After nearly 400 games, he is hanging up the mic for good
12:50, 24 Mar 2026Updated 05:11, 25 Mar 2026
Martin Ballard, believed to be the longest-serving stadium announcer in the Premiership(Image: Leicester Mercury)
One of Welford Road’s most recognisable faces is set to leave the Leicester Tigers after stadium announcer Martin Ballard confirmed his departure from the role.
Mr Ballard, a lifelong Tigers fan who grew up watching the club, has spent 21 years in the announcer role before revealing his exit from the job.
Martin, who has been a Tigers fan since the 1970s, had already been covering the club for BBC Radio Leicester before stepping into the announcer role, working alongside Bleddyn Jones and his predecessor Van Hopkins.
He presented a programme when Tigers lifted the inaugural Courage League Championship Trophy in 1988 and went on to cover ten Premiership Finals.
He took over announcing duties from Sam Rossiter Stead, having spent years listening to predecessors John Allen and Tudor Thomas as a member and season ticket holder.
Mr Ballard said he never imagined he would go on to serve longer in the role than either of them, but up to his final game, he was the longest-serving announcer in the Premiership.
Statistics from Stuart Farmer show Martin announced at approaching 400 games, including 19 behind closed doors during the Covid pandemic.
Martin believes his first game in the role was a 32-0 home win over Northampton Saints on September 3, 2005 the season Geoff Parling became a first-team regular at Newcastle.
He also covered pre-season, friendly, varsity, international and testimonial fixtures across his two decades at the club.
Over that time, he saw 13 Head Coaches and Directors of Rugby come and go at Welford Road.
Away from the microphone, Mr Ballard made a significant contribution to the club’s media output, launching both the Leicester Tigers Rugby Show on BBC Radio Leicester and the club’s first ever podcast.
His work at the club had begun more modestly, hosting Q&A evenings with players and coaches and pub quizzes organised by Paul Hayes, before he transitioned into the announcing role that would define his time there.
Martin Ballard playing The Dame, powders his nose in the dressing room(Image: Chris Gordon)
He was no stranger to performing in front of a crowd away from Welford Road either.
In a 2013 interview with the Leicester Mercury, he revealed he was playing Pong the Chinese Policeman in De Montfort Hall’s pantomime production of Aladdin, though it was far from his first time on stage.
He told the paper his love of pantomime stretched back to his school days, when he first got involved as a performer and writer in amateur shows, and that he had previously played Bill Jukes in a professional production of Peter Pan at the same venue.
He said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to the many people who have helped and supported me at the club.
“Finally, thank you to the best fans in rugby. I’ve met and become friends with many of you and I hope to see you for a beer at games in the future.”