''Football League Extra'' is an
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
highlights show supplied by
ITV Sport
ITV Sport is a sport producer for ITV. It was formed following the merger between Granada Sport and Central Sport.[The Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...](_blank)
''. The show was actually billed as "Endsleigh League Extra" from 1994 to the summer of 1996,as the Football League was sponsored by Endsleigh Insurance,during this period. When Nationwide Building Society took over sponsorship of the league next,until 2004,the show's title changed to "Nationwide Football League Extra". The show was first presented by
Gabriel Clarke – other presenters later included Dave Beckett,
Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series '' House of the Dr ...
and Tom Skippings. The show ran many club-specific features and also featured competitions and archive footage. Throughout the years, there often featured a Friday/Sunday or Monday extra which showed extended highlights of certain games. ''Football League Extra'' was taken off air temporarily in 2002 following the collapse of
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners ...
, but returned to ITV during the 2002–2003 season. The theme in the first two seasons was the ITV Euro 92 theme "You Are the Number One"; the show's other theme tune was called "Little Britain" by
Dreadzone
Dreadzone are a British electronic music group. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums, and two compilations.
Career
Dreadzone were formed in London, England in 1993 when ex-Big Audio Dynamite drummer Greg Roberts teamed up ...
.
Football League Extra Nostalgia Thread
Digital Spy, 8 February 2011 Other songs included "July" by Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band formed in Solihull in 1989. They have had five top 10 albums including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to dat ...
and "Whoosh" by Bentley Rhythm Ace
Bentley Rhythm Ace (BRA) are a British electronic music duo formed in Birmingham in 1995, consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March.
Career
The band was formed in Birmingham by Richard March, formerly with the group Pop Will Eat Itself, and ...
.
Commentators and Reporters
Commentators and reporters on ''Football League Extra'' included Clive Tyldesley, Alistair Mann, Tony Jones, Peter Drury
Peter Drury (born 24 September 1967) is a British sports commentator who currently works for NBC Sports as the lead main (play-by-play) commentator for its Premier League coverage in the United States.
Prior to joining NBC Sports, Drury was the ...
, Ian Payne, Trevor Harris, Ron Atkinson
Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939), commonly known as "Big Ron" or "Mr. Bojangles", is an English former football player and manager. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits.
Nic ...
, Dave Beckett and more. The show also included resident club commentators, and this often provided entertainment as the viewer would be able to hear ecstatic celebrations at times.
References
{{Reflist
ITV (TV network) original programming
ITV Sport
English Football League on television
1994 British television series debuts
2004 British television series endings
1990s British sports television series
2000s British sports television series