December 2025 - Festive Footballing Fun
- Warren Muggleton
- Jan 9
- 3 min read
So, Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing festive period. As a sports commentator, Christmas is always a busy time of year - but I've also had the chance to reflect on a memorable 2025...
There were five Southend United games (almost) for me to commentate at BBC Essex Sport.
The first was a trip to Rochdale, where the game was abandoned after 78 minutes - which is a shame because Oli Coker's goal was stellar!
But Boxing Day was the highlight of the month as the Blues travelled to Braintree Town for an Essex derby. Here's the winning moment, with Southend a man down...
This could turn out to be one of the most significant moments in Southend United's season - and I am really pleased that I was able to do it justice. The late time in the game and having a man disadvantage means there is justification for increased volume when the ball hits the back of the net. And then it's all about letting the roar of 1,600 travelling fans speak for itself before adding context. As mentioned in my last blog, I said I wanted to work on 'commentating for the edit'. If I can be succinct in my goal summary, it makes life a lot easier for the producers in the studio. After a pause from the goal, I identified the scorer as a substitute, gave a brief description of the goal (my summariser goes into more detail afterwards), constructed a headline and finished with the score - all in 30 seconds. This is the biggest change I've identified in my commentary from the start of 2025 - better geography around the pitch, more detail with a controlled pace and efficiency.
When it comes to New Year, I always take time to assess my career goals.
But this time I also wanted to reflect on the best moments from the year with the microphone...
I hope you enjoyed this - there's been plenty of high-drama moments for Southend and I've been lucky enough to put my voice behind them for BBC Essex Sport, while expanding my sports into SoapBox Rally, Rugby 7s, Volleyball and Water Polo.
As I start 2026, I can now focus on creating an unique identity to my commentary style. To achieve this, I have decided to focus on three areas:
Extended vocabulary: I love finding new words in the English language, which is so broad. There are a lot of different ways to describe the same scenario, so I would like to explore the limits of this.
Animal references: In October, I celebrated World Animal Day during Southend's 3-0 win against Aldershot Town by using as many animal references as possible. I really enjoyed this challenge because it helps the audience create a fun picture of the action. I will aim to make animal references part of my commentary on a weekly basis.
Intros and outros: If you've been following my work this year, you'll know I love a themed introduction to my commentary, feeding off the time of year, the weather, league significance or even popular culture. When I'm on the road, I'll often draw from the surrounding area. I've worked these in well but the task now is making them more efficient and 'editable'.
WHAT DID YOU THINK TO THESE CLIPS? GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
I have also set out the aim of increasing my profile and network in 2026 - and this has seen me set up a new TikTok account...
I hope this will bring my commentary to a new audience. I'll be sharing fun videos from inside the commentary box, sharing my travels and taking on some fun challenges, so please do give me a follow!
2025 has been a brilliant year of development - I hope 2026 will offer more opportunities for my commentary career to develop!
Last updated: 9th January 2026
What a fantastic year-end reflection! The detail about "commentating for the edit"—being succinct enough in those 30 seconds to make the producer's job easier while still capturing the drama—shows real craft. And the Boxing Day moment, with 1,600 travelling fans erupting after a man-down winner, must have been electric. I love your three focus areas for 2026: expanding vocabulary, weaving in animal references (World Animal Day commentary sounds brilliant), and crafting themed intros that draw from the surroundings. That's how a unique voice is built. For those long journeys between games, having a classic Retro Game Consoles could be a fun way to unwind. Wishing you a fantastic 2026 full of memorable moments and perfect calls! 🎙️⚽✨