Lucy Ward’s footballing career came to an end in 2009, meaning that she stopped playing before female pundits became a major part of the broadcasting environment in the sport. As a result, she can be seen as something of a trailblazer for others, having also been a successful player on the pitch.
Of course, as a woman working in sport, Ward has suffered her fair share of sexism coming from the moronic part of the sport’s fanbase, which she has put herself in a position to receive on account of the fact that she has pushed for change for women in both sport and media.
Ward’s Media Career
Lucy Ward wins TV/Radio pundit of the Year voted by the fans at #FSAawards. pic.twitter.com/kMN7VAFeZv
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) December 1, 2025
In 2007, a producer at the BBC’s flagship football programme, Match of the Day, Lance Hardy, became the first person to spot Lucy Ward’s potential as a voice in the media. He gave her the opportunity to work as a co-commentator for the national broadcaster’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup, which was being hosted by China. Alongside lead commentator Guy Mowbray, Ward found herself speaking to a sizeable audience, having to learn how to do the job as she was in the middle of it, essentially needing to build the plane whilst flying it.
Having spent more than two decades as a player, it wasn’t the footballing side of the job that was the issue for her, instead having to learn the art of being a co-commentator. She learned to work hard at doing her research, also studying how Mowbray worked with old-hand Mark Lawrenson. She began to learn the timing of when to speak and when to listen, as well as when to add some humour to her opinions. She also realised that her relationship with her co-commentator was arguably the most important facet of the entire thing, boasting a decent rhythm together.
Commentator for Women’s Football
She did well to make a name for herself as a commentator on women’s football, which convinced the BBC that she could be moved across to the men’s game without too much of an issue. She put her love of the game front and centre of her work, allowing criticism to wash over her like water off a duck’s back, knowing that she’d ‘get stick regardless’. She ensures that she makes sure that she watches hours of footage in order to make detailed notes about the teams that she’s going to be commentating on, knowing how they will line up and play against one another.
In the March of 2021, her hard work seemed to have paid off when Gary Lineker sent out a tweet to his 8.3 million Twitter followers saying, “I reckon @lucyjward_ is an excellent co-commentator,” he wrote. “Knowledgeable, reads the game well and importantly for a co-comm doesn’t over speak….a lot do.” Having covered the Women’s World Cup in 2007, she was then used by both the BBC and EuroSport at the 2008 Summer Olympics, which she then repeated four years later when the Olympics were hosted by London, going on to become a regular commentator on the men’s game.
BT Sport, BBC, ITV, CBS and More
She had been working for BT Sport for a decade before the broadcaster asked her to commentate on a Premier League game, which is something she had already done for Amazon Prime by that point. She went on to become part of the team that won a BAFTA thanks to the BBC’s coverage of the Women’s European Championships in 2022, also gaining a nomination for ITV’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup a year later. As well as working for the likes of the BBC and ITV, she has also covered World Cups and Euros for CBS.
Lucy Ward the Player
As is so often the case for female pundits and commentators, Lucy Ward has often felt as though she has to prove that she deserves to be part of the coverage of the men’s side of the game. Thankfully, her playing career backs up her claims, having joined Leeds United Ladies in 1996 when it was just a community team. The forward was part of the team that went on to become one of the best sides in the country for a time, which earned her a move to the Doncaster Rovers Belles ahead of the 2002-2003 season, returning to Leeds by the start of the following campaign.
Leeds United Ladies
Having been selected to be part of the England Under-21 team when she was just a 16-year-old, Ward worked hard to establish herself when she returned back to Leeds Ladies. She played in the testimonial for Lucas Radebe when it took place at Elland Road in the May of 2005, coming on as a substitute for Gary Speed and then scoring not long after, also setting up a goal for Matthew Kilgallon in an impressive performance. The following season, she was a crucial cog in the Leeds United Ladies machine that made it to the final of the Women’s FA Cup for the first time.
Such was her importance to the football club, she was appointed to the position of Head of Education and Welfare at Leeds United’s Academy. This meant that she was given the role of overseeing the development of about 250 young players, with names like James Milner, Fabian Delph, Aaron Lennon and Kalvin Phillips all coming under her watch. In 2015, she made the decision to leave the position and later won a high-profile legal battle against Massimo Cellino, the owner of Leeds United at the time, over the manner in which she ended up leaving the club.
Doncaster Rovers Belles
As a forward, Ward was prolific at times. In her first season with Leeds United Ladies, for example, she scored 41 goals. She followed that up with 24 in her second campaign, 20 in her third and 25 in her fourth. When she moved to Doncaster Rovers Belles, she found the net 14 times in her only season there, but then scored 20 goals when she went back to Leeds United Ladies. In total, she scored 254 times between her debut in the 1996-1997 season and her decision to retire at the end of the 2008-2009 campaign, having spent 2007-2008 out with an injury.