Amy Canavan

2023

Amy Canavan

Age: 23
Location: Dalkeith, Midlothian
Pronouns: she/her

Amy Canavan, 30 under 30 nominee in 2023 smiling at the camera with football jerseys in background.

I’m a 23-year-old sports journalist who can be found kicking around freezing football grounds across the country for BBC Sport Scotland.

Whether it’s live updates on the radio, interviewing managers for the telly, or cramming my terrible patter onto our digital live texts, I love bringing everything that the game has to offer to our audience.

Scottish football is one big conversation. Thankfully, I love to talk. But I also love to listen. Sitting down with those involved in the game and hearing their tales is always an honour. Especially when it’s shining a light on some of the less pretty sides of the beautiful game.

That’s why I relished producing my documentary, ‘Sexism: Scuppered or Sustained?’. Strides have been made on the quest for equality in Scottish sports journalism, but there’s still a stretch to go. Hearing why that’s the case, and what has to change were two eye-opening takeaways.

But, it’s imperative to focus on the good. We never know how long it’ll last, hence why I think it’s my duty to scoop up every opportunity that comes my way. I owe it to wee 11-year-old Amy.

It’s a 24/7 job, so I’m always taking note of things that need to be highlighted or changed, while never hiding the cool things I do. And that’s a key role for me. You can’t be what you can’t see, and all wee girls heading to school and telling their teachers they want to be a sports journalist should believe they can.