Soccer AM presenters through the years: how football shows launched the careers of Tim Lovejoy, Helen Chamberlain, Andy Goldstein and Max Rushden

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

The football program has been on air for almost 30 years, but it has just ten episodes left as Sky looks to evolve its weekend coverage.

For many football fans it was THE To extend the Saturday show to the weekend events.

And over the years, it has delivered some iconic moments of television gold, but the staff has announced that it will be ending in May.

It started in 1995, but Sky believes viewers have moved on, and its 10.30am slot will be replaced by Saturday Social.

A Sky spokesperson said: “Football AM has played an important role in football coverage over the past three decades, and we are constantly adapting to the evolving needs of our customers.

“We are now entering a consultation period to discuss the proposed changes with our people. While these inquiries are ongoing we cannot provide further details.’

But the program leaves great memories and helped cement 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 helped produce hosting jobs and make Soccer AM a national treasure.

Lovejoy was the perfect host, being funny and engaging while being rough around the edges and relatable.

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

Following his departure, he joined BBC 5 Live as a football phone-in presenter on 6-0-6, but left in 2009.

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

Helen Chamberlain

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

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

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

Unfortunately, since leaving Soccer AM, Chamberlain hasn’t been on TV much, preferring to spend time on his farm rescuing animals.

But last year he appeared in public with Fallon Sherrock in darts.

Max Rushden

talkSPORT’s Rushden arrived on Soccer AM in 2008 and stayed with the show until 2015.

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

It was hot and funny, but the show tried to be more professional so they replaced it.

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

So Sky Sports’ loss was definitely talkSPORT’s gain.

Andy Goldstein

Goldstein is another current talkSPORT host who had a spell at Soccer AM and has gone on to become an excellent broadcaster.

The 49-year-old replaced Lovejoy in 2007, but did not 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.