Category: Uni Work

Commonwealth Games 2022: Can Birmingham deliver on the world stage?

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Branded as “the games for everyone,” Birmingham 2022 is set to be one of the biggest sporting events in Midlands history.

With an estimated 100,000 people across Birmingham, the Black Country and Coventry thought to have lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the games organisers say it will create around 35,000 new jobs and skills opportunities, including volunteering roles and training opportunities, which could be just what the Midlands needs to get back on it’s feet and show what they have to offer.

The Birmingham Games will take place across the West Midlands from 28 July to 8 August next year and is set to be the most expensive sports event staged in Britain since the London 2012 Olympics, costing an estimated £800 million.

Birmingham 2022 is set to cost more than the London 2012 Olympics – Image by sh ahn from Pixabay 

The event will be the 18th consecutive games to be broadcast by the BBC, which will see the first major multi-sports event to award more medals to female athletes and also the largest Commonwealth Para-sport programme.

Another key part in making the Birmingham Games unique and sustainable for future generations, is the partnership with Severn Trent who will become the Official Nature and Carbon-Neutral Supporter of Birmingham 2022. Outlined in its newly published sustainability pledge, Ian Reid, Games chief executive, said he wanted the event to be “the most sustainable to date,” adding Severn Trent will help “with a significant and credible local offsetting programme.”

Dame Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, described the plans as a historic moment for Commonwealth sport.

“It reinforces our commitment to ensure that the Games leaves a positive social and environmental legacy for generations to come,” she said.

Even the mascot (named by 10 year old Emma Lou) is named Perry after the Perry Barr area of Birmingham, where the Alexander Stadium will host athletics events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Reid, said: “Perry is everything I hoped our mascot would be and more: bright, colourful, energetic and totally representative of modern Birmingham and the West Midlands. Perry celebrates diversity, community and our region’s heritage as well as its future.”

Bumps in the road

There have been a few setbacks with plans for a £500m athletes’ village in Perry Barr abandoned last year due to delays in construction caused by Covid-19.

There has also been disruption with the High Speed 2 Railway (HS2) with residents unhappy they may be forced to leave their homes to make way for the new line, and, one of the other biggest arguments being how it might impact on the country’s green spaces and countryside. The Wildlife Trust claimed in a recent report that “the deep cut HS2 will make across the landscape could stop nature’s recovery in its tracks.”

Some residents are unhappy and want HS2 stopped – Photo by Dylan Hayward on Unsplash

Another big problem which has since been rectified but still shouldn’t have happened in the first place, was when a few board members stepped down over diversity concerns and “poor functioning of the board.” This included Commonwealth Games Federation president Dame Louise Martin who stepped down from the board to help improve representation, a move welcomed by the government, which pledged “more changes”.

Birmingham 2022 found itself in the middle of controversy last year when it emerged that just one of the 20 members of its board of directors and executive management team was not white. Last year, research showed BAME people accounted for just 5.2% of board members across 130 UK Sport and Sport England-funded organisations. Barbados-based Sandra Osborne QC took Martin’s place on the board and civil servant Hiren Dhimar then became a third BAME director.

A coronavirus free games

Despite all the negatives, athletics journalist Alex Seftel believes the return of international sport will far outweigh any negatives.

“Firstly, there is a lot of excitement in terms of all upcoming selection opportunities across international sport, including the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” he said.

“It isn’t clear how much of an impact covid-19 will have going forward, but it is clear that people missed out in 2020, and that the pandemic isn’t over yet,” he added.

Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing and social distancing is still required – Photo by Ethan Wilkinson on Unsplash

Seftel explained the potential consequences this may have on athletes and other events in the future.

“One positive will be the rush to fill up competitions. That is happening in track and field for instance, which is great to see, especially so far as the mental and physical health boost athletes at all levels get from being able to do what they love best,” he said.

“From an athletics point of view, the renovation of the Alexander Stadium, which has hosted many national championships and international meetings, is incredibly exciting. It’s the home of Birchfield Harriers, one of – if not the most – successful clubs in British history.

“As well as being constant high-achievers at grassroots level, they have been represented at every summer Olympics bar one since 1908 and have harnessed the athletic talent of the Midlands region for generations.

“Shiny new facilities will give them a greater standing to do this for the next generation of aspiring sportspeople, not forgetting that many who start off in athletics go onto other sports,” he added.

“On the other hand, we have already seen people test positive prior to competitions which they then have to miss, and quarantine after coming back from travelling stopping people from competing,” Seftel said.

“This could mean fewer opportunities to perform and qualify and therefore appear at major international competitions like the Commonwealth Games.”

People may have to quarantine when arriving back home – Photo by Camila Perez on Unsplash

Tokyo 2020

Seftel then spoke about whether the Tokyo olympics will go ahead this summer, and what lessons Birmingham 2022 could learn from it if it does.

“I’ve heard some news coming out in Japan about members of the public being uncertain how to feel about the Olympic Games now that the Torch Relay is ongoing with a sort of ‘keep calm and carry on’ attitude in the face of some scientific advice being against hosting this summer’s Games,” he said.

“There is pressure on governing bodies in sport to keep up pace with interpreting government guidance and taking on feedback from organisers of competitions and athletes. But, credit to them and every confidence they can do it because they’ve at times almost had to reinvent the wheel to keep sport going and volunteers and athletes engaged in the process.

He added, “We might see a rather strange Olympics without the same energy it would usually provide. That said, the excitement I mentioned to get international sport back should confidently outweigh that.”

