My dream for the last five years has been to have a job in sports media, whether that be working within a club, or a newspaper, just have my main source of income come from the sport media industry. However, the journey is not linear. Everyone will have a different path and that’s okay.
It is quite clear that there is a problem with the job market in the UK right now. On top of this, applying for graduate jobs in the highly competitive sport media industry is worse. I would know, because I am currently navigating it.
I have graduated from the University Campus of Football Business (more commonly known as UCFB) with First Class Honours in Multimedia Sports Journalism, but how much does that really matter when there is a lack of graduate roles and jobs in general.
My time at University was the best three years of my life. UCFB gave me almost every opportunity in the media industry I’ve had so far, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is genuinely serious about a career in sports media. About 90% of my CV is experience I’ve gained as a result of the employability team at the University.
I started my journey into sports media when I was 17, during my time at college, and completely changed my career path because of it. I knew I loved sport, I had just never seen any women in the industry to look up to. That’s where I knew I could bring change.
My first real taste of football media came in my second year at University where I spent two seasons working with Dulwich Hamlet in both the men’s and women’s teams, and this is where my passion for the Women’s National League began. There is so much quality in that league which is often overlooked. I saw a gap where I could promote the women’s game at non-league level on my own personal social media pages as well through posting matchday vlogs which was incredible.
Working with Dulwich Hamlet made me realise that working within a club is where I see myself in the future – managing social media, creating content, and getting involved in anything and everything. That’s my goal.
Without my time at Dulwich Hamlet, I wouldn’t have found myself in these rooms at a professional level. I found myself at the Women in Football Conference last year, supporting the event’s journalistic coverage, as well as covering the FAWNL Cup and Plate Finals last season. They were three unforgettable experiences that massively developed my confidence in my skills.
With all this experience I am still struggling to find full-time work in sports media, which is why I believe there is a huge problem with the post-graduate job market. The vast majority of job descriptions I see ask for years of experience for entry level jobs, which for post-graduates is simply unattainable.
It is incredibly frustrating and disheartening when you’re not even given the chance to show an employer what you could bring to the table. Ghosting has become all too common throughout the application process, and from what I can tell, it’s not just the sports media industry that’s experiencing it right now.
After five years, I can officially say I work in football. It’s currently on a part-time basis, but it’s the first time I’ve consistently earned money for my work in the industry. While I haven’t reached my goal yet, I know for a fact by working with a reputable company and getting to know more people in the industry that I am on the right path. As they say “Qué será, será”.
Breaking into the sport media industry is proving to be incredibly difficult, and will continue to be so as the demand for jobs outnumbers the supply drastically, which just shows how popular this career path has become. This is not a piece to scare people away from the career, but is the harsh reality of the state of the job market and the competitiveness of the industry. Those who succeed in this industry will be the driven individuals who continue to push through and are dedicated.
My advice would be to not stop. Carry on creating your own personal brand, make yourself stand out, be a reliable voice, keep doing what makes you happy, and don’t be naïve about the intensity of applying for full-time roles as they become harder to come by. There will be a lot of rejection and setbacks. There have been times where I have sat and questioned whether this is the right path for me, but deep down, there is nothing else I would rather do, I will endure as many rejections as it takes until I achieve my goal of working full-time in sports media.
