PETALING JAYA: Sports and travel have always been two main focuses for Semra Hunter, and those two passions would lead the sports broadcast journalist to carve out a place for herself in an arena long dominated by men.
Tune into LaLiga TV or ITV Sport, and you’re likely to see Hunter breaking down the ins and outs of the beautiful game in Spanish, a language she barely spoke before moving to Spain.
Born in Los Angeles, Hunter, 38, has built an international career across Spain and Morocco, covering some of the biggest tournaments in global football, but her journey began far from Europe.
“I grew up playing football, watching the Premier League, the World Cup,” said Hunter.
“My dad was quite sporty, and his way of bonding with me was to play sports. When I first kicked a ball I was around three, and it was an instant connection and love.
“I was hooked and wanted to play professionally.”
Unfortunately, an injury led Hunter away from the game. But during this time, her mother gave her the nudge she needed to set her sights on a new dream.
“My two passions were sports and travel as I grew up, and I was fortunate to grow up in a family where travel was a fundamental element of life.
“We had family everywhere, and I got to travel to Europe when I was very young. I knew that when I was older, I wanted to live there.
“But broadcasting never crossed my mind.
“Then one day my mum told me I should look into sports broadcasting, since she believed I would make a good sideline reporter, so it was a light bulb moment for me,” she said.
That set Hunter on a global path, spending over two decades on the continent, and her accent is a mixture of all the places she has called home.
“I’ve spent 15 years in Spain, two years in Turkey, and now almost a year in Morocco. My accent has just taken on its own life form,” she said.
Working in the football industry, Hunter said the pressures that come with being a woman in a male dominated scene can be tough, but she has navigated them on her own terms and continues to not let others’ perceptions affect her.
“I started at 25, which felt super late at the time.
“But it wasn’t so much about being a woman, but the imposter syndrome because I didn’t study journalism.
“So I worked incredibly hard to know as much, or more, than anyone else. That’s how I earned respect.”
Hunter’s persistence led her to some of football’s biggest stages, including covering the World Cup alongside greats like Wayne Rooney and Luis Figo.
“It was the best thing I’ve ever covered. Each day felt like a pinch-me moment.”
Now based in Marrakech, Hunter is also focusing more on her other passion, travel, as she has set up a travel agency called Saharai Morocco Tours with her partner.
Between airport gates and live broadcasts, Hunter continues to do all the things she loves, while making sure the path she treads on is her own and reshapes stereotypes along the way.