Tokyo 2021 could be postponed for the second year in a row – Photo by Erik Zünder on Unsplash

Brexit

Another issue Seftel spoke about was that of Brexit and he explained how it could affect Britain’s chances of hosting international events in the future.

“We will know more after this summer I would imagine. The post-Brexit era has been dominated by Covid-19 rules, so there aren’t really test cases yet,” he said.

“I have read some articles that mention Britain could be less likely to be picked as a host of future events (so not relevant to those it’s already picked as a host country for) but that’s got to be somewhat speculation. Obviously very few athletes will be coming to Birmingham 2022 from EU countries – only Cyprus and Malta,” he added.

So Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK, looks set to show what it has to offer next year. Whatever happens, on a personal level living in the midlands, I can’t wait for the games to be here. There will be more challenges ahead of course, but if Birmingham and the surrounding areas does pull off what it’s planning and fingers crossed they do, like I said at the beginning of this piece, they truly will live up to their message of being “the games for everyone.”

2000 word evaluation

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In this 2000 word evaluation, I will highlight some of my thought processes behind the development of my three articles that have been produced for placement in three different news publications.

News Values and Ethics

My stories are about athletics with the underpinning subject being Covid-19 and how it is affecting the sport. It was a local issue as the virus originated in China, but now it has spread all over the world and become a global issue.

Sport has many different elements to it which is why I chose to write about it. It is affecting sport both in the short term and long term.

By having this as the main topic to my articles and then talking about how it is affecting different parts of the sports industry, I now have an alternative piece of journalism rather than just mainstream as no-one else has these stories.

I have tried to write my articles from three different perspectives. I thought it would be a good opportunity to hear from journalists and governing bodies, as it gives the readers chance to see how it is affecting people on a personal level and how it is affecting the sport they control.

News Values help us to consider the angle of particular types of news stories. The word NEWS is meant to be exactly that, NEW. It is what people want to hear or need to know and helps move stories on.

Journalists are always on the look out for stories which are in the public interest and anyone wanting to get their story reported must understand what makes a good newsworthy story.

The news process is a two-way transaction between the journalist and their audience but is difficult to define because stories can be presented in a variety of ways.

News can inform, educate or even entertain. Hard news deals with serious topics and events. Soft news on the other hand usually tries to entertain or advise.

The link between a journalist and it’s audience is becoming increasingly harder with the growth of citizen journalism and interactive media. Immediate feedback gives journalists a better understanding of what their audience is looking for in a news story however, this could be misleading.

Those responsible for deciding the news agenda are called “gatekeepers” and the news agenda can vary from publisher to publisher depending on style or ethos et al.

Galtung and Ruge (1965) did some research into how events become news. They made a list of the factors of newsworthiness the journalists choose.

The values they identified fall into three categories.

Impact

An event must meet a certain threshold before being recorded. The more people a story affects, or the more money it involves, the bigger its impact. Journalists are likely to select an event that is easy to follow and different rather than an everyday issue.

This is the same with how frequent news stories are. Sudden events such as a high profile death are more newsworthy compared to events which unfold gradually, or at random times.

Bad news is also higher rated than good news because it effects the audience more. Stories about death always rate higher than positive ones such as royal engagements.

Audience identification

News stories that involve a human connection are more likely to be newsworthy as it provides emotion. This is why I think all my articles would attract readers as they offer different perspectives on the same topic. This is especially true for my two athlete articles as you can see how it affects people with a disability and those without.

Stories about people who speak the same language, look the same, and share the same concerns as the audience receive more coverage. This relates to my articles because journalists would be interested in what other journalists are talking about and what they are doing in this time of uncertainty. Same with athletes as everyone is trying to find ways of keeping fit.

Stories about important people get media attention. Stories which involve the rich, powerful, famous and governments in particular all over the globe, receive more attention. Editors prefer to have people on their screens who have an impact on others.

Pragmatics of media coverage

Journalists are more likely to cover an event they are prepared for. Once a story has become headline news, it remains under the media spotlight for some time. This is partly because news teams are already in place to report the event, however, stories still need to compete with one another for space so need to be the best.

At the moment, media coverage on Covid-19 is consonance and has continuity because it is the main story everywhere.

In 2001 Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neill went back over Galtung and Rouge’s original criteria to see if there had been any changes. They found some notable differences such as:

  • the growing interest in celebrity
  • a tendency to report good news as well as bad
  • the newspaper’s own agenda

So what has this got to do with my articles? It’s all about adapting and learning how to write for certain audiences. Issues towards people who are in the Paralympics have changed significantly over the years for example. It is still an important issue which needs to be talked about and this is one of the reasons why I chose to do an article on it.

Narrative (Language choice and empathy)

Todorov (1969), explains that narratives are put into a sequence which contain a three-part structure.

To start off, there is usually an equilibrium. Something then happens to this equilibrium and it is disrupted. Finally, once resolved, there is a new equilibrium.

Although my stories do not have a final equilibrium as they are part of an ongoing narrative, they offer the reader a bit of hope and light at the end of the tunnel which we all need at the moment.

This pandemic will eventually end and when it does, some things will go back to the way they were before because people need money to make a living.

However, what I think these few months will teach us is that we can survive and we can adapt if we need to and this is the point I was trying to get across in my three articles.

“Empathy has the power to activate moral principles. Our ability to imagine and feel the world from the other’s point of view is likely to temper our feelings, curb unbridled wants and encourage reciprocity.” (Howe 2013:151)

If you read the quotes carefully, they all talk about how the virus has affected them personally which conveys emotion to the audience and how they’ve had to change certain things but they are just trying to carry on like normal.

