Marie Crowe and Jacqui Hurley tipped as hosts of RTÉ’s new flagship daily sports show on Radio 1

The broadcasters, who have a huge amount of experience ­between them, are believed to have landed the evening gig on ­Radio 1.

In a huge shake up of the schedule announced two weeks ago, RTÉ director of audio Patricia Monahan ­indicated it would feature a new 6pm sports show.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - Friday, October 24

Although no names were linked with the show at the time, the publicity blurb said it will feature previews and reviews of national and international sporting events.

It will also have interviews with leading figures and delve into the breaking sports stories of the day.

News that Crowe and Hurley could step into the hot seat in a female double-hander was greeted favourably by RTÉ insiders.

“They are two very well-respected broadcasters with a huge range of experience between them, so people would be very happy to see them getting the new gig. There’s no doubt they would be excellent in the roles,” one said.

“It would be good to see more female broadcasters on the Radio 1 schedule as it’s very male-heavy from mid-morning, with David McCullagh on straight after Oliver Callan.

“Given that Kieran ­Cuddihy got the Liveline gig, that would help ­correct any perceived gender ­imbalance.”

It is understood the Second Captains team were approached about taking on the new show, but no deal was reached in the end.

Crowe, an award-winning sports journalist, has been with RTÉ since 2016 and was previously a newspaper sports reporter. From Clare, she currently fronts Game On with Ruby Walsh on 2FM and Sunday Sport with Des Cahill.

She recently ­returned from maternity leave after having her fourth child, Jessie (seven months), with her teacher husband Billy Sheehan.

They also have three sons – Timmy (13), Billy (11) and David (8). She recently said they were “used to having a busy life”.

“I went back to work a little bit earlier than I had anticipated because of the Women’s Euros, and I made a ­decision to work on them,” she told the RTÉ Guide. “My husband is a teacher, and he’s off during the summer, so it’s worked out well.”

Crowe recently branched out into documentary-making with the three-part RTÉ series Football Families.

It was a behind-the-scenes look at Shelbourne FC’s soccer academy, highlighting the hard work involved and pressure put on the young players and their families.

She also won accolades for her work on RTÉ Investigates: Girls in Green, a joint exposé with the Sunday Independent’s Mark Tighe, which revealed allegations of predatory behaviour and misogyny in Irish women’s football.

Hurley has been a long-time employee of RTÉ and became its first ­female anchor of Sunday Sport on Radio 1 in 2009. She quit that show in 2023.

The Cork woman, who grew up in Australia, began her career with Limerick’s Live 95FM and joined RTÉ Sport in 2006. Since then, she has covered international tournaments including the Olympics, World Cups and the Euros and multiple All-Ireland finals.

She is now the lead anchor of RTÉ’s rugby coverage on TV and presents The Sunday Game.

A champion of gender equality in sport, she has been part of the 20×20 initiative, which aims to change the perception of women’s sport in Ireland.

In 2022, she won the Jimmy Magee Sports Journalist of the Year Award for her work in sports broadcasting and for efforts in promoting female athletes.

She has two children with her ­Limerick husband Shane – Luke (11) and Lily (8) – and is also an author. She wrote Girls Play Too, which chronicles the inspiring ­stories of Ireland’s high-achieving ­female sports stars.

On being the first woman to front Sunday Sport, she ­recently said it was “really cool” at the time.

“I think that’s really encouraging, ­because whether it’s like being the first on the radio, or being the first to do The Sunday Game, it’s actually just knowing that you’re not going to be the last, that there are so many more coming after you,” she said.

The new sports show is part of a ­total overhaul of Radio 1’s schedule in the wake of Ray D’Arcy’s departure two weeks ago.

The new Today with David ­McCullagh starts next month in the earlier slot of 9am to 11am. Callan’s slot has been extended and will run from 11am to 1pm, while ­Rachael English will continue to present News at One.

Cuddihy will step in to Joe Duffy’s shoes on Liveline from 1.45pm until 3pm, when Louise Duffy will start her slot. The new partnership of Katie Hannon and Colm Ó Mongáin will then take over Drivetime at the earlier time of 4pm and broadcast until 6pm.

Jacqui Hurley declined to comment when contacted. Marie Crowe has also been contacted for comment.

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