Longtime English Premier League broadcaster Jon Champion has been named as ESPN's new play-by-play voice for MLS beginning in the 2019 season in what will be his second run as a full-time ESPN commentator. He was ESPN UK’s lead football announcer, covering the English Premier League, UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup Final from 2009-2013.
Champion (pictured above, left) will soon relocate to the United States with his family for this new multi-year assignment, where he will partner with analyst and former New England Revolution striker Taylor Twellman.
“I am thrilled to be joining ESPN on a full-time basis to cover MLS and the other soccer properties now in the company’s growing portfolio,” Champion said in a statement. “It’s a big adventure to move my family to the US and a significant personal challenge after more than 30 years of covering the sport in Europe. I’ve really enjoyed working on MLS on my frequent visits and now I get the chance to call the matches on a weekly basis and to relate the whole story as the league enters an exciting phase of its development.”
Champion joined ESPN in the United States in 2014 as a play-by-play commentator for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil — his first international soccer event for a US audience. His work garnered critical acclaim and led to assignments on other marquee events, including the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France, UEFA’s FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, and the International Champions Cup..
Champion joins the ESPN roster of soccer play-by-play voices, which also includes Ian Darke, Adrian Healey, Mark Donaldson, Max Bretos and others.
Champion began his broadcasting career with BBC Radio in the 1980’s, covering his first World Cup in Italy at 25 years of age. In 1995, he was invited to join the commentary team on the iconic BBC TV show ‘Match of the Day’. In 2001, he transferred to ITV, where he called games in the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League in addition to seven League Cup Finals.
In 2010, ESPN loaned the in-demand Champion back to ITV, where he called the FIFA World Cup in South Africa alongside former Scotland national team player and ESPN FC analyst Craig Burley.
