The stage is set for Fox Footy in 2022
With the 2022 Toyota AFL season just around the corner, Fox Footy today showcased a new line-up of talent and programming as part of its official launch event at the prestigious Forum Theatre in Melbourne.
Taking centre stage was new recruit Nathan Buckley who will headline a new live entertainment show, Best On Ground, airing on Saturday nights after the final match.
Launching in Round 3, Best On Ground will be filmed in front of a live studio audience each week and will take a light-hearted look at the major storylines of the day. It will also include comedic sketches featuring some of the biggest names in the game.
Buckley will be joined by host Mark Howard and other Fox Footy personalities including Jonathan Brown, Nick Riewoldt and Kath Loughnan.
Buckley said: “I’m looking forwards to celebrating the stars, stories and emotions of the game with a great crew every Saturday night. It’s a well-respected and rounded team who, whilst they have great knowledge of the game, aren’t going to take themselves too seriously.”
Another new show launching in 2022 is Face-To-Face which will see Fox Footy’s team of experts sit down with the biggest stars and personalities for intimate interviews. The new format opens with Jonathan Brown talking to former teammates and now first-year senior coaches Craig McRae and Michael Voss.
Returning fan favourite, AFL 360 will be back on Tuesday, March 8 with a fresh set and two familiar faces at the desk.
Veteran broadcasters Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson will be joined by a rotating panel of player superstars, including Christian Petracca and Jack Riewoldt who will return each week for Players Night .
Fresh into retirement, Eddie Betts will join Jordan Lewis every Wednesday on AFL 360 for Legends Night with star analysts David King and Leigh Montagna also adding their lens on the game.
In other programming news, On the Couch with Garry Lyon, Jonathan Brown and Nick Riewoldt will move to an earlier time slot on Monday evenings before AFL 360 .
Meanwhile Bounce host Jason Dunstall will be back in 2022 wrangling the often-unpredictable troupe of Andrew Gaze, Cameron Mooney, Sharni Norder, Bernie Vince and Ben Dixon who will once again keep families entertained on Sunday evenings.
Additionally, Fox Footy Live and First Crack will delve into the biggest stories and discuss the hottest issues in a lively and fast-paced forum featuring Tom Morris, Montagna and King on Sunday nights.
Fox Footy’s coverage of all the live action - led by alternating hosts Garry Lyon, Sarah Jones, Kelli Underwood and Kath Loughnan - begins before the first siren of every round and continues until the locker rooms are empty at the end of the weekend.
“We were happy with the Fox Footy team to begin with but when you add lots of Nathan Buckley and more of Eddie then you’re more than just happy. We have worked hard to better our storytelling as well as adding two new shows. Every year everyone says this is going to be the best AFL season ever – at Fox Footy we plan to help make that a reality,” FOX SPORTS Executive Director Steve Crawley said.
FOX FOOTY’S coverage of the 2022 AAMI Community Series starts this Thursday, March 3 when Carlton clash with Melbourne. Viewers can catch all of the action live and ad-break free during play on Foxtel or via stream on Kayo.
