The Saturday soccer show, which looks ahead to the day’s games, is to end following a drop in ratings
Alex Scott has issued a defiant statement following the decision by BBC bosses to blow the final whistle on Football Focus after a run of 52 years. The presenter, 41, hinted she was already planning to leave and pointed to the fact that the show had been on the decline since way before she took over.
“I always knew this would be my last season on the show, which the BBC were aware of too,” she wrote on Instagram. “My intention was to move quietly into the next chapter, but sometimes things change.”
The sports series, hosted by Alex for the past five years, was first broadcast in 1974. The decision is said to be based on “changing audience behaviours”, with fans increasingly consuming football content via social media.
Alex added: “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. 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.
“It has been such an important part of my life, working with some of the very best people in the business, both on screen and behind the scenes. I’ve loved so much of it, the conversations, the laughter, and sharing so many big moments with you, the audience. Thank you for being part of it.”
BBC Sport chiefs insisted the decision to end the show at the end of the current season was not a reflection on the performance of Scott, who took over in 2021 after Dan Walker’s 12-year stint.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport 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 both 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. We are also working on a very exciting new project with her – more to come on that soon.”
He 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.”
The show started with Bob Wilson as presenter, who stayed in the role for 20 years until 1994. Steve Rider took over until 1996, and after him came Gary Lineker, Ray Stubbs, Manish Bhasin before Walker and then Scott – the show’s first female host.
In an age of content creators and social media, many football fans are no longer tuning in to the BBC1 show. Walker seemed to predict the end of the series back in 2023, when he said: “It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling – I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
Last night Alex, who is dating singer Jess Glynne, said today’s news of the axing had filled her with concern.. “The lead-up to this announcement has felt heavy, and at times it has filled me with anxiety and dread because of the toxicity that can come with social media,” she explained. “I’m often told to ignore it and carry on, but I’m human, just like you.”
Alex will now become the last ever presenter of Football Focus, and is said to have been left feeling “bruised” over the BBC’s inquests into its declining performance. The BBC has not published viewing figures but the audience had dropped off significantly from 849,000 in 2019 to 564,000 by 2023.
The decision to drop the long-running Saturday stalward comes as the Corporation faces an ongoing battle with its income from the licence fee, with BBC bosses saying the shift in viewer behaviour means that “difficult decisions are made around how the licence fee is spent”.
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