Tom White talks about his transfer from University to Sky Sports News

Thu 08 August, 2019
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With A Level results day just around the corner on Thursday 15 August, one of the University of Bedfordshire’s most recognisable graduates is gearing up for a deadline day of their own.

Sky Sports News presenter Tom White, one of the faces of Sky Sports’ hit Transfer Deadline Day coverage, will be in front of the cameras again on Thursday 8 August when the Premier League transfer window comes to a close.

Before reporting on some of the biggest stories in the world of sport, Tom graduated from the University of Bedfordshire in 2005 with a BA (Hons) Media Performance degree.

Having grown up in Alnwick, a market town in Northumberland, Tom made the 285-mile trek down south to Luton for an experience that he ‘absolutely loved’.

“A lot of the course I studied was practical,” explained Tom. “We did have reading to do but we didn’t spend loads of time in the library or having to do research. I had been through all of that at school.

“I needed to actually learn how things worked in a professional environment and real life. We would learn how to put together a news roundup on TV and radio. We might be the presenter, we might be the guest, we might be the director, and we might be the producer – it all gave us a head start when we got into working life.”

It was during his final year at University in 2004 that Tom began working for Sky Sports.

“I applied for work experience when I still had a year left at University. In my summer holidays I got two weeks’ worth of work experience,” he said.

“In those two weeks at Sky I ended up being a runner so making the teas and coffees. I did whatever I could to impress and the reward at the end of it was when they said ‘do you want some proper shifts?’”

Fast forward 15 years and Tom is now one of Sky Sports News’ lead presenters.

“I was on air at midnight for when the last transfer deadline shut in January,” Tom said.

“To the outside world that would be seen as a highlight of my career so far as that had the most viewers, but since I’ve been at Sky I’ve had two of my own shows.

“I had the ‘Weekend Warm-up’ on a Friday night, which was brilliant, and now I’ve got two shows on at the moment – ‘Good morning transfers’ and ‘Transfer Talk.’”

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