Legendary Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling has been left 'shocked and saddened' after the extent of staff cuts at Sky Sports were revealed.
Stelling has presented the flagship programme since 1994, though came close to leaving the job at the end of last season. That was in response to a first round of cuts that saw Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier leave the broadcaster.
But a fresh round of cuts are set to be made, with major changes to Sky's coverage of football. That includes the cancellation of Saturday morning staple Soccer AM, as well as a shake-up of the reporting team who work on Soccer Saturday.
According to The Sun, veteran touchline reporter Geoff Shreeves is among though who are reportedly at risk of being axed. And The Times report that the proposed changes have left Stelling 'shocked'.
The 68-year-old has verbally told Sky bosses he will continue to present Soccer Saturday next season. But the presenter was not consulted about the broadcaster's proposed shake-up of staff.
And he has told close friends that he has been left 'saddened' by the moves to shed staff. A consultation process is now underway. Thirteen football reporters will need to reapply for their jobs, with some said to be expecting that they will lose their roles.
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After U-turning on his own decision to leave last year, Stelling now works on a season-by-season agreement. Stelling's Soccer Saturday show is set to be affected by the cuts, with many of the 13 reporters working on the programme.
The group have been told about a restructuring of Sky's staff, with seven specialist match reporter role and five 'content creator' posts available for them to apply for. The content creator posts are set to be aimed towards junior staff, in order for them to gain more experience.
Sky Sports News reporters are not affected by the restructuring plan, but Soccer AM is set to be scrapped. The show has been on air since 1995, but dwindling ratings have led to Sky cutting it from the end of the season, with the broadcaster defending the changes.
“Our coverage of football is evolving to reflect the changing habits of our viewers and ensures we continue to deliver the best experience for customers," a Sky spokesperson said.
“Our proposal would mean the creation of new roles and the closing of some existing roles, and we are currently in a consultation period with our people.
“Soccer AM has played an important role in our coverage of football for the past three decades and we continually adapt to the evolving needs of our customers.
"We now go into a period of consultation to discuss the proposed changes with our people. We are unable to provide more detail while these consultations are underway.”