However, normal is being changed all the time as I mentioned earlier due to the new digital age created in the “public sphere” which I will come onto a little later, and so we are all constantly evolving and adapting to the rules that have been given to us by the government.

Public Sphere

The public sphere has many parts to it.

Ideally, this sphere, as a public space, is open to all, on the basis that participants come to discuss and argue as rational beings in the interests of the greater good’ (Long and Wall 2012:183)

This means that some kind of democracy is formed. The state controls it but they offer us the right to have a voice.

People soon became greedy however and wanted to try and change the way things were done.

This is where the Bourgeois Public Sphere was introduced.

“The sphere of private individuals assembled into a public body, which almost immediately laid claim to the officially regulated “intellectual newspapers” for use against the public authority itself.” (Habermas, 1991)

By people wanting to change the way things are done, they have created a new dimension and struggle to the theory created by Habermas.

“Whoever can speak, speaking now to the whole nation, becomes a power, a branch of government, with inalienable weight in law- making, in all acts of authority. It matters not what rank he has, what revenues or garnitures: the requisite thing is that he have a tongue which others will listen to; this and nothing more is requisite. (Carlyle, 1905: 349-350)

I believe in my articles I have given people the right to talk who usually wouldn’t get to, especially with my Paralympic article as many groups are stereotyped and misrepresented.

I chose to do a story on a Paralympian for a local news website rather than a national one because I thought it might offer something to the debate and discussion of how news can inform on behalf of particular minorities and also gives the readers in the local area a chance to learn something new about how their local community and the people within it are being affected.

If I had put the articles in national newspapers, they would probably be taken out of context and it wouldn’t convey the same human connection I wanted it to. It would also get disrupted by the new age of digital media which I mentioned earlier and the style I have written them in wouldn’t work for other publications either.

I believe my work is fully suited to where I have put them because they are written specifically for that audience.

Representation

Stuart Hall (1997), defines representation as:

“The way we use language to say something meaningful about…the world… to other people.”

Issues of representation matter, especially to minority or underrepresented groups. Representing any issues through journalism is important, especially as representation is always partial in nature and so how stories are constructed is also important to consider.

The reason I decided to interview a Paralympian was because it helped me give balance to my stories and understand how to represent people who may not be given the chance to talk about their story.

As I mentioned earlier, it also helps people understand what is going on around them and gives minority groups a chance to talk.

My stories are all hard news as they deal with a sensitive issue, particularly the Paralympic article. I didn’t want to patronise anyone in my work which is why I tried to choose my words carefully.

By repeating Thomas’ name throughout for example, it is highlighting how important his views are to the story and it is his voice being represented.

Having listened to Vidar Hjardeng when he came into our uni, he made me realise how important it was to be impartial in news. Our job is to report news, good or bad. Soft news, hard news, whatever it may be.

How media is constructed is also known as a form of mediation. Media is used by newspapers and press to act as a mediator between state and society. It is about the power of few vs mass democracy and has created opportunity for people to speak out for others and give a voice to those who don’t normally get it which I believe I have done in my articles.

This is why the choice of topic and language used when writing my articles was important and is worthy of discussion and consideration in this critical evaluation.

References

Galtung, Johan and Ruge, Mari (1965) “The structure of foreign news: the presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus crises in four Norwegian newspapers”, Journal of International Peace Research 1, pp. 64–91. 

Harcup, Tony, and Deirdre O’Neill. 2001. “What is News? Galtung and Ruge Revisited.” Journalism Studies 2 (2): 261–280.

Todorov, T. and Weinstein, A. (1969) “Structural Analysis of Narrative”. NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Autumn, 1969), pp. 70-76

Long, P., & Wall, T. (2012) Media Studies: Texts, Production and Context, London, Pearson.

Habermas, J. (1991): “The public sphere” In Mukerji, C.; Schudson, M.(Ed.): Rethinking popular culture. Contemporary perspectives in cultural studies. Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp.398-404.

Carlyle T (1905) On Heroes: Hero Worship and the Heroic in History London: H. R. Allenson

Howe, D (2013:151). “Empathy: What it is and why it Matters” Palgrave Macmillan, BasingStoke

Hall, S, (1997) “Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices” Sage Publications, London

 

Online Profile and Critical Reflection

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Online Profile

 

Given the current situation we find ourselves in at the moment with the Coronavirus, I believe getting a work placement will be very difficult. However, I have gained a lot of valuable skills and experience during my time on this course and I want to keep expanding my knowledge of all areas, because there is always room for improvement.

I want to do more practical journalism experience as sports broadcasting is an area of interest to me. I want to secure a position in either online or broadcast as I feel they would be more beneficial in the long run.

It would be good to learn how this side of journalism works compared to print and if I can learn skills in both, I become adaptable which journalists need to be.

To secure another work placement, I plan on sending out my updated CV alongside a cover letter to potential placement providers.

To be successful, I need to mainly concentrate on developing my writing and communication skills. I recently set up a LinkedIn account and this has helped me to see what jobs are out there and I can connect with many different people.

I have to continue writing articles on my personal blog and posting them on my social media sites, as this will help me practice writing features and articles. It will also help expand my vocabulary and improve my grammar.

Interviewing people will give me more self-confidence and prepare me for working in the industry in the future. Meeting new people and having to interview them for quotes will expand my communication and listening skills.

