Emma Sanders: BBC Sport’s Senior Women’s Football Reporter Driving First-Class Coverage of the Women’s Game
Emma Sanders is the Senior Women’s Football Reporter at BBC Sport, based in Manchester. She leads women’s football news coverage across digital, radio, and television, with a brief that includes the Women’s Super League (WSL), the Women’s Champions League and the England national team. Colleagues and readers know her for authoritative reporting, clear storytelling, and a commitment to elevating the women’s game.
Career Overview: From Liverpool Roots to National Spotlight
Early steps in sports journalism
Long before she became a familiar name to BBC audiences, Emma Sanders cut her teeth on Merseyside. Between 2016 and 2017 she worked with the Liverpool Echo, reporting on cricket and non-league football. This grounding taught her the nuts and bolts of live match coverage, quick turnarounds and community-driven sports stories—skills that continue to define her work.
Joining the BBC and building a beat
In February 2018, Sanders joined BBC Sport as a Broadcast Journalist. Over the next six and a half years she became a go-to name on the BBC Sport website’s live text coverage, bringing both the men’s and women’s games to life for millions of readers. Her voice and analysis also began to feature on radio and TV, reflecting a growing on-air presence.
Promotion to Senior Women’s Football Reporter
In August 2024, Emma Sanders stepped into her current role as Senior Women’s Football Reporter. The remit is expansive: lead news coverage, break stories, set the agenda across BBC platforms and bring audiences closer to the players, coaches and decision-makers shaping women’s football. The timing of her promotion neatly aligned with a period of rapid growth in the women’s game, where strong, specialist journalism is in high demand.
Education and Training Of Emma Sanders
University of Salford: a journalism foundation
Emma Sanders studied Journalism (BA Hons) at the University of Salford from 2012 to 2015. Salford’s practical newsroom culture and proximity to major broadcasters provided a strong launchpad. During this period she undertook short placements with The Independent, the Evening Standard and Liverpool Football Club—useful windows into national newsrooms and elite-level football communications.
Early bylines and portfolio building
Alongside her local reporting, Sanders built a body of written work in the mid-2010s, honing analysis and long-form features. This early versatility—live blogs, match reports, features—underpins the multi-platform breadth of her BBC remit today.
The Beat: WSL, Champions League and England
WSL agenda-setting
At BBC Sport, Emma Sanders is at the forefront of WSL reporting: transfer lines, injury updates, managerial movement and the stories that define each weekend. Her live and post-match analysis distils complex tactical shifts into crisp, readable insights. The WSL’s growth demands consistent, reliable coverage; Sanders delivers it with a news-first instinct that keeps fans informed and insiders attentive.
European stage and international windows
Sanders’ brief extends across Europe. Whether it’s an English side navigating the Women’s Champions League knockout stages or England preparing for a major tournament, she connects readers to the bigger picture—how club and country narratives intertwine, how player development at domestic level fuels international success, and how governance decisions ripple across competitions.
Radio and TV appearances
Beyond the written word, Emma Sanders contributes regularly on BBC radio and television. These studio and pitch-side roles broaden her audience, while her background in live text cultivates the same concision and clarity listeners appreciate in on-air analysis.
Style and Substance: What Sets Emma Sanders Apart?
News sense and sourcing
Women’s football is evolving quickly, and credibility matters. Sanders’ work is marked by careful verification, balanced tone and a willingness to amplify voices across the game—from academy prospects to established internationals and the administrators shaping policy.
Clarity, context and care
Her pieces frequently add context: historical benchmarks, comparative stats, and the human stories behind big results. She also shows care in tackling sensitive topics, striking the balance between necessary scrutiny and respect for the people involved.
Public Profile: Social Media and Professional Presence
Twitter/X: @em_sandy
Emma Sanders maintains an active presence on X (Twitter) under the handle @em_sandy, where she shares breaking lines, live coverage and post-match reflections. Her bio notes her role as Senior Women’s Football News Reporter at BBC Sport and lists Manchester as her base. She’s transparent that views are her own and flags that she also appears on Bluesky and TikTok. As of late September 2025, she has comfortably over forty thousand followers—a reflection of how closely the women’s football community follows her updates.
Birthday and privacy
Sanders lists her birthday as 29 November, but does not publicly share her year of birth. Like many journalists, she keeps personal details such as family and relationship status private. The professional/public boundary she maintains is both understandable and typical within UK media.
Not to Be Confused: Emma Sanders vs Emma Saunders
It’s easy to mix up names—especially with two prominent female football broadcasters working in the UK. Emma Sanders is BBC Sport’s Senior Women’s Football Reporter. Emma Saunders is a Sky Sports presenter and touchline reporter who has also been publicly associated with charitable work through the Encephalitis community and has featured in recent tabloid and radio reports for personal health updates and her relationship with a high-profile manager. The similarity in names and overlapping football focus can mislead casual readers; remembering the employer (BBC vs Sky) is the quickest way to keep them distinct.
Milestones and Highlights
Breaking and live coverage
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Lead WSL coverage: As the league professionalises further, Sanders drives BBC news lines that shape the weekly conversation.
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Champions League runs: When English clubs make deep runs in Europe, she covers the narrative from training ground notes to post-match detail.
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England windows: Tournament squads, injuries, and tactical shifts—expect Sanders to contextualise what it means for St George’s Park and beyond.
Earlier assignments and features
Before assuming senior leadership on the women’s beat, Emma Sanders contributed widely across football. That experience in men’s coverage and at the Liverpool Echo—plus early analytical writing—strengthened her range and added depth to her women’s football reporting.
Why Emma Sanders Matters to the Growth of Women’s Football
Visibility and accountability
High-quality journalism does more than describe matches; it creates accountability and elevates standards. By consistently reporting on governance, investment, coaching and pathways, Emma Sanders ensures the women’s game is covered as seriously and rigorously as the men’s.
Storytelling that builds audiences
Compelling stories bring new fans into the fold. Sanders’ approachable writing style helps casual viewers understand why a WSL fixture matters, what a European quarter-final reveals about squad construction, or how youth development underpins England’s long-term prospects.
A trusted voice in a crowded space
As women’s football attracts greater media attention, trusted voices are essential. Sanders’ blend of on-the-ground reporting, careful sourcing and clear explanations makes her a reliable guide for fans, players and stakeholders alike.
Quick Facts: Emma Sanders
Role
Senior Women’s Football Reporter, BBC Sport (since August 2024).
Location
Manchester, England (hybrid BBC working pattern).
Education
BA (Hons) Journalism, University of Salford (2012–2015). Early placements with The Independent, the Evening Standard and Liverpool Football Club.
Previous roles
Liverpool Echo (Cricket Reporter; Non-league Football Reporter, 2016–2017). BBC Sport (Broadcast Journalist, 2018–2024).
Platforms
Active on X (Twitter) as @em_sandy; also references presence on Bluesky and TikTok.
Birthday
29 November (year not publicly confirmed).
The Bottom Line
Emma Sanders has become one of the most recognisable and trusted journalists covering women’s football in the UK. Her path—from Liverpool-area reporting to BBC Sport leadership—mirrors the broader rise of the women’s game itself. With an eye for news, a steady on-air presence and a clear commitment to context, Sanders’ work helps set the agenda week after week. As the WSL and the wider women’s football ecosystem continue to expand, her reporting will remain central to how fans, clubs and governing bodies understand the sport.
