Jess Iszatt | The Spurs supporting DJ 'living the dream'

Jess Iszatt is living the dream.

A radio DJ by trade, Jess has now taken her talent direct to the people and is now playing to festivals and venues across the country - but perhaps none so special to her as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Yes, in the past year, Jess has gone from the studio to the stadium as she played sets to our fans at a number of our games in the 2023/24 season.

Ange Postecoglou suggested our N17 home was becoming something of a nightclub last season with the feel good atmosphere reverberating around our 62,850 seater bowl - and Jess is one of the figures behind those vibes.

And, as a massive Spurs fan, the opportunity to play her part for the Club is something she could only dream about a few years ago!

This week, she spoke to Andy Greeves in this weekend's matchday programme about her career so far and her DJ sets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Firstly, can we ask how you became a Spurs supporter?

Jess: "My grandad was always a Spurs fan, as is my dad and his brothers. I also grew up in Hertford and pretty much everyone around there supports Spurs…other than a few people who support another team we won’t mention!

"I went to my first game when I was around eight or nine. I can’t remember who we were playing, but it would have been in the early 2000s and I can remember Teddy Sheringham scoring the only goal for us to win 1-0. I was so excited, jumping up and down, while my brother wasn’t bothered and never came to a match after that! I definitely cemented my status as a daddy’s girl that day!

"I love coming to matches still. I’m lucky to live around a 25-minute walk from the ground. I can actually see the stadium from the balcony of my home. I love the walk because it reminds me of the first time I went to the game with my dad. The magical feel entering the stadium on a matchday never gets old."

What have been your favourite moments supporting Spurs over the years?

Jess: "I got to live the dream, DJing the Women’s north London derby last season, which obviously we won! Every time I’ve DJ’d a Spurs Women’s match, we’ve never lost, which I’m just putting out there! One of the games I did was the Women’s FA Cup semi-final against Leicester when Martha Thomas scored the winner. That was a ‘wow’ moment.

"In terms of the men’s team, my favourite moment was Lucas Moura’s hat-trick against Ajax (in the Champions League semi-final in 2019). Before he left, Moura was my favourite player. As well as being a great player, he always had a smile on his face. I remember him scoring in his last match for us (in a 4-1 win at Leeds in May 2023) and I actually cried with happiness! A goal in his last game was the legacy he deserved for his amazing time at Spurs."

Who are your current favourite Spurs players and why?

Jess: "Sonny and (Cristian) Romero are my two favourites. I had the fortune to speak to Sonny very briefly after a match last season. I have a Southeast Asian background – my mum is Malaysian and has Malay, Chinese and Thai blood. I think Sonny has changed a lot of stereotypes around Asians in the UK and that’s really important to me. And what a player he is.

"I play a lot of hockey and I can see a lot of my energy on the hockey pitch in the way he plays. Also, I always love it when Pedro Porro scores a worldie and I’ve got a lot of time for Micky van de Ven."

What did you make of Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge of Spurs last season?

Jess: "I really can’t say a bad word about Ange. He has been absolutely fantastic for us. As someone who has played a lot of team sport, I admire the way in which he protects his players, particularly in front of the media. I think that trust is important. I also fully respect that he has a plan and an ethos and that he sticks to it. From a fan’s perspective, the football was really good to watch last season. I remember Gary Neville commenting during the season, if he could watch any team play, it would be Spurs and I totally understand why."

What are your hopes for this season?

Jess: "Winning silverware would be amazing but I also appreciate how tough that can be. I want to see us continuing to play exciting football that gets us off our seats. I feel like we’re always competitive against the teams towards the top of the league while there are occasions where we slip up against teams further down in the league. If we can improve anything from last season, it would be to increase our consistency and results against teams further down the league."

Harry Kane and Eric Dier may well be back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today. What are your thoughts on their potential return?

Jess: "It’s going to be emotional to see them back isn’t it? They were both incredible players for Spurs and, even though it was a shame to see them both leave, it was also good to see how well they did at Bayern last season… especially knocking Arsenal out of the Champions League! I’m sure they will both get a great reception from our fans."

Can you tell us a bit about your presenting and DJing careers so far?

Jess: "My journey started with NSR (Newcastle Student Radio) when I was a student at Newcastle University. I also did some stuff on Spark FM in Sunderland when I was there before returning south. I started volunteering on BBC Three Counties in Luton and did one day a week at BBC Introducing in Essex and then eventually, I moved to the London show. It was 2016 when I got my first on-air job with Magic Chilled, which I’m still doing now. I started playing the BBC Introducing show in London in 2019 and things really took off from there.

"I didn’t really start using decks until after lockdown, although I had started learning to use them before that. It’s an exciting summer for me, because I’m DJing in Ibiza for the first time. I’m also DJing at Boardmasters Festival – a special festival for me as it’s the first one I went to with my friends as a teenager – and Creamfields. I also DJ’d for London Spirit for The Hundred.

"I’ll be wrapping up the festival season just before the football season starts, which is brilliant. I’m buzzing for the new season and can’t wait to get to my next Spurs game!"