The Woman Who Broke New Ground as the Premier League’s First Female Photographer

For decades, football photography at the highest level was largely a male-dominated profession. Magi Haroun became a trailblazer by working as the first female photographer in the Premier League, capturing some of English football’s biggest moments from the touchline.

Breaking Into a Male-Dominated Profession

Haroun’s journey into football photography came at a time when women were still rarely seen working pitch-side at major professional matches.

Being close to the action required more than simply taking photographs. Football photographers have to anticipate moments before they happen, work quickly under pressure and understand the rhythm of a match.

Seeing Football Through a Different Lens

A photographer standing beside the pitch can see parts of a football match that television viewers may never notice. A player’s reaction after scoring, a manager’s expression on the touchline or a quiet moment between teammates can become powerful images.

Haroun’s work helped demonstrate that football photography was not limited by gender. Her presence at major matches also reflected the growing number of women building careers in areas of professional sport that had traditionally been dominated by men.

More Than Just the Match

Football photography is often remembered through iconic images rather than match statistics. Photographs can preserve emotions, celebrations, disappointments and the atmosphere surrounding important games.

For photographers, however, producing those images involves long hours, demanding travel schedules and the constant pressure to capture decisive moments in fractions of a second.

A Legacy Beyond the Camera

Haroun’s career opened a door in a profession where women had previously been largely absent at the highest level of English football.

Her story is also part of a wider change in sports media, where women are increasingly working as photographers, journalists, broadcasters and producers across major sporting events.

A Different Kind of Football History

Players and managers usually receive most of the attention when football history is written. But photographers also help preserve that history, creating the images that fans remember long after a match has ended.

Haroun’s place in Premier League photography shows how changing who gets access to the sidelines can also change the people behind the images that define a sport.

Sources

• BBC World Service — “The first female photographer in the Premier League” — September 2026.
• BBC World Service — Sporting Witness — September 2026.