To be a good journalist, I also need to know how to undertake research properly. Having to complete assignments, where I need to investigate a chosen subject, will teach me the importance of both primary and secondary research and how to choose reliable sources.

CV

LinkedIn

Twitter

 

Critical Reflection

 

Prior to the Coronavirus, I was trying to set up meetings with people and interview them face to face as we originally needed to do at least one video TV news package. However, since this became increasingly harder to do, I decided it would be better to do a fourth written story on Birmingham Eastside instead.

This meant I had to slightly change some things I had planned, however, I don’t think this affected the overall outcome of my work.

Successes and Problems

At the start, I found it difficult contacting people as everything changed in such a small amount of time and people were still adjusting to moving online.

When I eventually received emails back off people, I found I ended up having more time to talk to them, as neither of us had to travel anywhere because you’re not allowed and this takes time out of the day.

Also, when you go to an event or wherever the interview is taking place, you only have a certain amount of time with the person you are interviewing because they would more than likely have to do several more with other media outlets.

This means if they have already done several before you, the questions would probably be similar and the answers given would be too, so it would become quite repetitive and boring.

You want to try and make your interviews different and unique so it helps the audience watching or listening and also makes your interviewee(s) feel comfortable with you which makes the interview flow.

When you’re at home, there are no real time limits and the conversations are more natural which means you get to know more about the person you’re interviewing as an individual and not just a protected sports person as many are very guarded these days. The barrier that is normally there has now gone in a way, apart from through a computer screen.

The only problems I encountered (apart from emailing which I mentioned earlier), were making sure everything was set up correctly which I know took some time for people to get used to, and, making sure the Wi-Fi connection and signal were strong.

Evaluation of my stories and analysis of production process

Most of the news at the minute is pretty bleak, so I tried to offer a range of good and bad news in my articles.

News is meant to be NEW and cover a range of subjects and areas. I believe the articles I have written are just that. They may not be the obvious stories which everyone is covering, but they are still important and they all have a connection with Birmingham which was required in the brief.

Once I had done the first article, I found it easier to write the others as they were similar in style and I knew what I needed to include. My sports journalism lectures have also helped with this as I know what the structure of a news story should look like and the standard journalism practice.

If mine matched, great, if not then I needed to change something. Journalism is all about making stories easy for the audience to read.

Looking at how my peers were writing their articles also helped me because if I saw something in theirs which I liked, for example a linked word in the text, I could incorporate it in mine where possible.

If I was to do this again, I would try to have more interviews, particularly in my music one, as it makes the articles more personal and informative. It also helps give them balance which is important in journalism.

I wanted to do a football story as this is my favourite sport, and I did speak to a few people, however, I felt they weren’t detailed enough compared to the other ones I had already done and they also didn’t appeal specifically to the Birmingham audience, so I didn’t do them.

I also wanted to show I can find stories from other areas of news which proves my flexibility and this is what journalists need to be.

Review of my own development over the year

I have found my second year at Uni very interesting. It has been a lot harder than the first, but these challenges have helped me push myself and prepare for my final year and hopefully the media industry after that.

I have loved learning about TV and how things are put together as this is the area I want to go into when I graduate.

One of my favourite things we did was learning how a TV studio worked and understanding why teamwork and communication is extremely important.

I also learnt how to put a script together and recognise the “TV jargon” which I will need to know if I get a job in the industry.

I have also managed to improve skills I already had, particularly my editing. This has helped me with my football Podcast as we now have a YouTube account.

I loved going to St. George’s Park and would like to go on more trips. However, I don’t think this is likely to happen next year now, as people will be less likely to invite you places as nobody knows what the damage of Coronavirus is going to be and how long it will take to get back to some sort of normality again.

Goals for Final/Graduation Year

As I look towards my final year, I need to mainly concentrate on developing my writing and communication skills and sending my work off to potential employers.

By continuing to write sports articles on my personal blog, this will help me get used to the structure of news on different platforms. It will also expand my vocabulary and improve my grammar.

Meeting new people and having to interview them for quotes will expand my communication and listening skills and this is what we were learning in our live newsroom sessions before Covid-19 stopped us.

I believe this virus is going to have a big impact on the amount of jobs available in the future, however, I hope by this time next year, taking everything from the three years on board, I will be in a much better position to get a job in the media industry.

 

England U20s head coach says “more needs to be done” in the fight to tackle racism

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In an exclusive interview at St George’s Park, England U20s head coach Keith Downing expressed his opinion on racism in the game.

The 54-year-old believes the authorities aren’t doing enough and need to be stronger with the punishments they hand out.

“I think UEFA are too lenient,” he said with strong conviction.

“There has to be a stronger stance in the game and there needs to be more punishment as I don’t think the fines are enough.

Downing, who has been part of England’s coaching staff since 2015, spoke about the racial abuse England players faced in their Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria.

The game, which England eventually won 6-0, was stopped twice as part of UEFA’s three-step protocol to prevent racism. A number of people have voiced their opinion on the protocol including former England youth player Marvin Sordell.

Downing said, “I think what happened in Bulgaria was important and it’s good to see the senior side making a stance on the field.”

In a separate match, midfielder’s Georginio Wijnaldum and Frenkie De Jong celebrated together after Wijnaldum’s goal for the Dutch national side. They put their forearms next to each other to show fans the colour of theirs skins doesn’t matter and football is a game for every race.

Downing said he was happy to see other countries standing up for racism as well because it is a society issue and affects everyone.

