Gabby Logan defends BBC’s decision to cover majority of the World Cup from UK | OneFootball

Gabby Logan has robustly defended the BBC's decision to anchor the majority of its upcoming World Cup coverage from studios in Salford, describing the cost-effective approach as "eminently sensible".

The veteran presenter firmly believes this strategy, which sees the bulk of the broadcasting team remain in the UK, will not diminish viewers' enjoyment or the quality of the tournament's presentation.

Logan, who is set to front the BBC’s inaugural live match of the finals – Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 June – highlighted the financial and environmental benefits of the UK-based operation.

"I think there are many, many good reasons why you would stay in one place in the UK, in terms of sustainability of the event," she stated. "It doesn’t cost as much – we have to think about that, and the belt is being tightened all the time with the licence fee."

She pointed to the BBC’s award-winning coverage of last year’s Women’s Euros, which recently secured a BAFTA, as proof that a remote base does not compromise quality.

Logan will be vying with the likes of Alex Scott to present coverage of the final in July (Getty)

"Our coverage has been exceptional in those tournaments – and award-winning in the case of last week’s BAFTA – so I don’t think it’s harmed our coverage to not be there for the whole tournament," Logan explained.

While ITV Sport plans to broadcast from its New York studio throughout the competition, the BBC intends for its presenters and pundits to travel to North America only for the final week, leading up to the 19 July final in New Jersey.

Logan dismissed concerns that the audience experience would be diminished by the remote setup.

"We will have people on the ground, obviously, we’ve got reporters and we’ve got commentators who are there, so we will very much have a feel of people being there," she assured. She further argued that even when based on-site for previous tournaments, the studio setup remained central.

"Even when we have done tournaments where we’ve been based in one place, whether that’s Paris or going back to Brazil in Rio, that was one studio in one place with everything else going on around, so I don’t think it actually affects or diminishes the experience of the audience at all."

While acknowledging a personal preference for being pitchside – "Would I like to be in a stadium every single time? Yeah, it’d be great, it’d be amazing" – she reiterated her belief that "the reasons and the thinking behind (staying in the UK), I think, are eminently sensible."

Logan is among the prominent presenters, including Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Alex Scott, who are in contention to front the final coverage, though the BBC has yet to confirm its lead for the showpiece match.

She did, however, confirm her role as lead presenter for England’s second group-stage fixture against Ghana on 23 June.

The BBC’s punditry team for the World Cup features former England striker Wayne Rooney, whose development Logan praised.

"I think his progress has been brilliant and I think that’s probably been helped by learning his broadcasting chops on the podcast," she commented, adding that he "seems to be enjoying it more and more and more."