Jeff Stelling Age & Biography

Jeff Stelling is a 71-year-old British broadcaster, best known for hosting Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports for 29 years. Born on 18 March 1955 in Hartlepool, County Durham, he became one of British television’s most recognisable sports presenters, and he was appointed an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to sport, broadcasting and charity. In October 2026 he joined Celebrity Race Across the World series 4 with his son Matt, racing 7,500 kilometres from Kuching in Borneo to Melbourne on £26 a day per person.

Full Name	Jeff Stelling
Age	71 years old
Date of Birth	18 March 1955
Birthplace	Hartlepool, County Durham, England
Occupation	Broadcaster, sports presenter
Known For	Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports; Countdown; talkSPORT
Partner	Liz Stelling (wife, married 1998)
Net Worth	Not publicly known
Race Across the World	Racing with son Matt; 3rd in Leg 1, 2nd in Leg 2

Who Is Jeff Stelling?

Jeff Stelling is a British broadcaster and sports presenter who hosted Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday from 1994 until May 2023, becoming the voice of Saturday afternoon football for a generation of fans. He also hosted the Channel 4 game show Countdown from 2009 to 2011, and since December 2023 he has presented the breakfast show on talkSPORT. A lifelong Hartlepool United supporter, he became the club’s president in 2015, and in 2026 he swapped the studio for the open road on Celebrity Race Across the World with his son Matt.

Early Life & Background

Jeff Stelling was born on 18 March 1955 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. He grew up supporting Hartlepool United, the football club he would later serve as president, and he began his broadcasting career in radio. In the early 1980s he worked for London’s Capital Radio, and in 1982 he moved into television, presenting the sports news on TV-am, before joining Eurosport and British Satellite Broadcasting.

Career

Stelling joined Sky Sports in 1992, and in 1994 he became the host of Sports Saturday, later renamed Soccer Saturday, which he presented until May 2023. The programme, in which he anchored live reports from football grounds across the country, made him one of British television’s best-known sports presenters. He also hosted the Channel 4 game show Countdown from 2009 to 2011, presented Alphabetical in 2016 and 2017, and worked for Amazon Prime Video, including its coverage of the 2022 US Open, before joining talkSPORT as a breakfast presenter in December 2023.

He was appointed an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to sport, broadcasting and charity, and in 2020 he published a book about his career in football broadcasting, I’ve Got Mail. On 28 October 2026, Stelling began Celebrity Race Across the World series 4 on BBC One, racing with his son Matt. The pair are travelling 7,500 kilometres from Kuching in Borneo to Melbourne, with £26 a day each and no access to flights, phones or credit cards. They finished third in the first leg and second in the second leg, which aired on 4 November 2026. For the full series 4 cast, see our Celebrity Race Across the World 2026 cast guide.

Facts About Jeff Stelling

• He was born on 18 March 1955 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England.
• He hosted Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports from 1994 until May 2023, a run of 29 years.
• He hosted the Channel 4 game show Countdown from 2009 to 2011.
• He was appointed an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours.
• He and his son Matt finished second in the second leg of Celebrity Race Across the World series 4.

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