“I saw what the Dutch side did the other night and it’s good to see people standing up for a problem that’s been going on for a number of years now.

“I think a stance like this, and England’s in Bulgaria is important in going forward.”

Downing went on to speak about his own experiences and said he was left disappointed on a recent visit to UEFA’S protocol meetings they have before every youth tournament which each national side must go to.

Sitting upright, he said, “They talk about bribery in the game, drugs in the game and racism in the game.

“Out of these three, they talk about racism the least and this is one thing I’m really disappointed with and something needs to be done about this.”

The ex-West Bromwich Albion caretaker manager doesn’t think racism is putting young players off from playing abroad. He believes their level of desire to make it is much higher than their fear of any sort of discrimination.

He said: “I haven’t witnessed any concerns from any of my younger players when it comes to playing abroad.

“They see the opportunity to improve and witness a different culture abroad and don’t think about the possibility of racism.”

Downing insists St George’s Park has the right facilities and support networks available to help support players and staff who may be affected by any sort of discrimination.

“We have a vast human resources network here and several members of my coaching staff are delegated contact points for any issues players may have, but I’d like to think our players would speak to anyone,” he said.

It’s easy to say there is a problem but then not give a solution Downing explains.

“The fact that players and nations are having to make a stand is significant and hopefully, UEFA will see this and go along with it.

“Countries should be banned from playing or qualifying for tournaments.”

Think you know what life is like at a premier league academy? Think again…

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So, you’ve made it. You are at a premier league football club. You have loads of money, cars, life is good. You’re going to be a superstar…

This is exactly the type of mentality that will see you thrown out of the door.

Every young kid dreams of being something one day. A footballer is a big one for many.

You may think it is just boys who are dreaming of this but there has been an increase in the number of women playing football according to the FA’s participation tracker.

“There are now 6,767 affiliated female teams, up from 6,000 in 2016-17, with a 15.9 per cent increase in Mini-Soccer teams.”

Many premier league teams now have a men and women’s team, including Wolverhampton Wanderers.

So, what does their Academy look like?

Now, not all premier league academies will look like this because this is ‘Category 1’, the highest an academy can be. It means that players can be registered from the age of 9 all the way through to professional.

Most premier league clubs have youngsters in their academy at this age, but clubs with the most money like Manchester United and Chelsea, have development schemes in place to have players even younger than this.

Although Wolves have a lot of money, this process was done years ago, back in 2011. The plan was to help the team reach the promise land that is the premier league and potentially beyond.

When the new owners took over, Fosun International, it changed everything. They had a vision right from the start. They knew exactly what they wanted and how they were going to do it.

Out with the old, in with the new. They changed pretty much everything and looked at every detail including the style of play which runs throughout the club.

Below are the the “Golden Threads” that all the youngsters in the academy follow.

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This is the level of dedication required to make it to the top and what the players in the club need to aspire to. They epitomise the club’s Motto. “Out of Darkness Cometh Light.”

So how do you get into an academy in the first place?

Originally, the football association had strict regulations when it came to signing youth players who lived outside their catchment area.

  • Under 12’s must live within an hour’s travelling distance from the football club
  • Children aged 13-16yrs must live within 90 minutes travelling distance from the football club

However, the Premier League have recently introduced the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) meaning football academies are now ranked into categories.

A player could be at a club for 7 years and then, as soon as they turn 16, they decide whether they have the potential to continue with their development through Youth Training Schemes.

To start with, they will sign a schoolboy contract which is renewed every 1-2 years, depending on the player’s progress and abilities.

Then they are offered a scholarship contract allowing them to combine football training with studies.

Scholors often receive wages from the club as well accommodation. This is the professional development phase, where players are monitored over 3 years and offered a professional contract if good enough.

They have to train two or three times a week and play matches on Sunday’s against other academy teams whilst at school. That could mean up to 28 games a season and hardly any time to study which I would imagine can be especially difficult during exam years.

Under-9s, 10s and 11s play matches at eight-a-side. After that, it goes to the usual 11-a-side.

The whole point of being at an academy at the end of the day is to progress into first team football. It’s all about picking the right team or being in the right place at the right time.

This is what happened to Christian Blanchette.

He claims moving from club to club has made him a better player and helped him understand what is required to make it as a professional.

But the 18 year-old admits time may be against him.

“It is very difficult because everybody is fighting for limited places,” he said.

“But this is the life of a footballer and I know if I do make it, there will be people ahead of me, so I just have to get used to it and quick because time is running out.”

Blanchette has been at several academies including Wolves and West Bromwich Albion but is now enjoying life with new club Brocton, who are members of the Midland Football League.

“I know it is not at the same level as the other clubs I have been at, but I am loving my time so far,” he said.

He explained that his lack of allegiance to any club has benefitted his development.

“Luckily for me, I don’t follow one club religiously, so I don’t have an emotional connection to anywhere,” he said.

“This means I can focus clearly on my football and go somewhere I feel is good enough and help progress my career.”

Blanchette spoke about how each club has given him something to improve on. 

“I have learnt many different things, some good and some bad,” he said.

“The best club was probably Wolves, just because of the detail they went into, but you would expect that from a category 1 academy.

“The only problem was they expected such a lot from us in such a short period of time and unfortunately for me, I didn’t quite do enough.

“However, I have learnt from this and am using it to improve for my new team.”

Andrew Findlay, head of performance analysis at Wolves academy, knew Christian well but explained, to survive in such a cut-throat and demanding environment requires a certain type of character.

