MEL MCLAUGHLIN - ON THE BALL!

THE PRESENTER TAKES CHARGE IN BRINGING THE TOURNAMENT TO SCREENS

- Sara Tapia

She might not be the one stepping onto the field wearing green and gold when the Matildas kick off their first FIFA Women’s World Cup match on July 20, but Mel

McLaughlin admits she’s probably equal parts as excited and nervous as the players are. “It’s just such a massive thing and it makes you just want to do the best job that you can, I’m obviously nervous,” the sports presenter, who will play a leading role in Seven’s coverage of the tournament, tells WHO. “But it’s also just unbelievably exciting.”

Despite her nerves, this definitely isn’t the 43-year-old’s first rodeo. McLaughlin has been an integral part of Australian sporting news since making her television debut on Sky News.

A regular on Fox Sports in the late noughties, McLaughlin joined Network 10 in 2013 before finally finding herself a home at Seven – where she was appointed weeknight sport presenter on Seven News Sydney. As part of the Seven team, she’s hosted numerous major sporting events, including the Olympics, Test Cricket and previous Men’s and Women’s World Cups.

But does the presenter feel any added pressure with this tournament being on home soil? “I think I’ve always felt, with anything that I’ve done, that responsibility because I care about it so much,” McLaughlin explains. “I’m a sports fan and that’s sort of the number one thing. That’s why I got into this.”