Meulensteen: Female voices are important in football

Pien regularly presents on MUTV and is also a nationally recognised football commentator, working for the likes of BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

In the last month, Meulensteen proudly became the first female to commentate on a live Premier League match for Sky. She also won a Sports Journalism Association award in the 'Ones To Watch - On Air' category.

In our interview to mark International Women's Day - which we're celebrating all month - Pien hopes the increasing spotlight on women's sport will inspire future generations of girls to get involved...

Congratulations on your recent award. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
"Yes, so I won the SJA's 'Ones To Watch - On Air' award which was a big surprise to me. I’m very honoured to have won it and I'm very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had over the past year to be able to grow as a commentator and a presenter, as well as working for a variety of different platforms. It’s been a really fun year."

You present and you commentate. How did that come about?
"When I started off as a freelancer, when I finished university, you kind of go into work and you try a lot of different things. I was working as a broadcast assistant. I was booking passes for people and then I started doing a bit of reporting, a little bit of presenting as well and then commentary came up. I never even imagined that I was going to do commentary and then I actually started working for MUTV and they said: 'Give commentary a go. We like the sound of your voice'. So I did a lot of the women’s games and then it sort of grew from there. I kept reporting and presenting as well, but I guess that’s what’s so fun about working in sport is every day is so unpredictable. Whether I’m doing a commentary, presenting or reporting, every day is different so it keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure."

It’s really great that there are women commentators now and you are one of the big names now.  How proud does that make you?
"I mean, I don’t even see myself as one of the big names yet. It’s one of these things where pinch myself to be up in a gantry with people that I’ve been listening to for so many years. I’ve still got a long way to go, I’m still learning every step of the way. But I’m just grateful that people have given me the opportunity, I suppose. It’s one of those things where you have to let these doors open for you and it’s a scary thing to do. It’s a scary thing when you are starting out as well, especially doing some of the games that I’ve been doing in the Premier League and women’s Champions League. I'm just grateful for the support that I’ve had along the way and a lot of advice. I'm sort of being a sponge whilst I’m up on there on the gantry. It’s been a really good experience."

In terms of commentating, presenting and broadcasting, have you come up against any obstacles?
"I have to be honest; I’ve had so much good support around me, and that’s what my main priority was: surrounding yourself with good people that are going to let you progress in your life and in your career. There will obviously be people that will stand in your way or will perhaps close that door, but there’s always other doors to be opened. So I’ve had the blinkers on and have been like, 'I know where I want to go, I’m going to try and get there'. And if people will support you along the way, they will and you keep those people close. You keep the people that you trust close and you listen to the advice or feedback that means a lot to you. I did struggle with that a lot at the start, when I first started doing a bit of commentary. You know you’ll get comments on social media and that was a big surprise to me, because I hadn’t really had that before. Then my dad and my brothers were sort of like 'you just don’t listen to them, don’t go on it, don’t look at it, just listen to the people that mean a lot to you'. I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t had it too bad in terms of social media comments and the feedback I’ve been getting has been very good, constructive feedback. I suppose it’s just making sure you’ve got good people around you and focusing on the people that you trust."

As you say, it's so beneficial that your dad and brothers are in football because they are people that can give you advice...
"Yeah, absolutely. I spoke to my brother in particular because he plays football now. We’ve had the conversation before when he’s missed a penalty. I asked how he mentally recovers from that because there will be messages from people that are just horrible and nasty. He said the next thing you’re going to do, you’re going to make up for that mistake. Or you’re going to do something better that people will hopefully remember. And no-one is perfect and I have struggled with that as well. Now I speak to people about my anxiety at work and dealing with those comments. A lot of it is just really listening to the people you trust and not taking notice of people who might not know the situation themselves. So it’s nice to have my dad and my brother that have been in that situation. If there is anything, I’ll speak to them straight away and they know even better than me about how to deal with those kinds of situations. You trust your family over everything. They’ve been a really good support network."

Super proud to be the first female to call a live Premier League game on @SkySportsPL this evening alongside this gent, Alan Smith!

