MICHAEL Kurn has come a long way since his time as a Daily Echo newspaper delivery boy. These days he presents the news to a global TV audience rather than post it through Hampshire residents' letter boxes!

In fact since 2014 Michael has been presenting the Premier League globally to 74 countries around the world, with a viewing audience of 4 billion! He hosts a studio phone in show called Fanzone, and gets out and about pitch side for Match Day Live.

He also presents many other live sporting events across the globe covering a wide range of sports, including, Cricket, Tennis, Hockey & Equestrian, culminating in working as part of the announcing team at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Michael’s work with the Premier League also brings him back to his roots and the South Coast where he is often at St Mary’s presenting pitch side for Match Day Live.

"It's amazing! Its been a crazy journey!" he says, adding: "I've gone from the Tyro League to the Premiere League.”

And now the 27-year-old hopes to build on this by becoming a well known face on UK TV in the not too distant future. With some exciting opportunities in the pipeline he hopes to fulfill his long term goal to be the next major sports TV anchor.

The passion for sports presenting stems from his boyhood dream of being a football player. He had trials for Bournemouth and wanted to be a professional goal keeper but aged 15 he tore the cartilage in his knee and was told he "would never make it to the top as a player."

And so he set his sights on becoming a TV and radio presenter of both sports and entertainment events.

Michael, who was born in Southampton and grew up in the village of Durley, has always loved the entertainment industry. When he joined Peter Symonds College in Winchester in 2006 he set up 7 Radio, the college station, with two friends, becoming breakfast show presenter.

"In 2008 my journey began. I did radio with Tommy Boyd on the Original 106 Breakfast show. I was the work experience boy who went for two weeks and ended up staying 22 weeks and I had my own feature on the show called 'It' s All Balls’.

He went on to work on many radio stations, including presenting the daytime show on Spitfire FM across the Southampton region.

As a teenager, he had the opportunity to meet and interview Gordon Strachan at his home which remains an early career highlight and the spark that ignited his passion.

“We ended up talking for one and a half hours. I was only 18. I was told he can be a bit blunt and he’s not a fan of journalists but he was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He met me at his electric gates and made me a cup of tea – it was all very surreal as I’d always idolised him as a Southampton fan. That was such a great experience I thought afterwards, ‘I can do this, this disc how I get to the top’, and I’ve never looked back. For me this was the catalyst to take it to the next level. From that point I was determined to be a TV presenter.”

After that Michael went on the cruise ships as a DJ and TV presenter from 2009 to July 2010, and on his return he began working for LSQ TV, hitting the Red Carpet in London's Leicester Square.

He has interviewed everyone from Kylie to Canadian teen idol Justin Beiber, as the red carpet became his second home. Another early highlight came at this time when he interviewed Southampton's own Craig David.

Meeting Craig was the greatest thrill for Michael who says: “I grew up with his music and have always been a fan. It’s so great to see him back now as well putting Southampton on the map.”

Michael has come along way since those days of delivering the Daily Echo and 2016 was a major highlight as he headed off to Rio.

Presenting the Hockey at the 2016 Olympics and then returning to Rio to host the Wheelchair Tennis at the Paralympics was "amazing!".

"It was such an interesting experience. The people were so embracing of the fans that had gone to watch . It could have been a nightmare as they were struggling like a lot of developing countries but to be involved and experience their success was amazing. I was out there until the quarter final stage with the hockey and then came home and had to watch the rest on the sofa ! But it was incredible to be there and witness that. The Olympics is the pinnacle for me: if someone said to me it's all over I can at least be happy I have done that. You generate these opportunities; you seize them and must keep going but presenting the Olympics at 27 years old, people dream of that kind of stuff. It's got to be right up there!

"Every time I sit in a studio I just love to take in the live atmosphere , like the Saint's vs Inter Milan game. As a Saints fan it was an amazing moment and as a presenter I always take time to just appreciate every second as you never know when the dream is over.

So why does he think he has enjoyed this success so far?

"I think for me I've had a passion. I had a plan in place and something I wanted to achieve and I kept my focus. It's so easy to give up. We live in a society where everything is instant and people do give up easily. The biggest thing with having goals is some people have an aim that's too specific. My aim was 'to be a sports presenter' , rather than set something that was impossible, I set something possible and that allows you to achieve the next step by step.”

As regards his 'ideal job' he says: " I'd like to be an anchor on a World Cup. I'd also love to host The Royal Variety Show one day. To do that at the London Palladium would be amazing! But the main goal is to be doing what I love. If you wake up each day - whether you work in an office or on a building site, if you love what you do you are very lucky and I'm lucky I enjoy life to the max.

"I love live broadcasting. I get such a buzz from it. I remember doing my first hour long live Fanzone. I'd never done a whole live show before - only 30 seconds at a pitch side. There were four cameras, a studio guest and callers phoning in. I sat in this studio and it was the most amazing feeling ever and the producer said in my ear you are doing really well!”

Michael says he gets recognised more abroad than in the UK due to presenting on Fanzone but says: "I've never done it for people to recognise me but I was that kid hanging around outside St Mary's for pictures and an autograph so I get it, and when people come up to me I love it. I'm a people person so it's nice to hear people stories. It's strange but I'm just Michael- nothing special- I'm just a lad from Southampton that gets to talk about sport for a living!”

Even Michael admits to getting a little star struck himself as he has got to work alongside some of his sporting heroes.

"One thing that always gets me - and I have a little fan moment, was working with Mark Pougatch for the first time who presents BBC Radio 5 Live. I went into the green room and he stood up and shook my hand and said 'Michael it's good to meet you ' and then when I met Ian Wright- the Arsenal legend, he was also very friendly and said 'Hi Michael I saw you down the lens..." I really hope I don't do this silly little boy grin when I meet people like that! These are people that have inspired me and they look at you on the same level and look at you as a colleague!

"It's very early days and when you get a bit of success it's easy to look forward and think what's the next thing. But you need to appreciate the moment and realise you are very blessed.”

Michael is a strong believer in the power of positivity and this attitude helped him to cope with the loss of a close family member last year:

"You have to be positive. You only live once. I lost my Nan a year ago and it knocked me for six. She was always there and supported me. She was only 66 and died of lung cancer. You have to take the positives. We had amazing times, and the staff at the Countess Mountbatten Hospice made the final days so much easier, and now I use that pain to think what can I do to make Nan proud. Bad things happen every day but if you can take the positives from it, if you can be positive there's a lot to be said for a positive mindset. It won't solve the world problems but it will help.”

As for his career highlight so far one comes to mind:

"When you get to switch on that mic and get to say 'Welcome to the Rio Olympic Games ' and then when I got to say "please welcome Gordon Reid the gold Paralympic Wheelchair tennis champion and see his face just light up. It was an amazing, really humbling feeling for me to be the first person to say those words for him to hear. You are sharing that moment with someone who has worked so long to achieve it and it's a great feeling.”

"I get that same feeling whether I'm Pitchside reading the team sheet at Eastleigh Football club as I do at Wembley arena. I just appreciate the moment.

There are people that would kill to do what I do: I hang about football grounds and get to talk about it on TV. It’s been a tough journey - there's been plenty of ups but there's been plenty of downs too. You get offered a lot of opportunities which sometimes don't materialise, which can be disheartening but you have to keep going - keep working hard to fund the dream. Yes I have found myself chatting to Justin Beiber at the O2 Arena but I've also found myself sweeping the floor at the Robin Hood pub at Durley to pay for the next train ticket.”

Michael's feet are certainly on the ground as his journey continues, and hopefully it wont be too long until he is on our TV sets in the UK.