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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Bury star swaps shinpads for microphone as he takes on BBC role for new Premier League season

Builders, plumbers and postmen tend to be the careers that semi-professional footballers juggle their activities on the pitch with.

But for Liam MacDevitt, his day job is one most of his team-mates would be delighted to combine with playing. That is because the Bury AFC forward is one of the main reporters for iconic BBC preview show Football Focus.

The 27-year-old has interviewed the likes of Mohamed Salah, Trevoh Chalobah, Jordan Henderson and Phil Foden during his time as a broadcaster. Though the high-profile nature of his role has led to some unintended consequences when he turns out for Bury in the North West Counties Football League.

"My football manager would say it's difficult because I miss training fairly regularly. But it's great. Last year as I was on Football Focus or MOTDx most weeks, I'd get a fair bit of stick from opposite players and supporters, but I don't mind that," he told Mirror Football.

"Getting stick on a football pitch is good fun and it's normally just a bit of banter. It was quite funny last year I'd be on the coach to away games and the coach will have Football Focus on or we'd get to a clubhouse and it would on the TV and I'm there interviewing someone while about to play a game. But overall I get a bit more stick than I used to.

"I love it, it's great. I mainly get stick from the boys, the lads in the dressing room love it when I say something stupid or do something silly on the TV, it's straight in the groupchat. I'm really lucky and fortunate to be in the job and it gives our group chat a bit of fun for people to get onto me."

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MacDevitt plays as a forward for non-league side Bury AFC (Instagram/Liam MacDevitt)

MacDevitt spent several years as a professional player before dropping down to non-league and gaining an internship at the BBC. And he believes that his background as a footballer has created an atmosphere in which his interviewees open up more.

"People tend to be a lot more relaxed. I can relate to certain situations and the football industry is a small world. Normally go off mutual friends or we know some of the same people so rarely do I go into an interview where I don't know a team-mate or I haven't got a friend of a friend who's a team-mate," he added.

"Footballers aren't robots and quite often they're asked to act like robots so to get people in a position where they can feel comfortable to tell you something whether it's something meaningful or just light-hearted and fun. My approach is just to be as chilled as possible.

"Learning everything in an internship over 12 months, learning to edit, learning to script write, learning to shoot, it's something I really enjoyed and still enjoy. I'm pretty hands-on still as a presenter. If I can join in with the creative aspects of telling the story I still try to do that as much as possible."

The new Premier League season gets underway this weekend, with Football Focus also returning to our screens. And MacDevitt is hoping for the chance to interview boyhood hero Steven Gerrard, as well as helping Bury to a second successive promotion.

"It's amazing to represent the community of Bury. We've got a group who can hopefully get promoted again and give a community who have had a tough few years something to cheer about," he said.

He combines his playing career with a role as a reporter for Football Focus (Instagram/Liam MacDevitt)

"The BBC's still one of the biggest platforms to tell stories and I like to tell stories for an audience that might not always see themselves represented. When I was growing up there was very few black and brown broadcasters to look up to. So I take that responsibility quite seriously as well, to be a role model to people.

"I briefly got to speak to Steven Gerrard on a shoot the other day and it was amazing. Normally I'm not much of a fan boy but this one, I used to have a Gerrard shirt every year for my birthday, so if I can get a sit-down with Stevie G, that's the one that's on any Liverpool or England fan's bucket list."

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