“Helicopter has crashed outside.”

[UpTheLeagueFox 10,246]

I was asked by The Fox fanzine to write an article about the recent tragic events at #lcfc from a personal and professional perspective. It appears in the latest issue of The Fox, which is available now.

 

 

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“Helicopter has crashed outside.”
 

Those words from a colleague flashed up on a text message at 8.40 that fateful Saturday night as journalists were finishing off their work in the press room. This had to be some kind of horrible hoax.

 

A few us dashed around the side of the stadium and saw in the distance a raging inferno, fearsome flames leaping into the night sky, emergency vehicles flying past with loud voices telling everyone to get back, to move away.

 

We returned to the media facilities where journalists, some very experienced, long-in-the-tooth hacks, were in a state of shock and visibly shaking. That couldn’t be the owners’ helicopter surely. It must be something else. 

 

The TV was on. Very soon, the breaking news strapline said it was the helicopter belonging to the people who owned Leicester City. We couldn’t believe what was happening. Nobody could survive a crash like that. And what about people in the surrounding areas, how many more people have been killed?

 

It was a scene of utter confusion as we tried to make sense of it all. Leicester had drawn 1-1 with West Ham. Match reports and manager interviews about red cards, deflected goals and other stuff became completely irrelevant. How do we go about covering this horrific incident? We’re football reporters, not hard-nosed hacks who work on the front line in warzones.

 

I was called on by my employers to provide live updates but information was limited. It’s important in these situations to report facts, to not over dramatize, to handle it with sensitivity. TV companies in Australia and America wanted me to describe what I’d seen and what we knew. In truth, we didn’t know much but we knew it was a massive tragedy. In amongst all this, I was getting messages left, right and centre from friends who had seen the awful news, assumed I’d be there working and wanted to know if I was safe. I was safe but I was in a mess.

 

That night, and the days which followed, were the hardest of my professional life and I’ve been fortunate to do this stuff for almost 30 years. I was regularly called on by talkSPORT and other international TV and radio broadcasters to tell the story of what had happened and what the reaction was from the club, the fans, the city and the wider football family.

 

On the Sunday, having had less than two hours sleep, it was some challenge to try and make sense of it all. We’d been told privately the owner was on board and that no-one had survived but because of no official confirmation we could only publicly highlight the dots without actually joining them.

 

The club statement at 10pm wasn’t unexpected but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. I had the unenviable task of breaking the news on talkSPORT which meant reading out the statement. I got to the final paragraph before emotion got the better of me. It wasn’t the first time and wasn’t the last over those few days where personal feelings cut deep into the broadcasting. You desperately want to do a professional job, to report the facts. But this was my club. Hearts were broken everywhere, mine included. I was part fan, part journalist. This was so difficult.

 

Monday brought more tears as we gathered again at the stadium. I interviewed The Birch, he couldn’t hold it in. Everything was surreal. The tributes for our wonderful owner continued. National journalists wrote heartfelt pieces. This was front page as well as back page news.

 

There were so many moments of kindness. The hotel by the stadium provided warmth and shelter and food and drink for us as we composed our difficult words.

 

Two and a half years before, we came together at the KP the night Spurs imploded at Chelsea to confirm us as Premier League champions. We looked around at each other in sheer disbelief and hugged strangers. We did the same this time but for polar opposite reasons. From the highest high to the lowest low.

 

There is no handbook for how you deal with horror like this. You report with gut instinct as adrenaline runs through your veins. You get some things right and some things wrong in live broadcasts. Ultimately it doesn’t matter greatly. There is a bigger issue, a monumental tragedy.

 

It’s a dreadful situation for everyone. None of us wanted to be in the eye of this storm. The pats on the back and kind words from bosses, colleagues, listeners and football fans are of course tremendously humbling. But you feel guilty. It’s uncomfortable hearing praise for how you handled your job when the job entails reporting on such a terrible incident. An incident, for a Leicester fan especially, which is so painfully close to home.

 

It affected me more than I should probably admit. Mentally it was brutal. I felt broken. We were all going to a game of football and not everyone made it home. My heart is with the friends and family of every person we lost. I hope they find some small crumb of comfort that the fans, the city and the wider football family poured out their love in support, to show we were united in grief. To show we were with them.

 

The main positive from the gravest day in our club’s history was to tell the world about a great man. How he was no ordinary owner and no ordinary person. How he treated us as fans rather than purely as customers. We felt like we were his extended family. The number of tributes at the stadium showed how much we cared. The world quickly knew through these many column inches and hours of broadcasting just what we thought of him.

 

As the darkness enveloped our hearts and minds, we were able to shine a powerful light on a truly special, generous and kind human being – Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

 

Geoff Peters, talkSPORT

@mrgeoffpeters

 

 

[davieG 17,571]

Split this as it deserves it's own topic.

[urban.spaceman 32,343]

I can’t believe it’s been a full month already. 

 

I still can’t believe it even happened.

 

Still so surreal!