“The players coming through the academy need to realize how tough professional football is and be able to cope with demands put on them,” he said.

“Football is now a business and if the players aren’t up to scratch, they’ll be out very quickly.

“It’s brutal but it’s like this at all academies up and down the country as we only want the best to go into the first team.”

He stressed how important it is for kids, especially from a young age, being able to cope with pressure.

“We see so many good young kids coming in but going straight back out,” he said.

“This isn’t because they’re not very good, but because demand is so high and there are so many of them.”

Findlay claims that parents are putting to much pressure on their kids and is worried about it having an affect on them at the end of their career.

“There is a reason we put signs on the doors outside the arena telling them not to talk to them while they’re playing,” he said.

“I understand they’re only trying to help, but they need to let our coaches do their job because putting too much pressure on them now could affect them later on in life.”

A recent study done by the FA and PFA found “footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from brain conditions.”

Findlay then went on to speak about the foreign influence in the club and whether it is having an effect on the homegrown talent already there.

He said, “Having Fosun as our owners is great but it does bring with it challenges.

“I don’t think it has any influence on the homegrown talent because if you’re good enough, you will make it in the end.”

Somebody who managed to make it through the academy is local boy Morgan Gibbs-White. In an interview with the club’s website, he spoke about what it is like playing for his home club and the struggles he faced when he was younger.

He may have played for the senior side a few times, but he isn’t getting as much action as he may like. However, he isn’t the only one.

For the past three years, PA Media Group have recorded which player has come through which academy and calculated the numbers.

According to their study, on the BBC Sport website:

“Manchester United came out on top for the third year running, although their graduates’ playing time has dropped for each of these seasons – from 44,055 in the first year to 27,395.” However, they are still massively ahead of anyone else.

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In previous years of the study, the group found that Dutch sides Ajax and Feyenoord have been the best-represented sides from outside England, but last season saw a shift to Portugal – thanks largely to Wolves’ partnership with super-agent Jorge Mendes.

This link saw them heavily criticised by some clubs in the Football League who said they had been given an unfair advantage and even broke regulations. An investigation was done by the EFL, and this proved not to be the case.

Somebody who knows a thing or two about academies and helping youngsters come through is George Olofinjana.

The former Nigerian international, who spent four years at Wolves as a player in the mid 2000’s, returned to the club as a member of the coaching and player development staff in 2015.

He is also the Loans & Pathway Manager, dealing with the club’s outgoing loans and helping players gain first team experience.

The 39 year-old said he would rather send people out on loan and improve instead of stopping their progression.

“We as a club want the best players possible, like any other club.

“If we know someone is good but isn’t quite ready yet, we advise them to go somewhere, improve and hopefully come back an even better player.”

The former Super Eagles midfielder explained that most of the time this works, but it can also backfire if a player gets injured for example.

He knows all about injuries having suffered them at Hull and Wolves in particular, but said players need them in order to come out stronger on the other end.

“Injuries are part and parcel of being a player.

“If you don’t get injured, you’re either very lucky, or you’re not trying hard enough.”

He spoke about how the club help players who don’t make it and treats them as one of their own.

“We don’t just say to players “we don’t want you, goodbye” no.

“As soon as they step through those training ground gates, we treat them like a professional and look after them.

“We still want to them to have a good career whether they play for us or not.”

Footballers are human at the end of the day. The only difference is they are getting payed a lot more to do their job.

They still work hard and I think that gets lost sometimes. Everyone has off days, they just get more stick for it.

As you saw in the PA Media group findings, even if you do make it to the top-level, it’s still very difficult to get the minutes you so desperately want.

Life is all about taking a risk. Sometimes you fly, sometimes you fall, but if you never try, you will never know.

You might just surprise yourself…

Darius Vassell: “I’m not sure I would have been able to cope with the pressures of the modern game.”

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Former Aston Villa and Manchester City striker Darius Vassell has revealed that he doesn’t think social media is helping footballers and is making life harder for younger kids.

“I know people who have been affected and had abuse on it but luckily for us, social media wasn’t as big as it is now,” he said.

“If I was playing now, I’m not sure I would have been able to cope with the pressures of the modern game and everything that comes with it.”

When asked to give his thoughts on what happened in the England vs Bulgaria game, Darius said that the rule is stupid and needs to be changed.

“It’s basically saying you can be racist three times and only then will you get punished, it’s not right.”

Darius then went on to talk about Wolves where he is now academy striking coach. He said that it is one of the best things he has done in his career and they helped him a lot in transitioning out of football.

“It’s a great place, the atmosphere is really good and I’m really enjoying being a part of it,” he said.

He explained how he manages expectation from players and the club and how to help them steer clear of trouble if they can.

“We have a way of doing things here, a philosophy if you like that every player at the club follows from the academy right up to the first team,” he said.

“It’s up to us to make sure they still have that hunger, dedication and high level of concentration to make the right decisions on and off the field.”

Vassell also spoke about how the game has changed over the years and how it is more of a business now.

“You see the technology, sports science teams, nutritionists, even the dressing rooms and you start to realise it is serious business now,” he said.

“The money in the game when I was playing compared to now is on another level.”

The ex-England forward, who was capped 22 times, explained why he had moved into coaching.

“When I’m coaching, I see the look in the youngster’s eyes and know what they’re feeling,” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking about money or dreams, I just wanted to play, and this is why I do it.”

The 39-year-old talked about how this opportunity has made him appreciate the people who looked after him when he was coming through the ranks at Villa.

