Niav Owens takes a dream job hosting the FIFA World Cup on SBS

Growing up in the regional NSW town of Hinton, Niav Owens had a go at every sport imaginable – from tennis to cricket, soccer and volleyball.

Now the sports journalist and former ABC regional radio broadcaster is joining SBS as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar commentating team alongside former Socceroos  Mark Bosnich and Craig Foster.

“The World Cup is one of those events we grew up watching with my family as a kid, and it’s an event that brings all families and communities together,” Owens says.

“I still can’t believe I am doing this with SBS, alongside some broadcast legends. It’s mind-blowing, to be honest.”

From her humble beginnings as a sports reporter at ABC Newcastle in 2007, to hosting the A-League matches and presenting on Channel 10’s Football Australia, on Paramount + and on Optus TV, Owens is living her childhood dream and interviewing many sporting champions along the way.

Her Irish-born father is a big fan of European football, and would round up Owens and her two younger brothers to watch sport together.

“There was a huge amount of excitement in our home for the World Cup and our love of sport kept us glued to the TV,” she says.

“I also loved playing sport as a kid and spent a lot of my childhood watching my brothers play, too. Dad was always very proud, cheering from the sidelines.”

Owens ran wild and free in the Hunter Valley – an idyllic place to bond with other local kids. She had her brothers by her side, always up for outdoor adventures.

“Our tiny town of Hinton meant there were no fences, few rules and lots of local kids having a cracking time – we had a lot of fun ruling the roost,” Owens says.

“These days, when we get together, we still play sport for fun and still like watching it together on the TV when we can.”

The radio was always on at home too, and that’s when she heard ABC Grandstand and noticed female broadcasters owning the airwaves as they discussed sport.

“A few female voices who inspired me were the great Simone Thurtell and Tracy Holmes,” she says. “They sparked a realisation that there was a way to do this – to be a female in sport broadcasting.”

While working alongside sports broadcaster Craig Hamilton in Newcastle in 2008, the penny dropped for Owens that sports journalism was something she wanted to pursue.

She graduated with a double degree in journalism and law from Newcastle University and, by 2009, was filling in for Mike Pritchard, presenting his ABC Upper Hunter Valley breakfast show.

“My career really took off in Newcastle thanks to Craig Hamilton, who was host of the local sport radio program,” Owens says.

“He gave me the opportunity to produce his show for a number of years and that was an incredible introduction into how wonderful this area can be to work in, and really gave me a taste for it,” she says.

Owens also undertook a 12-month internship at ABC TV – a chance for an emerging female sports broadcaster to learn the ropes.

“The internship sadly isn’t around any more,” she says. “It would bring a new female sport broadcaster through to work on the Paralympics, the Shute Shield Rugby W-League and A-League Women’s competition.

“You got an all-round experience for a year, and that was my first introduction to television. It was a wonderfully supportive environment and an incredible gig.

“You got to work as a young journalist across live sports and go to the games. It was such a high and buzz for me.”

Owens also runs a mentoring company called Media Goals, which aims to empower the next generation of athletes as they navigate the limelight.

She designs programs that assist athletes as they front the media and look for sponsorship deals. She loads them up with interview techniques and teaches them how to respond when cameras are pointed their way and how to be at the top of their game when not playing their chosen sport.

After heading to France to report on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 and presenting the Euros last year for Optus TV, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be another major career highlight.

“It was Richard Bayliss at Optus TV who gave me the chance to go to France for the Women’s World Cup,” Owens says.

“He was always encouraging us as a team to bring personality to the broadcast and share the excitement around the tournament. That was one of the best things I have ever worked on.

“To now get to work with Richard again for the FIFA World Cup is fantastic.

“He is a super-supportive colleague who has my back and I can ring and ask difficult questions and he will challenge me to be better.”

Owens is also a role model for the next generation of female journalists looking to pursue a career as a TV presenter.

“There are so many different routes to get into sports journalism,” she says.

“My advice is to say yes to everything – any opportunities that come up, whether they are paid or unpaid gigs.

“You also need to have confidence, be brave and be yourself. Don’t follow what’s come before, always look to embrace a job with your own personality and don’t follow a mould that has worked for other people before.”