Sally has been working for the BBC for 15 years, starting as a broadcast journalist at her local radio station – BBC Radio Merseyside.
She covered many big stories including the Grand National that never was in 1997.
Sally moved to the regional television newsroom and when their sports presenter took a short break, they asked her to step in for six weeks. She remained there for two years.
Read MoreDuring that time Sally travelled around Europe as Liverpool went on their fairytale UEFA Cup campaign in 2001, which ended in success. Liverpool beat Alaves 5-4 in the final after extra time and a golden own goal!
Sally covered the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester – broadcasting live every night. She saw the effect a big sporting event can have on a region and its people. Sally believes that London will benefit in a similar way when the Olympics arrive.
Sally moved to national news, covering many big sporting events including two FIFA World Cups in Germany and South Africa. She says it’s not always as glamorous as it looks. In Cape Town in 2010 her studio was a tiny portacabin with no heating. In the middle of an African winter she broadcast most evenings with a big fluffy blanket over her knees – and a tiny electric heater going full blast!
After the South Africa World Cup Sally decided to look for somewhere in the world where football was making a real difference to people’s lives. That place was Iraq. The Iraqi national football team continues to play despite wars, bombings and huge religious divides between them.
She was privileged enough to spend some time with them, travelling round northern Iraq as they prepared for a big tournament. All the players become terrorist targets simply by being on the team – yet they all took risks simply to play in their national shirt.