“I’m proud to say I’m involved in it, but I think you do take it for granted a little bit when you’re younger,” he said.

“I never knew how much work goes into getting these youngsters sorted out and ready for proper football.”

 

Reflection

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At the start of this course, I used to be like any other fan of sport. I used to just go to football matches, watch them and come home without really understanding what happened or without thinking about what the papers or radio stations would say.

I used to read newspapers occasionally but not really understand them or realise why they were set out in a certain way to suit different audiences.

Now, I have started to think more like a journalist. I can re-order information, so the main point is in the intro which keeps the reader’s interest. I even try and figure out how I would do it differently. Would I have used a certain headline for example?

I have learnt how to quote people properly which is a key skill needed in the world of journalism. I have learnt never to assume and double check that all the information I have gathered is correct and accurate.

I used to think that news was quite boring and was never really interested in it. Now, however, I am a lot more aware of what is going on. I listen to more radio stations and podcasts seeing what I like or don’t like and how and why they differ.

I now have a Twitter account. I was nervous at first because I wasn’t sure what to do or how it worked. I have realised it is a good platform to keep up to date with breaking news and to interact with people from all around the world. I do a podcast with four other boys and we use twitter to help promote it.

So far, it is going extremely well as it got nominated at the Midlands Media Awards, I never thought that would happen at the start of the year! I was able to interact with people in the media industry and get tips off them as to what I should or shouldn’t be doing.

It was the same when I helped at Sports Personality of The Year and the Bellator MMA. To be surrounded by people in the industry has really encouraged me to do my best work.

The broadcasting weeks we did with Peter Brookes was one of my favourite things we’ve done this year and he really helped me to understand how to use equipment and, gave me an insight into what life is like in broadcasting. He used his experience to help us which I really appreciated along with all the other guest speakers we managed to get in, most notably Nigel Pearson.

My work this year has also helped with my work at Wolves and vice-versa. My filming at Wolves helped me to film at Edgbaston Cricket media day for example.

My note taking needs improving and I am looking into doing some short hand as I think that it will benefit me in the future.

I hope that next year, I will be able to improve on my mistakes from this year and also, learn more new things. If this year is anything to go by, I am really looking forward to it.

Fred Flintoff is different to Andrew

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English cricket legend and Ashes winning star Andrew Flintoff said he had two different versions of himself to help him deal with the pressures of test cricket.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the 41-year-old from Preston, Lancashire said that he struggled when he was younger with his confidence and explained how another cricket icon gave him advice on how to overcome it.

“I remember having a conversation with David Lloyd or Bumble as he’s also known and he told me to take everything in and look as if I owned the place before I put my helmet down,” he said.

He also said that he could turn things on and off whenever he felt like it.

“If it was a big game, I would be up for it, but if it was a nothing game against for example Zimbabwe, I would be like, no, can’t be bothered today,” he said.

The 6-foot 4 Englishman then spoke about what is was like playing for England and the emotions he felt.

“I loved playing for England and Lancashire, it felt like I was a superhero like Clark Kent,” he said.

England Ashes winning star a doubt for first game of season

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England and Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes said he is unlikely to start the first game of the new season but is hoping to return soon.

“I don’t think I’ll start the very first game but once the one-day matches start on the April 19 I think, I’ll be ready to play some competitive cricket,” he said.

The 30-year-old, from Birmingham, said he has had limited time playing cricket in pre-season and explained how his training has been mostly rehab based.

“I’ve been overcoming a little bit of a knee issue, so I’ve had a few injections in my knee but I’m starting to build up my training now,” he said.

Speaking about his Warwickshire teammates and their goals for the upcoming season, Woakes said there were a lot of young players in the squad with differing abilities and goals.

“From a white ball perspective, I think we should be challenging for trophies, we always look to bring home a trophy every year,” he said.

“It’s a difficult challenge but if you set your expectations and aim high, there’s more chance you’re likely to make them.”

The 6’2” all-rounder also spoke about the fresh challenges Warwickshire will have to face after getting promoted from league 2 last season.

“If we can stay in the division that’s goal number one, if it goes better than that then great but we have to be realistic,” Woakes said.

Continuing with this theme, the Ashes winning star spoke about why division one is a lot harder than division two and how they will need their young players to step up and help the team out in order to survive.

“Division one is a strong league, we’re going to come up against teams that will be hard to beat but it will be exciting none the less,” he said.

“Last year, we we’re probably favourites to be promoted with a strong team and we’ve actually lost a few senior players so it means that the young guys will have an opportunity to step up and show people what they can do.”

Moving onto the World Cup and the Ashes in the summer, Chris said he would try to be there as fit and ready as possible.

“To be a part of the Ashes is a great goal, that’s where I stand at the minute, having just come back from injury I want to be fit and firing for the season,” he said.

“Obviously there’s a world cup before that so I would want to be a part of that too and then put my name in the frame to play because a home ashes series is something I want to be a part of and hopefully it can be a special summer.”

PSG vs Man U Champions league preview for Radio

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Thankyou Peter yes this is a big game for Man United and for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 2-0 down from the first leg but Solskjaer has said that he is confident the players can turn it around, just like they did against Southampton on the weekend.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are unbeaten in eight in all competitions and they too came from behind to win on the weekend so will be full of confidence heading into this game.

Edinson Cavani is unlikely to start for the hosts but Man United will still have to cope with the pace of Kylian Mbappe who scored against them in the first leg. Paul Pogba is missing after being sent off in the last game.

