ESPN Hires British Announcer Tyler For World Cup

Martin Tyler has been a fixture in the booth for the World Cup since 1978, so it comes as no surprise that ESPN had been targeting for the 2010 Cup in South Africa. Via ESPN PR....

Martin Tyler, one of the most accomplished and respected television play-by-play commentators in the United Kingdom for over 35 years, will join ESPN for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament in South Africa. Tyler, who has called matches in every FIFA World Cup since 1978, will be the lead play-by-play voice for ESPN’s exclusive English-language coverage in the United States, which will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN360.com and ABC. He will make his ESPN telecast debut Friday, June 11, 2010, at 9:30 a.m. ET, the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Voted the “FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade” in 2003 by fans and a panel of football experts, Tyler has been with the London-based Sky Sports network since its launch in 1991. His arrival at Sky Sports coincided with the formation of Premiership football and Sky’s acquisition of the league’s broadcast rights. Tyler has led Sky’s critically-acclaimed soccer commentary team, calling some of the Premier League’s best matches.

“Martin Tyler is one of the top English-language soccer commentators in the world; his experience, authentic style and in-depth knowledge of the game will help elevate ESPN’s presentation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, informing and entertaining our viewers in the United States,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, event production.

It's great that ESPN is finally understanding that they can't just throw their current announcers into something as big as overseas Soccer. Now with Tyler, American JP Dellacamera, Tommy Smyth and Andy Gray on board, ESPN has two great pairs they can put out for the World Cup. As long as they don't decided to bring the dreadful Dave O'Brien back. Here's a somewhat annoying remix of some famous Tyler calls, in case you want to get a taste of what he's like....



Martin Tyler to Call World Cup Games for ESPN! (SS Reporters)