Feeling thrilled to host new match (8)
I believe the answer is:
sentient
'feeling' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'thrilled to host new match' is the wordplay.
'thrilled' becomes 'sent' (send can mean to thrill or excite).
'to host' indicates putting letters inside (inserted letters are hosted or welcomed).
'new' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation eg NT for New Testament).
'match' becomes 'tie' (tie can mean a sporting fixture).
'n'+'tie'='ntie'
'sent' placed around 'ntie' is 'SENTIENT'.
(Other definitions for sentient that I've seen before include "Conscious - aware" , "Capable of feeling and perceiving things" , "Able to perceive or feel things" , "Capable of feeling things as in tenets" , "Endowed with feeling and consciousness" .)