You would expect it to be a hard game here in Paris for United and PSG should be able to see the game out especially being at home, however, in football nothing is ever that simple and anything can happen.

If United did manage to pull this off, it would be one of the best comebacks of all time and would certainly be one for the history books.

 

England Sunk by Swedish Superstar

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Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals – including a stunning 30-yard overhead kick – to flatten England 4-2 and open their new stadium in style.

The 6ft 5in forward stole the show on a night that would otherwise have belonged to England’s six new players, three of whom started the game, alongside the experienced Steven Gerrard who was making his 100th international appearance.

None of them, however, could help England to a first win in Stockholm since 1937 as England boss Roy Hodgson suffered only his second loss in 12 matches. Hodgson received a warm welcome inside the 50,000-seat Friends Arena having managed in Sweden previously.

England started slowly and they were punished by the PSG striker with a toe-poke finish high into the net. They grew into the game eventually and a great passing sequence set winger Ashley Young away down the left flank and he whipped in a delicious cross that was slid home by Dany Welbeck to make it 1-1.

Gerrard then curled in a wicked free kick and debutant Steven Caulker was there to put England ahead at the break.

The Three Lions started the second half brilliantly and had a few good chances to extend their lead. Leon Osman went wide on a couple of occasions. Midfield maestro Steven Gerrard started to make England tick in the middle of the park, spraying balls around on a bumpy, uneven surface.

In the end though, it was the Swedish captain who took centre stage. A lovely lofted pass from substitute Anders Svensson split the English defence and the 31-year-old finished superbly on the Volley.

In the closing stages of the game, momentum had completely swung in Sweden’s favour. They won a free kick and a low hard strike beat Joe Hart in the England goal for Zlatan’s hat-trick.

There was still time for him to round things off in style with the overhead kick to send England fans home disappointed with how the game ended but having seen a goal they will never forget.

ENGLAND LOSE TO ARGENTINA AMID CONTROVERSY

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Two memorable goals for very different reasons in four minutes by Diego Maradona knocked England out of the world cup.

The Argentine captain had a a hand – quite literally – in everything that went well for Argentina. He rose highest to beat England keeper Peter Shilton and punched the ball into the back of the net, but it wasn’t spotted by the officials despite protests from the England players.

Four minutes later, the magician then weaved his way through the England defence and rounded the helpless Shilton to score his second. He could have had a hat-trick, going wide on a couple of occasions and hitting the post on another.

In a cagey first half, England’s number 20, Peter Beardsley, had a half chance to make it one-nil after a mistake from keeper Nery Pumpido.

Maradona, who was at the heart of everything, had a free kick that hit the wall but was also caught by a stray Steve Hodge elbow which could have resulted in a red card if seen by the officials.

The game itself started to petre out in the wilting 100-degree heat and England seemed to lack any sort of creativity until wingers John Barnes and Chris Waddle came off the bench to shake things up and give the travelling fans something to cheer.

England grew into the game and midfield maestro Glenn Hoddle hit a rocket of a free-kick which was well saved by the keeper.

Barnes started to get some joy down the left flank and eventually the pressure told, whipping in a great cross for Gary Lineker to nod in and half the defecit.

The same thing happened near the end of the game however this time England’s number 10’missed the opportunity to put England level and sent the travelling fans home heartbroken.

Argentina now go on to face either Belgium or Spain in the semi-final while a dejected England fly home empty handed once more.

Birmingham City vs Nottingham Forest Preview

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An out-of-form Birmingham City welcome a newly rejuvenated Nottingham Forest side to St. Andrews buoyed by the arrival of new manager Martin O’Neill and assistant Roy Keane who was announced today.
Blues are without a win in five however they won this fixture last time around and will be hoping to bounce back from defeat against Norwich City.
Manager Garry Monk will be hoping new signing Kerim Mrabti can make an instant impact after joining from Djugårdens IF.
Forest and Martin O’Neill will be hoping for back to back victories after beating Wigan 3-1 last time out.
Che Adams will be hoping to continue his goalscoring record this season, level with Forest’s Lewis Grabban on 14 goals.

Amateur referee wants help to improve the beautiful game

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An amateur referee said all clubs should have a representative who is made to take the referee exam to see how hard it really is.
Ross Hawkes, 37, a university lecturer from Lichfield, said the FA have made things a lot harder for officials due to all the rule changes.
“Scrutiny has increased but the FA don’t help. Refereeing is a different sport at Sunday league level compared to elite level,” he said.
Ross used to play football before moving into refereeing after getting injured several times. He also has a family and thought it would be a better thing to do for them.
“I’ve never been in it for the money. You start at level 7 and get promotions every year if you’re good enough and eventually work your way down. I am level 5 and I like being here,” he said.
Things haven’t always been plain sailing however and he explained some of the bad times he has had during his time as a ref.
“I don’t care who wins the game and I don’t look at the table. I got called a paedophile during a whole game once which wasn’t nice and also got physically attacked so took time off,” he said.
The only reason he came back was because it was cheaper than going to the gym as he had put a bit of weight on.
Ross has also called for clubs to start coaching players in the art of refereeing. By doing this, they will have a better understanding of the game and see why officials may make certain decisions.
“Each club linesman should do it and a representative from the team to see how hard it really is,” he said.
He also said that although some technology has improved the game, it can still be improved and the amount of abuse officials get can be lowered too.
“Goal line technology is great because it is black and white but how do you prove as a ref what has been said to you form the side-lines? I think they should copy Rugby and get Go Pro’s so everything is recorded,” he said.