Laura Woods has just returned from Qatar but has yet to find time to interview Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester, complete her Christmas shopping, and pick up her dog from the dog sitters (although she says, it was more of a training camp because Lulu can be a little bit badly behaved at times).
The month has been a whirlwind for the 35-year-old presenter, who covered the World Cup on ITV with Gary Neville and Roy Keane, an event she describes as a rite of passage.
Extremely few individuals reach the top of the broadcasting industry. In 2009, Woods began working as a runner for Sky, but she admits that there were times when she believed she would never succeed.
She explains over Zoom, “I eventually decided to become a producer.” “I gave up on the concept, but I remember going to the gym one night and thinking, ‘If you don’t try, you will always be sad that you didn’t,'” she said. I enjoyed producing, but it did not excite me; I was not particularly enthusiastic about it. I knew something was lacking and felt I owed it to myself to give it my best shot.”
She persevered and began creating YouTube videos in the garage. She states, “It was such a fantastic practice.” “Then I would borrow a cameraman to film more videos and interviews, and in the end, I went to my supervisor at Sky and asked, ‘Would you put this on Sky’s YouTube channel if you like it?’
Don’t worry if you don’t like it.’ Fortunately, he liked it, so I continued doing it, and then things began to snowball.”
Woods enjoyed sports and English in school but found other subjects less engaging and more difficult to concentrate on. However, it took her some time to realize that she could mix the two in her professional life. It began with writing match reports for the football and rugby teams at Kingston University, followed by a degree in print journalism and the first position at Sky.
Her road has not always been easy – it never is – and she still gets quite worried before games, citing England vs. Senegal at the World Cup as the one when she felt the most anxious. Key to presenting is confidence, and although Woods feels at ease now, that was not always the case.
“When viewed from the outside, broadcasting can appear pretty intimidating and like a tough nut to crack, which it is,” she explains. “You must be in the right location at the right time, but you must also be prepared and confident. And confidence does indeed come through practice. You will never wake up one day and be extraordinarily proficient at something.
“One thing I learned is that listeners, readers, and viewers can all detect inauthenticity, and I realized this very fast. It wasn’t that I wasn’t attempting to be myself; I was rather lacking in confidence. I soon became considerably more comfortable in my skin as a result of repeating the action.
And that is the single thing you possess that no one else does: your unique personality and approach to life. It’s a cliche to say, “Just be yourself, but you absolutely must do so.”
Woods says she has always admired Gabby Logan, Sue Barker, and Clare Balding, not because they are women but because they are so talented. Woods remembers Balding’s performance at the 2012 Olympics because it was extremely impressive. A guest canceled at the last minute, but Balding said, “I’ve got this,” and delivered a seven-minute fill-in by herself.
“I simply thought, ‘What an incredible operator!'” I sensed there was something to it at the time; I suppose it’s because I work on television that I can see such things. I understood that you wouldn’t ordinarily do it for so long on your own, but she held my attention and did it flawlessly and error-free, and I thought, “Wow.”
Woods claims that covering the World Cup was the height of her career and that she felt like a member of a true team, with everyone supporting one another. Aside from the final – “the obvious choice as a highlight” – she considers Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia to be her favorite moment, as she was outside rather than in the studio and both sets of fans was quite noisy. She states, “It elevates your performance.”
Woods has no time to relax, as her club, Arsenal, holds a five-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League. However, speaking with De Bruyne served as a sharp reminder that City has been there and done that before – and is eager to continue its pursuit.
“At the end, I questioned him more as a fan than as an interviewer, ‘How irritated are you that Pep Guardiola has given Arsenal a coach and some excellent players, and they are currently at the top of the league with a bit of a gap between you and them?’
He laughed and noticed the humor in the situation, but remarked, “They’ve been ahead and they’ve been behind before, and they’ve made up a lot of ground, so they just do their own thing and keep going.”
Woods will also continue to appear on the radio with TalkSport and television with ITV and Amazon Prime Video. She receives her fair share of criticism, particularly on social media, but she has learned to be more discriminating.
“When I had fewer followers, I read all my tweets and used them for rapid feedback, whether it was positive or negative; I found it addictive. I went on it immediately after doing something, and it became somewhat of a sounding board for determining whether or not I had made a mistake.
I once interviewed a football manager who said, “You can’t get too high with the highs and you can’t get too low with the lows.” I now utilize social media in the same manner.
“I know, just let it be. If someone has something negative to say about you, you are not required to accept it. I take time away from it and do not read it in its entirety. I type a response, then delete it and ask myself, “Why to get involved in this now?” It is similar to seeing a brawl or debate in which you need not participate. You can simply leave and have a wonderful day.”
On Christmas Day, Laura Woods will host Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of Aston Villa vs. Liverpool. Prime Video will exclusively stream ten Premier League matches during the holiday season.
