Sporting chance

 

 

 

Journalism is a popular career, but extremely competitive. In this case study, Joe Questier tells Moving On what he’s doing with his Sports Journalism degree.

BY MIKE CARTER

“I have always loved sport – it has been a major part of my life. So when reality kicked in, and I realised I wasn’t good enough to play professionally, I thought the next best thing would be to write about it.”

This is a view shared by many aspiring sports journalists across the country, but numerous people who want a job in this industry rarely have the qualifications to match their ambitions. Like many other parts of the media, it’s an extremely competitive area of work, which requires lots of passion and experience.

Joe Questier is someone who did get a job in the industry at the tender age of 23. After graduating from Staffordshire University with a BA (Hons) Sports Journalism degree in July last year, he joined Port Vale Football Club as a Media Officer at the start of the 2011/12 season.

His role at the League Two club involves writing original content for both the matchday programme and the club’s official website, as well as filming and editing videos for ‘Valiants Player’, which is the subscription video service for Port Vale fans. On top of that, Joe spends his time interviewing the players and coaches, while also organising press conferences and events.

It may seem like a dream job and compared to what many people do for a living, it certainly has its glamorous side. “The way I like to look at it is, a lot of the time, I am getting paid to watch football, which is a dream job to me,” Joe said. “There are also a lot of unglamorous aspects of the role, as the hours are very long and I spend a lot of time in the freezing cold, but I still love it which is the main thing.”

As sports journalism becomes increasingly popular more people are beginning to ask the same questions. ‘I’d like a job in sports journalism – how do I go about it?’ Or ‘What qualifications do I need to get into the journalism industry?’

There are over 200 different degree courses in the UK for people wanting to become sports journalists, which range from Sports Journalism to Media Studies and Creative Writing. The rising university fees may put some people off the idea of Higher Education, but for this job category it’s vital.

Joe explained: “If I didn’t go to university, I feel I wouldn’t be in the profession. Before I went to university, I did try applying for jobs and placements in journalism, but without the necessary qualification, or experience, it proved too difficult a field to enter.”

With that in mind, it seems as though university would be the best option as it provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience and valuable skills. Furthermore, many universities are now NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) accredited, which means you can obtain skills that potential employers want.

It isn’t all work either as going into Higher Education can lead to meeting lots of new people, becoming more independent and of course partying. The whole university experience is much more than just studying and exams, many people consider it to be the best years of their lives.

“University was a brilliant place to meet lots of people who I still speak to today. We did have a lot of nights out, but I wouldn’t condone going just for the fun of it,” said Joe. “There are people who were on my course who are finding it hard to get jobs now and they wish they had taken it more seriously.”

Becoming a sports journalist isn’t an easy task, but if you have the passion and determination it can be very rewarding. Joe has recently landed a job at Derby County Football Club as an Assistant Press Officer and it is another step up the ladder for him. His aim is to work for a Premier League club within the next five years. If you’re serious about the industry as much as he is, you could be there too.