“On a normal day we are usually at the studios, writing, cutting and producing news pieces or reports for our programmes. I record Real Madrid Life, the show that I present, every Thursday. It’s a nice day, as I get pampered by my make-up artists and stylists before I go on set!” Murray enthused.
And although she doesn’t get to share a lunch table with Florentino Perez (“He is a very busy man!”), Murray’s job with Real Madrid TV means that she boards the same plane as the Madrid boys when they travel to away games and also enjoys exclusive sit-down interviews with them. And in case you were wondering, that list includes Kaka and Ronaldo.
It’s evidently a fantastic gig – and Murray loves every minute of it. So when we asked if Iker Casillas was really as disobliging as we found him to be when we interviewed him earlier this year, Murray was happy to count her lucky stars.
“Working for a football club’s official channel puts you in a very privileged position, in the sense that, you are trusted by the players, who know that you are working in the best interests of the club, and therefore are not likely to ask them anything too controversial or that makes them feel uncomfortable,” she said.
“It used to be difficult to get David Beckham after a Champions League game, because he knew that if he stopped for one person, suddenly from nowhere, about 26 more microphones would appear with eager journalists waiting to pounce and sabotage the interview!”
“In the current team, I love speaking to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, because he is always honest and articulate and you can even have a bit of a joke with him. Unfortunately, he has spent the last year injured, so our paths have not crossed quite as much in the mixed zone. But he is now fit again and I am looking forward to interviewing him again soon,” she added
So it’s no wonder than that van Nistelrooy is also Murray’s favourite Los Blancos player!
She added: “Xabi Alonso is also fast becoming a favourite with both the Spanish and the English versions of the channel, as he takes it all in his stride and is very generous with his time. He gives us interviews in both languages and never complains (Kaká is the same). He is very intelligent and speaks very well.
“Royston Drenthe is a real character too and if it’s honesty you want, then this guy is your man!”
Still, many futbolitas may be wondering what exactly Murray gets up to on match-days, where it is arguably the busiest day of the week for football scribes.
“On a match day, things are pretty different. I usually speak to the fans ahead of the game about current topics surrounding the team, before making my way inside the stadium, where my cameraman and myself are pitch side for the whole game. Afterwards, we have to hotfoot it to the mixed zone to secure our interviews with the players who were key during the game,” she explained.
“When all the fans and the players have left the stadium, our team are back at the studios, cutting the images and interviews we have, so that they can be broadcasted as soon as possible to the viewers.”
Certainly, jet-setting around the world with the world’s most expensive football team to date may seem like the ultimate Dream Job.
Nevertheless, Murray has seen her fair share of unpleasant days – although she admits that it has all been in good fun!
Photo via AS “My unrivalled best memory so far in this job was having to invade the pitch up at the Reyno de Navarra in Pamplona after we won our 31st league title in sensational style. Real Madrid were just one win away from securing the silverware, but it seemed that they would not be celebrating it against Osasuna, after they had conceded a penalty in the 83rd minute and were already one man down after Fabio Cannavaro was sent off for a second yellow. To top things off, the stadium is one of the most hostile grounds in Spain and we were sat in torrential ran without an umbrella. I looked like a drowned rat!” she said.
“But then on the 87th minute, Arjen Robben levelled things out and we were just one goal away from a league win. In added time, Gonzalo Higuain fired home to make it 1-2 and euphoria ensued! We had to get onto the pitch to interview the players, but my cameraman and I were at the opposite corner of the stadium to where they were all celebrating. The security guards had formed a human wall to stop anyone invading the pitch.
“Me and my cameraman ran with all our equipment until we found a gap in the wall. He then shouted to me: “Kay, corre!” (Kay, run!) A security guard was chasing me, but I just kept on running. The adrenaline rush was amazing! Even when I managed to grab Wesley Sneijder, I was being pulled at by a security guard, but I shrugged them off and continued. After all, I had a job to do!”
Murray’s other fond memory involved her post-match interview with Arjen Robben, which followed immediately after the squad’s league triumph.
She said: “On that same night that I invaded the pitch after their 31st league win, I stopped goal scorer Arjen Robben for an interview on the pitch and his first excited response to my question about how he was feeling cannot be printed in a family publication!
“With live TV, this can often happen! Needless to say, the Dutch winger apologised for his language almost instantly after the moment that the words left his mouth!”
| Photo via Reuters And yes, like the loco folks at Panico TV and CQC, Murray has also seen herself on Spanish TV shows that often broadcast humour segments.
“As a blonde girl out here, I stand out, and the Spanish sports shows are not adverse to having me feature in some of their funny reports! Just last week, some little boys were trying their luck up in Gijon ahead of our game with Sporting! They were a little too young for me but the channel had filmed their efforts to woo me and broadcasted it the following day,” she said.
