fallen over."
  • Newcastle’s 3 – 0 loss to Liverpool (May 2009) and two matches shy of relegation, after a lingering look from behind the goal in which a knotted bit of netting can be seen. "Is that the hangman’s rope in the picture there? . . . Newcastle, hovering over the trap door."
  • Liverpool vs. Everton (January 2009), after a goal by Joleon Lescott "As a paid-up member of the centre-backs’ union, he’ll be forced to retire after scoring from there."
  • Arsenal vs. Chelsea 0-3 (November 2009), after Didier Drogba’s opening goal: "Same old story! Arsenal play the football; Chelsea have the goal!"

Other media

He has been commentator in the Pro Evolution Soccer series since PES 2008. He will again feature in PES 2012 onwards, this time not alongside Mark Lawrenson (who featured in the game for as long a period of time as Champion) but with newly-installed co-commentator Jim Beglin.

Contacts

Jon Champion is represented by Innovative Sport & Media Presenters.http://innovativesportmedia.com/ism.html More in depth professional information can be found on To contact his management team view their website or call: 0207 121 5003

World Cup 2010

Champion was selected as a commentator for ITV at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and most notably of all his matches, he commentated on the Netherlands v Japan match in the group stages.

ITV Sport

In the summer of 2000 ITV surprised the BBC with a successful bid for Premier League highlights. This kicked in from 2001, and left the BBC without any regular week-by-week football. Champion therefore moved to join ITV in 2001, and was a regular part of ITV’s commentary team for the Premier League, League Cup, Football League and the UEFA Champions League.