Relationships blossom. Rivalries boil over. Unexpected plot twists leave you on the edge of your seat.
But it’s not scripted TV. This is Premier League football.
“It’s a soap opera,” NBC Sports Premier League host Rebecca Lowe insisted to E! News in an exclusive interview. “Every single day, let alone week, something happens. You can’t miss an episode. There is so much going on.”
And Lowe is there covering the moments you never saw coming in what she hails “the most watched league in the world.”
She’s no newcomer to the game. Just 8 when her dad, former BBC News presenter Chris Lowe, started taking her to Crystal Palace matches in South London, she soon learned that football—and, really, all the best love stories—are a slow burn.
“If you support a team that isn’t necessarily always winning trophies and feeling the glory, you’ve got to learn patience, which I think in love is a good thing,” the 44-year-old began. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“My life is a completely different experience than if I’d been a Liverpool supporter, who’ve won everything over the course of the last however many decades,” Lowe continued. “For me, it’s just remaining patient and in love with that team no matter what and when those moments do come, it’s reveling in that glory. And let me tell you, I have reveled.”
That is, perhaps, an understatement. After all, Crystal Palace finally took home the FA Cup in May followed by the Community Shield (over Liverpool, no less) in August.
But, on air, as the drama unfolds, you won’t catch her celebrating. “I check myself a lot,” the Brit explained of remaining impartial. “You cannot have somebody who’s a fan on air. I don’t think that’s right.” Plus, as she joked, “I’m fairly certain we’re not going to win the Premier League anytime soon which helps me immensely.”
As for who she thinks has a shot when the new season kicks off August 15? Defending champs Liverpool are the obvious favorites, she noted, as is Arsenal with new striker Viktor Gyökeres and she predicts Manchester United is set for a comeback.
Plus, she’s keeping her eye on the underdogs—Sunderland, Leeds, and the J.J. Watt-owned Burnley—hoping one may pull off a Cinderella story.
Like any good fairytale, there’s bound to be a few villains.
As a sideline reporter in England in the early aughts, “I would be subjected to catcalling and chanting,” she admitted of fans’ reactions to a woman calling the shots. “The abuse I got was terrible for the first 10 years. In those days, some men didn’t see it as a game for females to be anywhere near. So, trying to break through was really difficult.”
Until she transferred to the U.S. in 2013. “I haven’t felt that pressure of being a female because not a single person has ever brought it up to me in any kind of derogatory fashion,” she said. “Parents of young girls have said, ‘Thank you for doing this.’”
Now, she’s coaching the next generation of sideline reporters. Her game plan? Be willing, be humble, be patient.
“Your career is going to have peaks and troughs,” she shared with E!. “If you don’t like the role you’re doing, just give it time. Show that you can stay and fight through adversity.”
And, of course, do your homework. “I over prep because it makes me feel comfortable,” she shared. “And when you’re going on live TV, you’ve got to feel comfortable and confident.”
Two decades into her career, she’s still gaining her confidence on the sidelines. That is, the sidelines of a much smaller pitch but with much higher stakes. Because these days, she’s also Rebecca Lowe, Soccer Mom.
Compared to the other parents, “I’m lagging behind,” she said with a laugh of how she turns up to cheer on her and husband Paul Buckle’s 9-year-old son Teddy. “I don’t have a wagon. I have a chair, but it’s very heavy. Some of the dads are putting up tents! I mean, what kind of soccer mom am I?”
It’s added pressure to an already intense day. Because watching Teddy is as nerve-wracking as watching that FA Cup final.
Gone are the days where he’d stop mid-game to tell a teammate, “You watch the Premier League? That’s my mom,’” Lowe recalled. “When he was 6 or 7 and scored a goal, he would come over and give me a hug. Oh no, now we’re not even acknowledged. There’s a lot of emotions that go into it, but I am loving being a soccer mom.”
And, really, loving all that’s ahead, including the Premier League season, which sets the stage for even bigger drama: The FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico next summer.
“I’m going to hazard a guess that the vast majority of players are going to be out of the Premier League,” she teased of the future rosters. “So, if you want to know who might be the stars next summer, watch the Premier League this season.”
And if you still need convincing, here’s one final twist: It’ll get the sleepiest of fans out of bed on weekend mornings.
“Get the pancakes on, get the soccer on and enjoy it as a family,” Lowe insisted. “You’re going to get the best the world can offer in the world’s most popular sport. There’s nothing not to love.”
The 2025-2025 Premier League season kicks off on Friday, August 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Tune in all weekend on USA, Peacock, NBC and Telemundo.
(E! and NBC Sports are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
