The voice of the Shark Tank

HE has worked as a DJ for Capital Radio, a newsreader, made the worst decision of his life by studying accountancy at UCT, and remembers a time when a rugby fan ran on to the hallowed ground of Growth Point Kings Park stadium with a banana tree, and plonked it in the middle of the field.

In fact his voice is synonymous with The Sharks and with KZN rugby. Of course, we are talking about Dave Macleod.

Though he had an affinity for creative writing, Macleod studied a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Cape Town. “It truly was the worst decision of my life. By my third year I was loathing accounting and began freelancing for local papers. I found my calling with journalism and that eventually led to running the sports department at Capital Radio,” he said.

After the radio station closed its doors, the 48-year-old had a stint at East Coast Radio before starting his own company, Gameplan Media. “In between all of this I was contacted by Sue Parker, who was handling the marketing at The Sharks at the time. The decision was to become more interactive with the crowd,” he said. It’s a decision that paid dividends as Macleod became one of the most familiar and euphonious voices at the stadium.

“The Sharks were moving in a new direction, they wanted to evolve the role from public service announcer to presenter. At the time it was a brave decision because we weren’t sure what the crowd’s reactions would be,” he said.

A former scrumhalf at Michaelhouse, Macleod is also a regular feature whenever the Boks play countrywide. “That’s a fantastic experience and a very proud moment for me personally, being able to be involved with the Springboks,” he enthused.