- Alicia Ferguson has built an eclectic career in television
- The multiple award-winning Australian ex-national player has lived in London for years
- Ferguson talks about her move to TV, the development of women’s football and other topics
A good ten years ago, Alicia Ferguson’s life took a whole new turn. Looking for a new job after her active career with the strict rules of her athletic routine, the long-time Australian midfielder secured a position as a TV expert at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 ™, among many big names on the US broadcaster ESPN.
Today, Ferguson’s résumé is bursting with television experience in front of and behind the camera. Above all, she now works as a producer for Ultimate Goal, a very successful British sports show looking for the next female football star around the world.
Ferguson’s playing career was also eventful. Born in Brisbane, Ferguson made her debut at the age of 15 and played 66 international games, was the captain of her country, took part in the Olympic Games in her own country and played at two FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Curiously, however, she also holds the record for the fastest red card in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup: at the 1999 tournament in the USA, she was sent off after just two minutes at the age of 17. Ferguson, known for her easygoing manner and her sense of humor, looks back on this moment with equanimity: “There were a lot of circumstances that contributed to this. For example, I hadn’t slept at all that night,” says Ferguson. “It was a very negative experience, but it changed my view of the game and allowed me to mature. “
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© FIFA.com
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A new challenge
As with many other athletes, the transition from the world of sports to the world of work was a great challenge for Ferguson. “When I worked for a TV production for the first time and started at the bottom, I had to be completely retrained,” says Ferguson, who has lived in London since 2012 FIFA.com.
“And retraining like this is quite a challenge for a 30-year-old. You kind of have impostor syndrome but think to yourself,” I’m not good enough for this. “I had just come from Australia and had no friends or family It was all stressful. I had to learn everything for the job very quickly. It’s a bit like a pool full of piranhas because there are a lot of people who want to work in football coverage, especially in the UK.
One of the highlights of my career after playing football was getting into TV production, especially working as a producer Ultimate Goal. That was a huge achievement in such a difficult time, after the lockdown, when so much is still dictated by COVID. A second season of the series is now being produced, which is absolutely phenomenal.
I think it’s particularly great that my work revolves 100 percent around women’s football. I totally love that and I never thought I’d ever get there. It shows how much the popularity of women’s football has grown, especially since I came to the UK in 2012. “
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Highlight of my career was representing Australia at the Sydney Olympics & witnessing the great @CathyFreeman doing what she was born to do….inspiring a nation. https://t.co/p0sjQVbKCs
— Alicia Ferguson-Cook (@EeshFerguson) September 13, 2020
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Invisible barriers
Unsurprisingly, Ferguson wasn’t always welcome in the sometimes male-dominated world of television. “There have definitely been times when I thought if I had been a man of the same background and caliber trying to get a foothold in the industry, I would have been treated very differently.
“I never gave advice on TV production because I was still learning, but there were instances where I offered my football knowledge and analysis and was turned away pretty quickly. And then it was not uncommon for a male producer to do the exact thing said the same thing, and that was then accepted. I was definitely not treated like I was a man. That bias was not easy to endure.
There are still not enough female producers in sport and football. There are more options now – the world is taking its blinkers off and realizing that diversity and inclusion helps the company in a variety of processes. “
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PART ONE | It’s an Arsenal special on Women’s Football Oz Style! ???? ⚪️@stephcatley ????@lydsaussie ????@eeshferguson ????
Plus the Matildas camp, Olympic qualification, and so much more… ????????#OptusSport #WFOZ pic.twitter.com/SsioMkZ9oC
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) May 6, 2021
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From success to success
Ferguson has seen the incredible rise in women’s football throughout her career. When it made its international debut, there were just a handful of viewers. At the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007, Australia made it to the quarter-finals and the media coverage was correspondingly more extensive. In the season in the English WSL that has just ended, one headline followed the next.
“The big difference in recent years is the huge increase in investment by the big (English) clubs and the realization that everyone is pulling together. The realization that it is very positive for every club to have a women’s team .
The level has increased enormously since the players have all been full-time professionals. You can see it in the technique, the stamina, the tactical awareness. The backing, branding and all the infrastructure available at the big clubs have completely turned the game upside down. Still, I don’t think women’s football has grown as fast as anyone who’s been around for a long time would wish. “
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