“It was all in good humour and I think in a high pressure job like mine, you have to be able to laugh at these things!”
Murray has also been privileged to enjoy the glitz and glamour of her job, and as a self-professed “Football Barbie” and fashionista, Madrid is working out to be the perfect city for her.
“I am very lucky to have an amazing stylist that I get on with very well. Working with him has allowed me to truly find my own style and I love trying new things out with him. I love the high-street and am a big fan of Zara (especially their Basics Collection), which is very popular here in Spain!” she said.
“I love to splurge on heels, the higher the better, I will always sacrifice comfort for height and elegance! I wear perfume like it is going out of fashion and my signature scent is Dolce and Gabbana’s The One (I get through a 50ml bottle a month). If I could afford a pair of Christian Laboutin shoes, I would probably sleep in them! Lucky for me, Zara do very good copies!”
Ah, Zara. Tell us about it.
Looking back at Murray’s journey, it is one that has undoubtedly stemmed from an unwavering passion for the beautiful game.
“My Dad wasn’t and still isn’t really a big football fan, which surprises a lot of people who know me, considering how much of a fan I am,” said Murray. “It was my Grandad (Granpop) who encouraged my passion for the game, and if we weren’t going to matches together, then we would sit and watch them on the TV. Italia 90 came along at the right time for my nine-year old self. That tournament captured my imagination and football stole my heart and is yet to return it!”
Nicknamed the “The Gazza Girl” by the boys in her school (“I used to wear a T-shirt with his picture on!”), Murray even wore an England tracksuit for her school photo in 1990 and went to a fancy-dress party as Peter Shilton, the country’s most-capped player to date.
“I will always be a Middlesbrough supporter, because they are my hometown club. People often ask me if I also support Real Madrid and I cannot lie when I say that I do. I adore them. When you work so closely with a team, it is very difficult not to develop a connection with them and I think that now, I will always be a Madridista too! I think it’s okay for me to support both a Spanish club and an English club.
“The way things are going at the moment for Boro, these two sides will never meet, but if they did, it would be a dream come true, because it would probably mean that my hometown club would have made it into the Champions League! If Madrid ever did play Boro, it would be tough, but I have to admit that I would be hoping for Middlesbrough to win. At the end of the day, you can’t deny your roots!”
As a teenager – and inspired by her grandfather – Murray was adamant about her passion for the sports media. And indeed, that spurred the die-hard England supporter to chase her dreams.
“I landed myself a job working for Middlesbrough FC’s dedicated channel, Boro TV Extra. During my time there, I decided I wanted to study Journalism to give me more career options, so I left the channel to go and study in London,” she said.
“After graduating, I secured a job on a popular local paper in north London and was there for less than a year when Real Madrid TV came calling. I had a couple of friends who were already working for the channel and so when a position became available, they both put a good word in for me, stating I was definitely the right girl for the job! I sent my show reel and some examples of my written work and in October 2006, I found myself relocating from the capital of rainy England to the capital of sunny Spain!”
For now, Murray’s other wish is to see more girls in the football media industry. And we can’t help but echo her sentiments.
“I am constantly disappointed by the lack of women working in football media, though better that, then a female who is working in the profession and has little or no knowledge whatsoever of the game,” she said.
“It’s a bug to bear when companies give girls with no serious interest in the game, jobs in this field, particularly when they are in it for all the wrong reasons. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic established female sports journalists in Europe, and some really good up-and-coming ones, but it is a sad fact that knowledge of the game is not always a pre-requisite for many companies when they are recruiting.”
Murray also has important advice for budding futbolitas who want to get their foot past the door.
“For anyone hoping to get into the football media, I think the best advice I can give you is to get as much work experience as you can. It’s a great way to learn the ins and outs of the profession and a great way to make contacts. I was the only person, let alone female, on my Journalism course who undertook the compulsory work experience on a sports desk!” she said.
Indeed, it takes great courage to run around a football field in heels and make-up, but Murray is truly a testament to the challenges women face in the crazy – albeit highly rewarding – football world.
While she has seen her fair share of flirty men during the course of her job, Murray always laughs when she recalls one particular story from her childhood, while she was watching the Euro 96 quarterfinal clash between England and Spain.
A young man named Ian had arrived to take Murray for a ride in his new car and he politely asked to see her at the door.
Ah, the sweet sound of fanaticism. Haven’t we all heard it before?
Photos are All Rights Reserved to Kay Murray unless otherwise stated. | Visit Kay’s blog at footballbarbie.futd.com
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November 3, 2009 at 11:16 am
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November 3, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I want to have her job!!!!
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November 3, 2009 at 3:36 pm
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