Gerry Harrison

Gerry Harrison (born 1942) was a leading football commentator on English television in the 1970s and 80s, working for ITV. In the latter part of his career he was a senior television executive with production company TWI, who produce coverage of Premier League football, international golf and tennis among other sports. He left this role in 2007.

Londoner Harrison played football to what he describes as a decent level on his way to becoming a news reporter with the Daily Express. He switched to broadcasting in 1967 with BBC Radio Merseyside, taking up football commentary duties along the way.

Harrison entered the famous BBC Find a Commentator competition in 1969. Despite making the final six he lost out on the prize of a working trip to the 1970 FIFA World Cup to Welshman Idwal Robling. Ironically, Harrison was to get the better deal out of it. Partly on the strength of his performance in the competition he was offered a post as commentator for Norwich-based Anglia Television. While Robling covered a couple of games in Mexico for the BBC, Harrison worked on the competition as part of ITV's commentary team covering seven matches. It was the first of six World Cups he would cover for ITV.

Anglia's staple football programme Match of the Week chronicled a superb spell for Ipswich Town under the guidance of Bobby Robson, as well as the fortunes of Norwich City, Luton Town, Cambridge United, Peterborough United, Colchester United, Southend United and Northampton Town. Harrison worked as presenter and commentator before its eventual demise in 1983. He also covered the first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup Final, featuring Ipswich, for Anglia and the ITV network.

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