'How do I get a job in sports marketing?' | I went from Googling that to working for Chelsea FC
- WP
- Jul 27, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2023
this is my success story. I went from typing 'how to get a job in sports marketing' into google to working for one of the biggest sports clubs in the world - Chelsea football club. here's how I did it...
I was 14 when I first asked Google – ‘how do I get a job in sports marketing?’ Allured by the bright lights, the cameras and the idea of finding ‘that’ news line and breaking ‘that’ major story with my byline attached, I was fully focused on journalism from a young age but naively unaware of the difficulties of finding a job in the industry.
In many ways, comparisons can be drawn between breaking into sports media and breaking through as a professional sportsman - the very best (and the most lucky!) make it to the top but many make a living at a lower level. And some simply choose alternative careers.
There is no correct answer to the question posed at the top of this post. Ask five people that now work in media how they did it and you’ll have five different answers. But I can guarantee that the suggested place to start will be the same in all of those answers – it was the same answer that Google returned all those years ago - study a journalism, marketing or media-related course at University.
I must preface the below by conceding that the world is changing - anyone can now claim to be a journalist, much to the irritation of those with professional qualifications. The term ‘citizen journalist’ is often used to describe someone that is not linked to a professional outlet but writes a blog, Vlogs on YouTube or tweets about the news in their local area. Job roles like ‘Social Media Executive’ or ‘Digital Assistant’ now exist and I’ve seen them occupied by intelligent individuals who have not necessarily studied a journalism or media-related course – so there are many routes to the top and I want to make clear that my own opinion may not work for all. With that in mind, click here to read my Top 5 tips you must be doing to get a job in media
My professional suggestion, however, and advice to all that read this post - based on my own experiences and what I have been able to achieve - is that studying a course which is directly related to media will give you a head-start. Professionally speaking, I would always be more inclined to hire someone who has a journalism, marketing or media-related degree to work within my team than someone who has not studied to such a level.
You must know that pursuing a media career is a risk. Many that study journalism have difficulties finding full-time work in the field upon graduation.
From my University course, just 4 out of 16 students now work in the media industry. 25%. Regardless of that though, I broke through to hold a Senior position at Chelsea FC. I'm now the Head of Content at Aston Martin F1 team - two huge sports companies. So how did I stand out?
1. Work experience and working shifts for free
Put simply, if you want to get a job in media then you need to do work experience and you need to work shifts for free. That’s the gig.
It’s like a right of passage to becoming a quantified (not qualified) journalist and it’s also invaluable experience at an age where you can make mistakes and not get punished for them.
I did my first work experience shift when I was 15 at the local newspaper. I did it during the school summer holidays for one week dressed in what was effectively my school uniform with one of my Dad’s old ties and Mum’s sandwiches wrapped up in tin foil. I didn’t look like much, but seemingly it worked because I was allowed back the following summer too.
That experience helped me to get accepted for work experience at a larger newspaper and I used that to get work experience at a national children’s football magazine, and so on.
All of the above helped to get me into University and then while I was at Uni I started all over again. I did work experience for lower league football clubs and did shifts for free at the local radio station. That got me a work experience opportunity with the local BBC radio station, which was invaluable.
Even though you’re doing it for free, it’s super competitive and you should treat it like climbing the career ladder. Having a local BBC Radio station on my CV got me opportunities at other local BBC Radio stations post-graduation and that, alongside my degree certification - 2:1 if you’re interested – eventually turned into paid freelance opportunities both at the BBC and elsewhere.
I found that having the BBC on my CV opened doors and ultimately it was key - alongside the creation of my personal website (read my Top 5 tips you must be doing to get a job in media article here for more on that) to securing my first full-time job.
So start scouring the internet for local media outlets that you could apply to for work experience. Then when you get that work experience be sure to keep copies of everything. Build a portfolio to take to job interviews, write, re-write and update your CV as you go, look for opportunities that list work experience, speak to your tutors and ask them for help from their contacts etc.
You must be proactive and you must demonstrate willing and ability by working for free at professional organisations if you are to progress.
