A footie in the door

By KATHY RUMLESKI, The London Free Press

Last Updated: November 30, 2011 7:38am

A meeting at a pizza joint with a high-profile soccer player helped Londoner Jackie Redmond get a dream job as a sportscaster.

The 24-year-old competed in the third season of the Score Television Network’s Gillette Drafted against nine other people — all performing mock interviews and other broadcasting assignments — and snagged the job.

Now she’s got a year’s contract with the Score, ScoreMobile and theScore.com, and will also be a Gillette spokesperson for the next 12 months.

Redmond can thank, in part, Patrice Evra of Manchester United.

As the final challenge in the 10-week competition, Redmond headed to Chicago to track Man U — one of the most successful sports franchises in the world — which was in town for an exhibition match.

“I knew going into it that the access was going to be tough to get interviews with the players,” she said.

Redmond found out some team members were doing a pizza promotion the day before their game. Redmond showed up there and it paid dividends.

“As soon as we landed, I got off the plane and went to this pizza place, hoping I would be able to talk to one of them.”

That’s where she met the talented defender Evra.

“All we talked about was pizza because I was just so shocked that he was talking to me that I couldn’t really think of anything else to talk about,” she said.

But the next day he remembered her, joked about pizza and did an interview.

“Some of the players walked past major sports networks in the States and didn’t talk to them and talked to me,” she said.

In case you’re wondering, Wayne Rooney blew right by her.

“I was like, ‘Please, please,’ and he just looked back, but he kept walking.”

Redmond, who graduated from Regina Mundi and Humber College, worked on air for 102.3 BOB FM before leaving her post to start her new duties.

“I wanted to win so badly that I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” she said.

Redmond is not sure exactly what she’ll be doing at the Score, but Sharon Lassman, Score Media’s communications director said Redmond’s face will be seen throughout the year.

“Jackie will definitely be all over the Score.”

Redmond starts on Monday.

E-mail kathy.rumleski@sunmedia.ca, read Kathy’s blog, her column or follow KathyatLFPress on Twitter.