NEW Match of the Day host Gabby Logan is no stranger to our screens with sporting prowess running through her family.
Logan, 51, will be part of a three-person presenting team alongside Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates from next season after a BBC shake-up.
PAGabby Logan will be hosting Match of the Day full-time when Gary Lineker leaves in May 2025[/caption]
GettyBradford City Manager Terry Yorath[/caption]
SplashGabby Logan with Kenny Logan[/caption]
GettyTerry Yorath, Coventry City Football Player, pictured at home with wife Christine Yorath, daughters Gabby, Louise and Daniel in 1978[/caption]
Logan, Cates and Chapman will share presenting duties for the flagship Match of the Day on a Saturday night, plus Match of the Day 2 on Sunday evenings.
Popular presenter Logan is already well known for her work with the BBC, and has become one the UK’s leading hosts.
And she is already a familiar face for MOTD viewers, having presented the show in Lineker’s absence on many occasions.
Logan also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Women’s Euros in 2023.
But it is not just Gabby who is a famous sporting name in her family.
Her father is former Welsh international footballer Terry Yorath.
Although born and bred in Cardiff, much of Yorath’s sporting career was spent at Yorkshire clubs, including Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday.
Terry also managed Bradford City and steered the club to promotion to the Second Division in 1985.
As a child, Gabby moved around a lot due to her dad’s career, which also sparked her interest in football.
Long before she rose to fame as a TV presenter, Gabby had very different career ambitions.
The TV star was a teenage rhythmic gymnast and represented Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games when she was 17.
Gabby inherited her dad’s athletic gene as she was good at netball and high jump at school but excelled at gymnastics.
She was a gymnast during her teen years and her peak came in 11th place in rhythmic gymnastics while representing Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Gabby is also married to former Scotland international rugby union player Kenny Logan.
The couple, who live in Buckinghamshire, tied the knot in 2001 before welcoming twins Lois and Reuben in 2005.
Sharing the secret to their longstanding marriage in a recent interview, Gabby described their relationship as a “team sport”.
Following the announcement of her new role, Gabby said: “It’s always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history.
“It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TVs changed so much.
“There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day.
“People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”
It comes after a statement posted on MOTD’s X, formerly Twitter, page read: “New squad for next season!
“We’re delighted to announce that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share Match of the Day presenting duties from 2025-26.”
Former England striker Lineker has hosted the highlights programme since 1999.
He will continue to front the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage next season and its coverage of the 2026 World Cup finals.
Lineker said last month it had been a “joy and a privilege” to present Match of the Day.
Who are the new Match of the Day hosts?
MARK CHAPMAN
Chapman, 51, already has the gig as MOTD2 host on a Sunday night.
He also landed the hosting job for the new BBC Champions League highlights show.
Though not a former player, Chappers has shown his quality as a presenter and will be an able replacement.
GABBY LOGAN
Logan – who at 51 is the same age as Chapman – is one of the understudies to step in when Lineker is not available.
A vastly-experienced broadcaster, presenter and host, Logan seems to have done it all to cover sport for BBC TV – doing everything from Sports Personality of the Year to the Olympics, including Paris 2024.
She joined Lineker, Scott and Chapman as Euros presenters and is now on the BBC and Amazon Prime teams for the 2024-25 Champions League.
Logan joined the BBC in 2007 and was the main face of Final Score from 2009 to 2013.
KELLY CATES
Cates has worked for the BBC on and off since 2013, for Radio 5 Live.
She presented iconic fan phone-in show 606 alongside Ian Wright on Sunday’s between 2013 and 2018.
After joining Sky Sports her role was reduced, but Cates returned to host a midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport, mostly on Tuesdays, while she also provided coverage of the 2022 World Cup.
The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish became a TV presenter at Sky Sports, working on several Premier League shows including Friday Night Live and Super Sunday, which she appeared on for the Manchester Derby today.
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