Seeing red and losing your head: 10 infamous World Cup moments
From “The Battle of Berne” 72 years ago to an uninvited guest at the Qatar 2022 final trophy presentation, here are 10 moments from World Cup history that weren’t exactly in the script…
Search Results for: Philip Barker
Mullery, Maradona and a Diana Ross miskick: World Cup TV memories from Mexico and the USA
The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup begins in Mexico City on Thursday, and those viewers who recall the 1970 tournament may well marvel at just how much has changed over the years; here, broadcasting historian Philip Barker looks back at how Mexico’s first two stints as hosts were presented on TV, and also when the USA welcomed the world in 1994…
Hidden history of women’s cricket in England is celebrated in essential new book
‘The Women in Whites: A History of Women’s Cricket in England’ by Raf Nicholson will change perceptions about the evolution of the game, putting pioneering players and innovators in the spotlight…
Running the World ‘for Dear Life’: How ‘Sport Aid’ raised millions for famine relief 40 years ago
The 15th edition of ‘Soccer Aid’ will be held on May 31, with more than £120 million raised for UNICEF since the charity football match began in 2006; back in 1986, ‘Sport Aid’ featured all-star exhibitions in various sports in the year after the ‘Live Aid’ concerts, including ‘The Race Against Time’ which saw an estimated 20 million people run worldwide; here, Philip Barker looks back on the event…
Final farewell to ‘Trans World Sport’ – the ambitious anthology show that ran for 38 years
A Saturday morning staple for a generation of British sports fans, ‘Trans World Sport’ has been produced continuously since 1987 – until this week; the show introduced viewers across the globe to future legends like the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods; Philip Barker was the first person hired to work on the programme; here, he looks back on its unique broadcasting journey…
AIPS launches ‘Vote for the Champions of 2025’
AIPS has opened its end-of-the-year poll to choose the very best of 2025; AIPS members from all over the world can vote for the Best Athletes and Team of 2025, and the sporting event that provided the best working conditions for journalists…
Gerry Harrison 1936-2025: Leading football commentator in 1970s and 1980s remembered
Throughout the Seventies and early Eighties, Gerry Harrison was the voice of football for ITV Anglia viewers. Philip Barker looks back on Harrison’s broadcasting career, with help from Tony Jones…
Ashes summer 50 years ago featured vandalism and ‘freaker’ but made star out of Steele
The England cricket team of today has been taking on India in a feisty five-Test series, but half a century ago, Australia were visiting for a four-Test Ashes defence; SJA secretary and historian Philip Barker looks back on July, August and September 1975, and how sports journalists covered an unusual contest…
That marvellous moment! London 2012’s thrilling bid victory remembered, 20 years on
In the first week of July 2005, Britain was on tenterhooks, as decision day loomed for the cities bidding to host the 2012 Olympics; two decades on, the SJA’s Philip Barker looks back at the build-up to London’s name being pulled from IOC President Jacques Rogge’s envelope…
SJA AGM: Best wishes and goodbyes to Barker and Green, as Palacio joins committee
The 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Sports Journalists’ Association was held on Thursday 12 June; Philip Barker and James Green step down from committee, with Laurie Palacio joining; in Chair’s report, Ashley Broadley reflects on a year of evolution and modernisation for the SJA…