Now starts the long journey from Southampton back to Manchester… 🚗 pic.twitter.com/kkBWfOD7i8

— Pien Meulensteen (@MeulensteenPien) March 4, 2023

You are an inspiration to so many young girls, so what advice would you give to those wanting a career in sport or media?  
"If you’ve got a passion for something, if you’ve got a niche that you like to do, go for it. Because the most important thing is getting to know the people around you, the people in that industry, and trying to figure out a way in to it. How you can use those people, get the advice and get that contact book as big as you can possibly get it because that’s how I started getting work. By trying lots of different jobs and seeing what suited me. I never thought I could do commentary and then it was a couple of people that said: 'You’ve got a really nice voice, maybe try it.' Just try these things. If you know you want to work into sports broadcasting and you have a passion for it, ultimately that is the biggest thing. I grew up with football, I love football. I could talk about it all day. So it’s not difficult for me to do that. You have to go into every day enjoying it and just looking forward to what you’ve got. If you love it and you’ve got a passion for it, then don’t let anyone stop you."

Do you think that there still needs to be some changes in terms of full equality for men and women in sport?
"I think we are definitely going in the right direction. I have been super lucky with the opportunities that I’ve had. I think I have come in at a good time where it’s a lot more accepted now that there are female voices and it’s important there are female voices in sport. Not just in women’s sport but also men’s sport, because you see women come to Old Trafford all the time and watch football. They need to have the option to listen to people that sound like them and for so long we’ve had the voices that we’ve grown up with. Hopefully now there’s going to be the option for other people to hear different types of voices, different styles of voices. That’s just so important to make it a more inclusive sport. It’s not just for one type of person, it’s for everyone. I’m very grateful that I’ve had the opportunities to work on the big stage, do a World Cup, do finals and things like that. I do hope there’s more women that now feel comfortable to be able to be able to say: 'I want to do football commentary and I know I can do it'."

Secured the goods @SportSJA 🏆🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/QEgetQmWqw

— Pien Meulensteen (@MeulensteenPien) March 6, 2023

What do you see or hope for the future of women’s football then?
"A real big positive at the moment is the coverage that women’s football is getting. It is hopefully attracting more fans to go to the stadiums, to get invested in women’s sport and women’s football. You can see the crowds that go to Leigh Sports Village to support Manchester United Women. They’re only getting bigger. You just have to hope that it goes in the same trajectory. The players deserve people to watch them and the standard of football is so good now. One of the big things now is that players are becoming huge idols for younger kids. There are a lot of kids now asking to go to women’s games. It's important that parents take them not only to the men’s games but also to women’s games, and that the younger generation grow up with having both men and women playing football."

It's vital that women don’t feel uncomfortable coming to football matches – have you ever been in that position?
"I’ve never felt uncomfortable at a football game. I’ve been quite lucky because even when my dad was working at United, we were sat in the family stand, you get to know everyone and it was a nice atmosphere. It’s the same when I’m working at football, you work in the press rooms and you start getting to know people. I’ve had good experiences at football matches. There are definitely times where you know, I’ll finish a game and it’s a night-time game and you’re thinking 'oh how am I going to get back to the train, I’ve got to walk' and you are a little bit more on edge I suppose. But I’ve been lucky so far, touch wood. I haven’t had any sort of obstacles so far that have come my way. But I do feel like if anything would happen, I feel I would know the people that I could speak to, and I would hope that things would be done quite swiftly. I don’t know if that’s the same experience for everyone else. I there is a big thing about if you see it, say it, and report it."

Finally, what does Manchester United mean to you?
"Not to be too cliched, but for me Manchester United was always a little bit like a family in the sense where it feels like I’m coming home. Because I’ve grown up with it since we moved to Manchester when I was four, I’ve only ever known Manchester United really as the place of work where my dad started. He was here from the youth team, so we grew up with a lot of the players. You had Marcus Rashford in the youth team when he was a youth-team coach. You were there throughout every step and then you start getting to know everyone behind the scenes at the club. You start to get to know the receptionists, the chefs, the physios, the medical team. And now that I’ve also started, I was working at Manchester United as well. It’s been such a big part of my life. I couldn’t imagine not being in Manchester. So many people will say to me,  'why don’t you move away to London?' and I said: 'Well, Manchester is just my home' and a big part of that is Manchester United."