The decision to cancel Football Focus has left Kelly Cates ‘feeling for those affected’ as she embraces a new era on Match of the Day and opens up on her ‘nepo baby’ fight
Kelly Cates has spoken following the axing of Football Focus and saying the sport isn’t as simple as it used to be.
Match of the Day host Kelly, the daughter of football icon Kenny Dalglish, also revealed being called a “nepo baby” used to frustrate her and says she used the stick to drive her career forward.
The decision to blow the whistle on the much-loved show Football Focus sent shockwaves through the game this week. First broadcast in 1974, the programme is set to come to an end with the BBC “adapting how it brings football coverage to the widest audiences across television, radio, online and to its extensive social platforms”.
Kelly addressed the decision for the first time and told the Mirror. “It’s a moment that lands close to home. I do feel for the people involved. I know a lot of them, and it’s not a decision I’d want to make.”
After five decades as a Saturday staple, the long-running show has fallen victim to a changing football landscape, one where, as Kelly points out is putting traditional format shows under increasing pressure.
“Football just isn’t as simple as it used to be,” she says. “Matches are spread across so many different times now. I don’t know if there’s even room for that old format anymore, but that’s not my decision.”
The timing is particularly striking given her new role at Match of the Day, where she’s part of a refreshed presenting line-up following Gary Lineker’s departure. “I’m really enjoying it. Having three of us doing it helps, it shares the load. Mark Chapman had been waiting a long time for that job, so it all felt like quite a natural shift. There’s continuity, but also something new.”
It’s a delicate balance modernising without losing what viewers love and Cates is well aware of the scrutiny that comes with it.
“It’s not really my business what people say – but the ‘nepo baby’ label used to bother me,” she says, referring to her father, Liverpool legend, Kenny. “But I’m 50 now, and I just get on with it. When I was younger, I wanted to prove people wrong. Now I focus on doing the job.”
Away from the studio, Kelly cheers on her beloved Liverpool and a season that’s never quite clicked. “It’s been difficult,” she admits. “There’s been a lot of change, players leaving. When you lose players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, rebuilding takes time and you can’t underestimate how important pre-season is and that was filled with sadness after losing Diogo Jota. If you don’t hit the ground running, it’s really hard to get that rhythm back.”
Kelly also points to the demands of the modern game. “There’s no real break anymore. Players are being asked to do so much, physically and mentally and it shows across the Premier League.”
As for whether Liverpool can still secure a Champions League place, she remains cautious. “It looks OK, but nothing is ever done until it’s mathematically done.”
Attention will soon shift to the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Kelly believes England have every chance – if they can handle the conditions. “They absolutely have the squad,” she says. “It’s about things like heat, humidity and altitude those factors can decide tournaments.”
In a nod to her Scottish heritage, the star admits: “I’m just happy Scotland is there, I’ll be working over the whole tournament, probably covering a few games at all hours of the night from the UK to begin with.
“I’ll be stocking up on tea, camel wafers, tea cakes the whole lot for the hosts and the crew just get get everybody full of sugar and additives, and we’re going to plough right through, it’s going to be amazing.”
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