BREAKING: Jessica Charman is departing as Charlotte FC's radio voice

Charman to leave after three years to pursue a TV play-by-play position

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Jessica Charman has served as color analyst for every Charlotte FC radio broadcast in the club’s first three seasons. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Charman.)

Jessica Charman is leaving as radio color analyst for Charlotte FC after three years of broadcasting for WFNZ. She informed the club last week that she is resigning to pursue opportunities in TV play-by-play.

In her new role, Charman will broadcast games in the NWSL, or National Women’s Soccer League, and USL Super League, which includes women’s teams like the new local Carolina Ascent FC. She will also broadcast men’s games for USL Championship, the second-tier professional league in American soccer.

“One of my main goals is to continue as a voice in both men’s and women’s soccer because I think to be an advocate for female voices and just good voices in sport, I have to keep my foot in both doors,” Charman told The Ledger in an exclusive interview. “I think women’s sport is incredible, and being a part of the women’s sports community is something I feel like I haven’t had an opportunity to do enough in my career, so I’m super excited, but I also don’t want to lose my minority voice in men’s sport.”

The British-born Charman, 30, has paired with play-by-play host Will Palaszczuk to broadcast all 102 regular season games in MLS play since Charlotte FC’s inception in 2022. The duo have worked all 113 games in which the team has used a radio broadcast, including four playoff games, minus a handful of games in U.S. Open Cup and one in Leagues Cup.

Charman was one of the first full-time female radio broadcasters in Major League Soccer.

“As much as I believe in radio with all of my heart, television is obviously a natural progression, and there’s going to be more opportunities to grow in TV,” Charman said. “Part of what’s really hard about this decision is the fact that I’m going to miss those personal connections and that exclusiveness as a voice of a club that you get by calling every single game.”

Charman prides herself on Palaszczuk and her call of the first goal in Charlotte FC history, Adam Armour’s header in Atlanta in 2022. Some of her other personal highlights were calling Kerwin Vargas’ game-winning goal in the 1-0 win against Lionel Messi and Miami, which put Charlotte FC into its first postseason in 2023; as well as coining “Bangers Only!” for an Ashley Westwood goal against the Chicago Fire in 2023.

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A post shared by @jesstalksfootie

Highlights from the call of Kerwin Vargas’ game-winning goal against Inter Miami in 2023. Courtesy of @jesstalksfootie on Instagram.

She also prides herself on her command of the rules, which she showed in on-the-spot analysis explaining why Andrew Gutman of Atlanta United got a red card on top of a penalty in a game in Atlanta in 2023.

“The referee on a piece of paper had written down the exact thing that I had said out loud,” Charman said. “That was a really amazing moment. I’m never going to be able to talk about, ‘When I was playing in MLS,’ because I didn’t play in MLS, but I am going to make sure I’m up to date because the laws of the game change constantly.”

Charman’s star has been rising in recent years, culminating in a chance to call the first-ever national Sirius XM radio broadcast of the NWSL’s championship game in November in Kansas City. She has also served and will continue to serve as a guest host for Sirius XM’s “United States of Soccer” talk show.

Charman, who grew up in Middlesex, England, is a former goalkeeper for Clayton State College, which brought her to the United States on scholarship. She and her husband and their 4-year-old daughter, Emilia, still live in the Atlanta area. Charman has been commuting to Charlotte for MLS games.

“The biggest thing I’ve grown is just in confidence and self-belief,” said Charman. “I came in with a bit of a chip on my shoulder, with a bit of imposter syndrome, and now I can confidently say that I know that the work that I put out there was something to be proud of, and I will look back with very fond memories about the games that I’ve called.”

Charman sat down for an interview on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast in September of 2022, when she spoke about a work ethic that saw her continue to broadcast soccer games at all levels, despite being hired as the voice of Charlotte FC.

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Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now in her fourth season covering Charlotte FC. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!

The Ledger’s Fútbol Friday newsletter is published Fridays during the Major League Soccer season, which runs from February to October.

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