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Jeff Stelling is a television presenter best known for fronting Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday
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Stelling is due to leave Soccer Saturday at the end of the 2021-22 campaign
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Read below for more on Jeff Stelling net worth and his career thus far
Unlike many of his colleagues on TV, Jeff Stelling never featured in betting odds. Instead, Stelling became a national celebrity as a member of the media, working his way up to become the face of Sky Sports’ Saturday afternoon football coverage.
Anyone following their live betting for 3pm kick offs on a Saturday would be tuned into Jeff and the team on Soccer Saturday.
Stelling’s career has gone far beyond a lengthy Saturday shift, though, as he’s become a recognisable face and voice whether you’re a football fan or not.
Stelling has received acknowledgement for his contribution to sports media in the UK.
Many put the success of Soccer Saturday down to his outstanding work as a frontman, developing chemistry with reporters and pundits while storing thousands of nuggets of information about players and teams across the divisions.
How Much Is Jeff Stelling Worth?
Most Jeff Stelling net worth estimations come in at around £2 million. It’s hard to get an exact figure for this, as there has been no public reporting of his salary throughout his career.
Where occasional leaks will reveal the earnings of BBC presenters like Gary Lineker and Dan Walker, it’s more of a guessing game with Stelling.
Of course, knowledge of Stelling’s financial circumstances away from Sky is limited, too. It’s fair to assume he’s on a hefty salary given his experience and importance to Sky, but there’s no way to know how this translates to his net worth.
Stelling lives in Hampshire. Details of his house and its value are unknown, though Stelling briefly mentioned that they have a large home and sizeable garden in an interview about their cats in 2021.
Speaking about the nine cats, Stelling said, “It makes for a busy house! My wife, in particular, is a big animal lover. We’ve always had cats but never this many.
"One was a feral cat, another was a rescue cat that was dumped when the owners moved house. For our ginger tom, Gilbert, the vet rang up and said ‘we’ve got one without a home, any chance?’”
Personal Life
Stelling lives with his wife Liz and his children – Robbie, Matthew and Olivia – in Bishop’s Waltham. Jeff and Liz got married in 1998 in Richmond upon Thames.
He’s been a prominent fundraiser for charity, most notably taking on several mammoth walks for Prostate Cancer UK.
Across 10 days in 2016, Stelling walked from Hartlepool to Wembley and the following year he completed the equivalent of 15 marathons in 15 days, starting at Exeter City’s home ground and ending at Newcastle United’s stadium.
Stelling has also produced one of the best sports autobiographies to give further insight into his life away from the Sky studio.
Jeff Stelling Best Quotes
Even if your Premier League predictions aren’t working out, Jeff Stelling can brighten the Saturday afternoon with his obscure stats and pinpoint puns. Here are his best Soccer Saturday quotes.
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“Gareth Jellyman of Mansfield Town has been sent off, hope he doesn't throw a wobbly!"
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“That's Steve Howey's third-ever League goal and he's never scored more than two in a season before.”
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“Middlesbrough is the second greatest place to live in Britain! Behind Hartlepool.”
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“Dean Gerken, momentarily in a pickle.”
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“At Wigan at times, Conor Sammon looked like a fish out of water.”
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“Just not focussed enough, Camara, for that snapshot.”
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“I was doing a bit of research during the week… the Brighton council leader’s name is Jason Kitcat… don’t laugh, give him a break.”
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“Billy Paynter had a brush with the referee and has been sent off.”
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“Stephen Hendrie has put through his own goal. His side are snookered now.”
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“We’ve had Jack Marriott score for Luton and Danny Hylton has scored for Oxford United. We just need Tommy Travelodge to score for a unique hat trick”
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“Three Egyptians in the squad today, as far as Hull as are concerned. I suppose if you want to climb the football pyramid…”
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“Matt Rhead the former JCB worker pulls one back for Mansfield, can he dig them out of a hole?”
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“Herring has been sent off, red Herring.”
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“Santa Cruz has got a clause in his contract — a Santa clause.”
Media Career
Jeff Stelling’s first job in sports media was with Radio Tees covering Middlesbrough in the 1970s.
He swapped the northeast for the southeast when he joined London-based LBC Radio in the 1980s ahead of a switch to BBC Radio 2 to cover the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics.
Stelling was a sports newsreader for TV-am, BSB, Eurosport and Channel 4 ahead of joining Sky in 1992. He initially presented the horse racing, greyhounds, darts and snooker for Sky.
A couple of years after joining the company, Stelling was handed the presenting gig for Sports Saturday.
Four years later, this became Gillette Soccer Saturday, and in its early years often featured Rodney Marsh, George Best and Chris Kamara as Stelling orchestrated coverage of every match around the country.
Remaining as the lead of Soccer Saturday, Stelling took on Monday Night Football presenting duties in 2005 and replaced Richard Keys as the host of Sky’s Champions League coverage in 2011.
After three decades with Sky, Stelling announced that he will be leaving the role at the end of 2021-22 and it’s expected that Mark Chapman will replace him.
Stelling’s departure from Sky is just part of an overhaul of Soccer Saturday. Sky’s Saturday afternoon football odds coverage will look very different in seasons to come.
Away from the sports world, Stelling started hosting Countdown in 2009.
He even appeared in an episode of hit comedy The IT Crowd as Countdown presenter, but his time on the show was relatively short-lived as he handed over to Nick Hewer in 2011.
Stelling also hosted a show called Alphabetical on ITV and has cameoed in Ted Lasso.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 22nd March 2022
