The Sky Sports commentator who made Premier League history says visibility still matters

Pien Meulensteen has made football commentary history in a space that has not always made room for women.

The Dutch-born broadcaster moved to the UK in 2001, studied Broadcast Journalism at the University of Salford and built her career across BBC Sport, Sky Sports, ITV, CBS and major international tournaments. In 2023, she became the first woman to commentate on a live Premier League match on Sky Sports, the same year she won the “One to Watch - On Air” award at the British Sports Journalism Awards.

Her work now spans Premier League football, World Cup coverage, the UEFA Women’s Euros, live presenting, punditry and commentary. What makes her story matter beyond sport is the visibility it gives to young people who want to work in broadcasting but may not yet see someone like them in the role.

In this exclusive interview with the Female Motivational Speakers Agency, Pien discusses communication under pressure, why visibility still matters in sport and media, what live football production can teach teams about calm decision-making, and why the best broadcasters make audiences feel included.

Question 1. Whether you are presenting, interviewing or commentating live, how do you adjust your communication style to suit the audience and the moment?

Pien Meulensteen: I think it depends on what you are doing.

If I am talking to a room full of people, it is really important to engage with everyone in that room. You use eye contact to work around the room. You look at everybody, whether they are sat at the back, right at the front or to the side, so everyone feels included in the conversation, the speech or the introductions you are giving.

It is the same if you are introducing someone onto the stage. You want to give them the right introduction to make them feel confident and comfortable when they join you.

When you are on TV and introducing pundits or guests, or doing live interviews, you want to have that engagement and interaction that makes it feel like you are speaking directly to them. Even though thousands of people might be watching, you want the person sat watching the TV to feel it is as relatable as possible.

With commentary, it is completely different because you have to use your tone of voice depending on what is happening. If an amazing goal has gone in and it is a last-minute winner, you hear commentators go to the peak of their voices.

Balance is important. You might have a seven-goal thriller, and that first goal might not be as exciting as the last-minute winner because you want to be able to reach that height.

There is a lot of reading the room, figuring out who the audience is, what you are talking to them about and what kind of experience you want them to have.

Commentary can be very dramatic at certain points, whereas speaking to a smaller room of people might be a little calmer.

Question 2. Why does visibility still matter in sport and broadcasting, especially for people trying to find their place in those industries?

Pien Meulensteen: It is important for anybody growing up or going through school who is not sure what they want to do, but has always dreamed of being part of sport, broadcasting or whatever job they might want to do.

It helps to have role models, idols and people to look up to. If there is someone you can relate to, it does not have to be gender specific. A role model can be anyone, but it is someone whose career you can look at and learn from.

You might look up to the way they found their journey through to a certain point, and that can really inspire you.

It is about inspiring the new generation and the next generation. You want the team to keep growing and people to feel welcome in these spaces.

When people feel welcome, they will thrive. That can start from a young age as well.

It is the same with grassroots football. If you have good grassroots football, you are ultimately going to have brilliant footballers coming through.

It is important to have inspiring figures in the job roles you want to go into, so you can watch their journey, take parts from multiple people and use that to your advantage.

Question 3. Live sport production depends on clarity under pressure. What habit from that environment would help organisations work better as teams?

Pien Meulensteen: I experience a lot of directors and producers in my ear.

When we are on a live production, we always have earpieces in and multiple people speaking to us at the same time. It is very interesting how specific they are about when they speak.

I am not a pilot, so I do not know if this is actually true, but when pilots are flying a plane, it is essential information only. They are very specific about what they say to each other because they are flying a plane and carrying hundreds of people on a massive aircraft.

In a way, it is similar on a live production. You have people guiding you through a really important hour of build-up to a football match.

The director and producer are the ones you rely on to tell you which cameras you are going to, when to throw to break, who the next guest might be and what the next talking point is.

You also have someone counting in your ear to make sure you stay on time. You have statisticians in your ear as well.

It shows the importance of everyone working together seamlessly as a team under pressure, while making sure you do not panic.

You might be under time constraints, but it is about taking a breath, knowing everyone’s role in that specific moment, being clear and concise, and staying calm.

That is an underrated but very important thing when you are working as a big team. Everyone has to work seamlessly together, and that helps everyone in the long run.

This exclusive interview with Pien Meulensteen was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.