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Kelli Underwood is a radio and television sports journalist and sportscaster specialising in Australian rules football. She is notable as being the first woman in history to call an Australian Football League match on television which is seen by many as a landmark for women in Australian media for such a male dominated sport.
Underwood's work began in radio, starting out on a local radio station at Murray Bridge, South Australia. She moved to Melbourne and worked at Geelong station K-Rock before moving to 3AW as a sports reporter and AFL match day reporter. There she joined Rex Hunt commentating a match among much media fanfare. She is also part of the ABC Radio Grandstand team, working as a boundary rider and commentator.
Underwood's move into television began when she became a reporter for Ten News and Sports Tonight. During the Network Ten broadcast of the 2009 NAB Cup between Geelong and the Adelaide Crows, Underwood made history becoming the first woman to call an AFL match on television when she joined Tim Lane in commentary.
Channel Ten claimed her debut was a success, however that she would be used only on occasional matches during the NAB Cup.
She called her historic first AFL premiership season match on 18 July 2009 – the Round 16 match between Geelong and Melbourne at Kardinia Park with Anthony Hudson. Underwood commentated for matches for Network Ten throughout 2009–10, both in the commentary box and at ground level through until the end of 2011. Underwood faced heavy criticism and in January 2011 Network Ten bowed to the pressure and relegated her to the position of boundary commentator, ending her time at being a full-time football commentator for TEN and One. She continued to commentate tennis and netball for Ten, as well as radio work for the ABC.
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