2. Email everyone, talk to everyone, apply everywhere
While I was at University I sent a speculative email to the Football Writers Association seeking advice on how to find a route into sports journalism.
There was no person’s name attached, just a generic email address like info@ or contact@, similar to many emails I’d sent previously that had received no reply, and in truth I didn’t think anything would come of this either.
A week later I got a response from a chap called Jim from the Press Association. He covered Premier League football and Athletics and for the first time I truly believed that someone, somewhere at some point might give me a chance in this industry. He couldn’t offer me work and he couldn’t offer me work experience because the company was based in the North of the UK, but he could offer me advice. Which he did. A lot. And I needed it. He became something of a contact and someone that I could ask questions to and showcase my work to. Jim helped me, and it was pure luck that I made that contact.
For Christmas in my first year at University, my girlfriend at the time paid for me to take a tour of the BBC studios and newsroom at the old broadcasting house in Shepherd’s Bush in London. It was fascinating to see the green screens, cameras and TV gallery up-close and equally fascinating to see how many staff they employed – at the time I had no idea what they all did.
On the tour, our tour guide happened to mention that his Dad was a sports commentator. He just slipped it into conversation as if it was nothing and said it so quickly that I’m not sure that anyone else even heard it, but I certainly did. Most likely to the irritation of everyone else I then proceeded to ask him a question about it. And then another. And another.
It transpired that his Dad was a Rugby League commentator for Sky Sports. After the tour, I approached the tour guide and explained that my goal was to work in journalism and asked if I could have his email so that I could then contact his Dad.
Amazingly the chap said that that was fine, I emailed him, he sent back his Dad’s email address, I emailed his Dad and eventually – and truly remarkably – his Dad accelerated my request for work experience to Sky Sports and I ended up doing a week of work experience in the rugby league department (please note that I knew and know nothing about rugby league!)
Know that this was entirely unpaid work experience. By the end of the week, the cost of the train journeys alone totalled more than £200, but that was the level of dedication that I was willing to put in to become a journalist.
Unquestionably, having Sky Sports on my CV made me stand out from my peers from that point on. And the way that it came about was through chance.
The point of this is not to highlight my own luck, but rather to show you that being proactive pays off. I emailed and emailed and emailed all sorts of companies and eventually got a reply from Jim who helped me substantially. I maximised on a chance conversation held with a total stranger and ended with work experience at the biggest sports network in the UK.
You make your own luck. So take a chance. Keep looking. Stay dedicated. If I can do break through then so can you.
3. Find a niche – report on something that isn’t getting covered
One of the reasons that I ended up with paid freelance shifts at a local BBC Radio station is because I was able to offer them something unique.
That was key. In-fact it may very well have been the sole reason.
While I was freelancing for a local newspaper I offered to cover the local basketball team. The newspaper were vying for sales with their rivals and wanted something unique on their pages. The team were playing in the second-tier of English basketball but, of course, the British game is barely covered by media and thus barely watched so local press coverage was limited.
Using the newspaper's official Twitter channel I would tweet the action in-game to its followers and then conduct post-match interviews with the Head Coach and Captain. After a while my tweets were noticed by the Sports Editor at the local BBC Radio station who got in touch with me via Twitter. She wanted me to send them audio of the post-match interviews and sent me a professional recording device to use. I had to get permission from the newspaper but of course they were more than happy so long as the interview was used by them first.
Putting on my best interview voice – because it was being sent to the BBC! – I proceeded to then send every interview, every week while keeping in constant dialogue with the Sports Editor.
One day I was called by one of the Presenters, out of the blue and with no prior warning. He wanted to get me live on air to talk about the basketball team as they were fighting for promotion. I leapt out my chair - excited, but then quickly nervous. My name was going to be used by the BBC and was getting to be known by BBC staff. Weeks later I asked about the possibility of work experience with them and they agreed to it.
You see, I was actively reporting on something that they wanted and could offer to them. No-one else was covering that team, no-one else had the knowledge - it was my niche entirely. So I encourage you to find yours, whatever it may be. Let me know what you find.
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