[Costock_Fox 11,842]

Still doesn’t get any easier reading about this and brings it all back. I can’t imagine how even professional journalists with ties to the club could report on this because I was devasted by it so massive respect to you and other local media sources.

[GLC 514]

Great article Geoff, still can’t believe it happened! 

 

Im so proud of how our club, fans and city reacted to this! 

[Raj 1,341]

Great piece of writing.

This was exactly the polar opposite of the night I bumped into you at the KP when we won the League. Football and life will carry on but we must NEVER forget what this guy did for our club and city.

[SemperEadem 2,691]

Nice article, hope folks support The Fox. It will be on sale tomorrow at the ground.

[UpTheLeagueFox 10,246]

You can get more info on The Fox Fanzine and how to subscribe, here: https://thefoxfanzine.wordpress.com/

[Wymsey 4,667]

6 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

You can get more info on The Fox Fanzine and how to subscribe, here: https://thefoxfanzine.wordpress.com/

Just asking - do you do all live coverage of all Leicester games where possible, or just some and other games unrelated to the club as well?

Edited 1 December 2018 by Wymeswold fox

[UpTheLeagueFox 10,246]

2 minutes ago, Wymeswold fox said:

Just asking - do you do all live coverage of all Leicester games where possible, or just some and other games unrelated to the club as well?

I usually get asked to cover all the home games for talkSPORT, not too often away though.

I was at Rotherham last Saturday for instance.

I don't really mind where they send me because I'm extremely lucky to do something I love.

[Wymsey 4,667]

11 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

I usually get asked to cover all the home games for talkSPORT, not too often away though.

I was at Rotherham last Saturday for instance.

I don't really mind where they send me because I'm extremely lucky to do something I love.

I only recently, admittedly, listened to quite a few of your commentaries over the past couple of months than in the past and enjoy the way you do it.

With no offence to Ian Stringer, I do prefer you/your style as the club's radio match commentator.

You're straight-forward and thorough in your presentation and interview technique, and are hardly controversial in your approach (unlike Ian at times).

Edited 1 December 2018 by Wymeswold fox

[ROB-THE-BLUE 1,903]

Superb piece Geoff; I'm still struggling to accept it actually happened

[themightyfin 2,740]

Perfect Geoff. 

[UpTheLeagueFox 10,246]

Thanks all for the kind words. It was written about a week after the crash.

I'm not a natural written wordsmith, much easier to blag it on the radio.

[Izzy 23,467]

26 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Thanks all for the kind words. It was written about a week after the crash.

I'm not a natural written wordsmith, much easier to blag it on the radio.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I've been proud to tell people you're a long time friend. 

 

You've represented us and the club brilliantly mate 

[themightyfin 2,740]

You have handled every report  perfect in my opinion and represented yourself and our club in the highest esteem. 

[Raj 1,341]

11 minutes ago, Izzy Muzzett said:

Throughout this whole ordeal, I've been proud to tell people you're a long time friend. 

 

You've represented us and the club brilliantly mate 

Me too!!!

Although I only spoke to you for about 5 mins at Copenhagen Airport and occasionally stalk you on Facebook I tell people how close we are especially with our love for Cafe Del Mars' Nalin & Harry Kane Remix!!!! LOL.

[MPH 6,741]

Chuffin Nora Geoff, id just about got over this!

 

 

 

 

i used to have a tinge of jealously about your Job- but i don’t any more . you can’t pick the smooth Jobs away from the rough ones. You have to do them all. 

 

I have the utmost respect for the work you do.

[Matt_Lcfc 348]

Just reciting what people have already said.

but, what a fantastic article. Always been impressed by how you articulate and this really sums up the emotions. A fantastic bit of writing 

[HighPeakFox 11,312]

7 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Thanks all for the kind words. It was written about a week after the crash.

I'm not a natural written wordsmith, much easier to blag it on the radio.

Occasionally I can tell that you're slightly uncomfortable writing, but you still do yourself a massive disservice - it is a very special piece indeed.

[Shah johns 57]

Geoff,

 

We had a beer in Seville and you seemed a good guy but the way you have handled this tradegy has been commendable, must have been horrible for you but thanks for sharing this, it’s interesting to hear from your perspective.

 

Keep doing what you are doing mate and onwards and upwards I guess !

[lcfc531mellors 1]

An insightful, sensitive piece, Geoff - well done!
It cannot have been easy reacting to such a tragedy, and one so close to home, when you were expecting to report on nothing more than a run-of-the-mill football match.
The closest I ever got to doing anything remotely similar was being the stone sub-editor for the Buff (Sports Mercury) back on the afternoon of April 15th, 1989, when we started getting PA wire messages of what was happening on that awful day at Hillsborough.
Unlike you, I wasn't even at the scene but I know how difficult it was in my situation to make professional decisions (mainly ditching the match report of City's 2-0 win over Chelsea as the front-page lead and the subsequent changes to the paper) against the backdrop of such a horrendous event. 
So hats off to you!