Nigerian presenter Anita Nneka Jones brings the energy of football to fans everywhere

Based in London, presenter and sports reporter, Anita Nneka Jones travels the world with the @PremierLeague @skysports and @cbssportsgolazo, interviewing the women and men of the beautiful game. During the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, she’ll be heading to Australia and New Zealand with team Panama. Here, she shares her football journey and explains how TikTok helps break barriers in sports.

What sparked your initial interest in football and how did that lead to where you are now?

From when I was a little girl, sports has always been on the TV at home and has always felt a part of my life. My mum played tennis professionally and I played semi-professional tennis. Growing up, I didn’t actually think I could work in sports, let alone football unless I was a professional athlete. A few years ago, I started to see increasingly more women in the sports media space and realized it was something that was available to me and that I wanted to be involved with. I started by creating my own content, which led to me being enlisted in a sports reporter training scheme with the BBC.


What are your thoughts on the growing popularity of women in football? Do you believe platforms like TikTok can help this cause and why?

I think it’s about time. The fact that women were banned from playing football in places like England for 50 years means the road to popularity and visibility hasn’t been easy. TikTok breaks barriers and reaches global audiences that a lot of traditional media can’t. With fans sharing their thoughts and instant reactions to events in one space, I feel a global community of women’s football fans can continue to grow more quickly than it has before, while also reaching a younger market that may not watch regular TV as much.


How do you believe global football tournaments such as the FIFA Women's World Cup can further empower women in the sport?

Seeing is believing. The more we see women’s football played on the big stage and supported by big brands like TikTok, the more normal it will be to talk about women’s football and consume such content. Where there’s a social appetite for the tournament, it will trickle down to other areas of life and create a space where we won’t have to have separate conversations about women’s and men’s football.


Can you share some insight into the feedback and reactions received from your audience on TikTok regarding your content and how these responses shaped your subsequent work?

A lot of people have loved seeing the behind-the-scenes of some of my day-to-day work at press conferences, interviews, and events, as well as some of the candid moments that you don’t often see in the media. I try to be as real as possible to give people a peak into what goes on behind the scenes.


How will you be using TikTok as a platform to showcase your talents and engage with audiences during the FIFA Women's World Cup?

I’ll be showing what Australia has to offer sports fans, taking fans on my journey around Australia with the Panama national team, and taking people pitchside at games. If I find any jet lag tips, I might just have to share those too!