Veteran Sky Sports News presenter Nick Powell retires after 43 years in broadcasting

Powell, who has been a familiar face on Sky Sports for 29 years, will officially step away from the screen on his 66th birthday.

Over the decades, Powell has covered some of the most iconic moments in sports history, including England’s Ashes victory in 2005, Super Saturday at the London 2012 Olympics, and Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win in 2013.

Reflecting on his career in a farewell message published on Sky Sports' website, Powell recalled some of his most unforgettable moments in journalism.

“And there you have my job in a nutshell: holiday irrelevant; knowledge, authority and quick reactions essential.I have built all that up over 43 years of live broadcasting, good and bad.”

He listed both the highlights and the more difficult moments of his career:

“The good – being there for England men’s first Ashes win in 20 years at The Oval in 2005, Super Saturday at the 2012 London Olympics, and Andy Murray’s 2013 Wimbledon triumph.

“The bad – the Bradford fire, the Hillsborough disaster and the premature loss of sportspeople like Gary Speed.And the surreal – interviewing Archbishop Desmond Tutu and covering a Bruce Springsteen concert on the same afternoon for Yorkshire Television, or explaining The Hundred to viewers of Sky Germany. In German.”

He added: “People often ask about difficult interviewees. Very few. Even those I was warned about in advance, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Princess Anne and playwright Alan Bennett, could be charming if you played it right.

“Naturally, Fergie wasn't always. But he once gave me a touchline interview I didn't actually want. Believe it or not I wanted Clayton Blackmore (who had just scored the only goal at Sheffield United). We would get the great man himself later. But in the tumult he misheard me and put up a finger to say "in one minute", after which he duly presented himself in front of my camera. We did not send him away.

“There is a different kind of tricky interviewee - the one who won't stop. I had the legendary boxing promoter Don King live from New York as the final item in a programme. I don't think he would have stopped talking if his mouth had been sellotaped. He was certainly still going as I said goodbye to the viewers.”

Despite the challenges, Powell looks back at his career with pride and gratitude. One of his most cherished memories was covering Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League title in 2020 an emotional moment for him as a lifelong fan.

“And now it’s a final goodbye.Favourite moment? So many, but as a born and bred Liverpool fan, it’s hard to beat being on air for their first league title in 30 years.

“As it turned out, between the final whistle going on Manchester City’s defeat at Chelsea, which meant Liverpool could not be caught, and the start of a special programme fronted by David Jones to mark Liverpool’s triumph, I had precisely 12 seconds. But that’s live television for you.”