Ian Joy leaving FOX Sports to pursue opportunities on East Coast

FOX Sports soccer analyst Ian Joy has announced that he will be leaving the network at the end of the 2019/20 Bundesliga season, World Soccer Talk has learned.

“I’m excited for what is next,” Joy, who’s leaving his FOX job after five years at the network, told World Soccer Talk in an interview.

“I’ve had some immense opportunities come my way over the last 24 months,” explained Joy. “And unfortunately because of my commitments to FOX, I have had to say no to a number of them. But there comes a point and time in my life where I have to make sure that I do what is best for myself, my family and for my future. I still feel like I’m very young in this game in the media world, and I still feel I’ve got a lot to learn, so much to offer and I want to make sure that I’m improving around the best possible people but also in an environment where I’m wanted, where I feel I can develop into the personality and talent that I believe I can be.

“At the beginning of last season, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine, [FOX Sports Senior Coordinating Producer] Zac Kenworthy, who is now my boss at FOX. I asked him what he thought about my future at FOX. I mentioned to him what my idea was, and I think we both came to the agreement that it would be best for me [to leave]. Because I’m a hungry guy, I want to work on the best products, I want to be put on the biggest stage, and I want to work with people around me who are all on the same page. I made it clear to Zac that I felt that my future was better suited away from FOX once the Bundesliga rights were over. And Zac did not stand in my way as much as I’m sure he would have liked me to stay on. He supported my decision.

“Now, I move on to new opportunities. At this moment in time, there are a number of things that are on my table right now. Between me and my family, we have to decide what is best.

“It’ll definitely be on the East Coast, that’s for sure. I’ll be moving from the west coast where FOX is based in Los Angeles, and I’ll be moving closer to New York City where I feel like my brand is become bigger than anywhere else in the U.S. and where I feel I can develop as a person and talent better. I’ll hopefully find myself in a position where I’m being challenged every single day.”

Joy joined FOX Sports in 2015 after a successful broadcast career with beIN SPORTS where he showed his talent as an analyst and co-commentator.

Joy will continue his role as the New York City FC analyst for the YES Network, but is open to other opportunities.

Born in San Diego and raised in Scotland, Joy played in the youth academies of Manchester United and Tranmere Rovers before establishing a professional soccer career with a number of clubs, most notably St. Pauli, Hamburg, Real Salt Lake and Portland Timbers.

In his time at FOX Sports, he elevated his role to become one of the top experts on the channel’s coverage of the Bundesliga in addition to covering the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the U.S. broadcaster. Lately, Joy has supplemented his work at FOX Sports with co-commentating for the Bundesliga world-feed.

With ESPN, based in Connecticut, broadcasting the Bundesliga from the 2020/21 season onwards, it makes sense for Joy to move to the East Coast where future job opportunities may become available. Plus, it’ll be a shorter distance to Europe if his work on the Bundesliga world-feed continues.