Fancy Becoming a Sports Journalist?

Job Description

A sports journalist works in the media industry (newspaper, magazines, radio, television, internet) and source, research, write and present stories for publication in local, regional and national press.

Name: Daniel Schofield        
Profession: Sports Journalist
Employer: Sportsbeat

A day in the life of a Sports Journalist

No day is ever the same being a sports journalist, you could be attending an England rugby press conference, reporting on a Champions League match or rustling up a hard-hitting news story in the office. What each day does have in common is a need to put in a lot of research and a satisfaction at the end of a job well done.

On a normal day within my office, I will spend an hour brainstorming potential ideas for news stories before holding an editorial conference to discuss these ideas further. From then on it is a case of working until those stories are written whether that means driving to interview someone at their home or staying up until 2am to speak to someone in Australia.

3 great things about being a Sports Journalist

1. Being paid to do a job you love. Whether it is going to the Beijing for the Olympics or interviewing one of your childhood heroes.

2. It is also incredibly satisfying to see your name in print after a job well done.

3. I continue to get a buzz from being a sports journalist every day of the week.

3 not so great things about being a Sports Journalist

1. You do have to work long hours.

2. Your starting salary is very low.

3. You will also be required to work nearly every Saturday and some Sundays as well. While the idea of being a sports journalist sounds attractive, often people find it much harder once they are on the coalface.

What qualifications do you recommend people interested in sports journalism gain?

A National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) qualification is an essential stepping stone to a career into any field of journalism not just sport. Having graduated from Edinburgh University, I was desperate to get my first job straight away but bitter experience showed that newspaper editors are unwilling to take on fresh-faced trainees who aren’t NCTJ qualified. The qualification teaches you news writing, public affairs – knowledge of national and local government, law – not getting your editor sued, and shorthand where you are trained to write at 100 words-per-minute. I took my course at News Associates where you are thrown headfirst into the world of journalism.

3 Opportunities and experiences recommended you gain

1. Apply to your local and national newspapers, to magazines and websites to try and gain a broad understanding of each different field of journalism.

2. Make sure you are writing regularly, even if it is not published. Next time a football or rugby game is on TV try turning the commentary off and writing a 200-word match report within five minutes of the final whistle.

3. If you are interested in going out to cover a live match please contact my news editor Craig Chisnall at cchisnall@sportsbeat.co.uk. You may not be covering Manchester United v Chelsea but we all had to start somewhere – my first game was Dover Athletic in the Ryman League South.

Salary Range

• Reporters vary from £10,000 - £25,000
• Sub-editors and editors of national newspapers £40,000 - £80,000

Useful Websites

www.careers-in-sport.co.uk
www.journalism-courses.com
www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk