Soccer AM presenters over the years – how football show launched careers of Tim Lovejoy, Helen Chamberlain, Andy Goldstein and Max Rushden

It’s the end of an era as Sky Sports have confirmed that the iconic Saturday morning breakfast show Soccer AM will end.

The football programme has been on the airwaves for nearly 30 years but has just ten episodes left as Sky look to evolve its weekend coverage.

Several famous names, including a couple of talkSPORT presenters, started their careers on Soccer AM

For many football fans, it was THE Saturday show to build up to the weekend’s action.

And over the years, it provided some iconic moments of TV gold, but staff have been informed it will end in May.

It started in 1995, but Sky feel the audience has moved on, and its 10:30am slot will be replaced by Saturday Social.

A Sky spokesperson said: “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.”

But the programme leaves some great memories and helped forge the careers of several top broadcasters.

Tim Lovejoy

Lovejoy was one of the original hosts of Soccer AM and was on the show from 1996 to 2007.

He juggled co-host duties with producing and helped turn Soccer AM into a national treasure.

Lovejoy was the ideal host, as he was funny and engaging while being rough around the edges and relatable.

The 54-year-old helped make the programme what it was and became an iconic figure.

Following his departure, he joined BBC 5 Live as co-host of football phone in 6-0-6 but was dropped in 2009.

And in March 2012, the former Soccer AM presenter landed a role on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, which he still presents.

Sky

Lovejoy was the co-host during Soccer AM’s peak years Helen Chamberlain

Chamberlain was with Soccer AM from the very start and remained on the show until 2017.

She became the face of Saturday mornings on screens up and down the country and worked well with Lovejoy.

The 55-year-old, like her co-host, participated in some iconic on-screen moments and was a huge reason why Soccer AM was a big success.

Unfortunately, since she departed Soccer AM, Chamberlain hasn’t been on TV much – preferring to spend time on her farm rescuing animals.

But she did appear in public last year with Fallon Sherrock at the darts.

Chamberlain was the ideal host for Soccer AM Max Rushden

talkSPORT’s very own Rushden arrived at Soccer AM in 2008 and remained with the show until 2015.

The 43-year-old started at BBC London but got his big break through Sky and became a recognisable name.

He was warm and funny but was replaced as the show attempted to become more professional.

Rushden now has a weekly Sunday show on talkSPORT with Barry Glendenning and has made the game Culverhouse a big thing, while he also hosts The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast.

So Sky Sports’ loss was most certainly talkSPORT’s gain.

Rushden’s career has progressed since leaving Soccer AM Andy Goldstein

Goldstein is another current talkSPORT host who had a spell on Soccer AM and has become a great broadcaster.

The 49-year-old replaced Lovejoy in 2007, but he didn’t last long and was moved on after one season.

But all was not lost, and Goldstein has become a talkSPORT staple, first on The Sports Bar and now on Drive.

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