There’s a hat-trick of reasons Eilidh Barbour is excited the league campaign kicks off this weekend.
Not only is the Perthshire TV presenter the face of Sky Sports’ Scottish football coverage but she will have a close eye on the fortunes of her beloved St Johnstone while also following events at Queen of the South, managed by her partner Marvin Bartley.
There is no escape from the beautiful game at home.
She says: “He’s super busy. I have a new found respect for football managers, I have to say.
“The work that goes into it, especially at a club where you’re doing a lot of it yourself, is incredible.
“He doesn’t have a huge backroom staff so he is busy, but not that much has changed.
“Before he got the job we would normally sit and watch football on TV every night.
“I might be watching Champions League and he might be watching an Edinburgh City game on his laptop.
“We do watch quite a lot of football in the house but I make sure that there are plenty of times we get out to get some dinner or do something that doesn’t involve watching the TV or going to football.
“I love it as well, so it’s not a real problem.”
Sky’s the limit
The 40-year-old, from Dunkeld, returned to screens on Saturday for a lunchtime start as Celtic unfurled the league flag at home to Ross County.
She is now joined at Sky – who last year extended their agreement with the SPFL until 2029 in a deal worth £150 million – by former Hoops star Chris Sutton.
The move will see him team up with ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd in the studio.
Eilidh, going into her fourth season fronting Sky’s coverage, says: “With Chris’ arrival it could get a little bit more interesting with some of the pundits we have, but that’s what you want.
“You want pundits with strong opinions and are passionate about the game.
“Whatever people may think of Sutton or Boydy, they don’t lack passion. They love the game and they want to see the best for Scottish football.”
Sky’s lead presenter tends to get a warmer welcome at grounds across the country than some of the pundits.
Eilidh laughs: “I don’t think many people care if you’re a St Johnstone fan or not which is quite fortunate because we’re not usually fighting for things at the top of the table.
“Whatever form of broadcasting you work in, not everyone is going to like you and that’s just part of the job.
“I look at my role and I’m there to keep the programme ticking along, trying to get the best out of the pundits.
“Ultimately, that’s who people at home want to hear from.
“They want to hear the thoughts of the guys who’ve been there and done it, lifting the trophies and experiencing what it’s like to be in the dressing room day in, day out.”
She adds: “I absolutely love what I do. I’m fortunate I get to work in both the Scottish and English games, working in different leagues.
“I think the passion for the game in Scotland is second to none.
“The last few years may not have had a title race that has run down to the wire but I would like to see that this year. It’d be brilliant.
“If we can emulate last season’s Championship and SWPL for drama it would be amazing.”
Awards protest
More than a year has passed since Eilidh found herself in the spotlight after walking out of the Scottish Football Writers’ Awards in protest at comments made by after-dinner speaker Bill Copeland.
She said his remarks were “degrading” to women and included “homophobic jibes”.
It was later alleged Copeland, a former criminal barrister, used racist language to describe Celtic’s Japanese players.
Nicola Sturgeon, first minister at the time, praised Eilidh for her stance, saying: “It is never easy for any woman to speak out in that way, particularly in what is traditionally a man’s world, and Eilidh Barbour and her colleagues deserve credit for doing so.”
Eilidh – the BBC’s lead golf anchor – says: “The football writers’ dinner was a strange situation.
“It doesn’t really affect how the industry is developing and I do think there’s been a lot of real positive movements in terms of making football available to all and creating an environment where everybody can see themselves replicated.
“I wouldn’t have thought my career was possible if I hadn’t seen Hazel Irvine presenting Grandstand when I was a young child.
“You need to be able to relate to people. If you see somebody who looks like you and sounds like you on the TV doing a job then it does inspire young people and that’s right across the board, whether it’s gender or ethnicity or whatever it might be.
“You know you will relate to people who you feel represent the same values or whatever it might be as you do. So representation is so important.
“The Women’s World Cup is on at the moment and we’ve had so much growth within our women’s game and the Scottish league was the most dramatic you’ll see, three teams all going down to the wire [Rangers, Celtic and eventual champions Glasgow City].
“We’ve seen record crowds in the women’s game. It’s growing and becoming a more inclusive place and that I think needs to be reflected in broadcasting.”
‘Important we call things out’
She adds: “Now there is a lot more women working not just in front of camera but behind camera.
“It’s been changing for a few years and moments like the football writers’ dinner are just little nods to the past, opinions that don’t need to be aired in such a public place.
“That wasn’t necessarily just about woman, they ticked off a fair few what you would call minority groups nowadays.
“Football is a game for everyone and nobody should feel like they can’t enjoy it.
“I think it’s important that we call things out that don’t represent our game.”
The film and media studies graduate is now based in Edinburgh but she loves returning home to Dunkeld to see parents Di and Wattie, who still live in the house she grew up in.
“I’ve still got friends that live there and when I come back we’ll go and wander up into the hills.
“It’s nice to get a bit of greenery and a little break from the city.
“I probably didn’t appreciate Dunkeld as much as I should have when I was a teenager, I was always wondering why there was nothing to do.”
Hopes for St Johnstone
And she fears 2023/24 could be a “long season” for her beloved Saints.
Eilidh says: “Steven MacLean’s got a big few weeks ahead of him in the transfer window and there are big holes in that team that need filled.
“We’ve seen from the last couple of seasons that we needed a bit of experience in there.
“It could be a very big few weeks, more off the pitch than on it, to get numbers in the door.
“After the League Cup campaign the pressure is already building which you don’t want to see for any manager.
“Hopefully the transfer window and the first couple of months will all go okay and we start to climb the table by Christmas.”
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