Category Archives: News

Football Writers honour United duo

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We are delighted to announce that Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Gary Neville will be the first joint recipients of the Football Writers Association Tribute Award at a Gala Dinner at The Savoy, London, in January 2012.

The recently retired duo follow a long line of Old Trafford stars dating back to Sir Bobby Charlton in 1989 with Denis Law (1994), Sir Alex Ferguson (1996), George Best (2000), Bryan Robson (2006), Ryan Giggs (2007) and David Beckham (2008) all recipients of the prestigous award for their contribution to the game.

Announcing the news FWA Chairman Steve Bates said: “Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are outstanding examples of one club men who have played at the highest level for Manchester United and England throughout distinguished careers.

“We are delighted to be honouring them at our Gala Tribute Evening early next year on what promises to be a great night for the two players, their families and the FWA.”

Details of the dinner and ticket allocation for members will be announced shortly.

Barclays Aspiring Football Writer Competition

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Do you think you’ve got what it takes to become a successful football journalist? Would you like the opportunity to show off your writing skills, putting yourself in with a chance of winning a week’s work experience with Mail Online and a trip to a Barclays Premier League match with a top football writer?

Barclays Aspiring Football Writer Competition is a collaboration between Barclays, title sponsors of the Premier League, and the Football Writers’ Association, which aims to provide up-and-coming UK writers with a taste of life as a top journalist reporting on the Barclays Premier League.

If you’re a budding football writer based in the UK then we’re looking for you. Submit your articles and match reports on the Barclays Premier League, and the best entries will be published on the competition website and the Barclays Football Facebook page every month.

Please note that you must be a UK resident between the age of 16 and 30 to enter.

Head over to the competition website to find out more – www.barclaysfootballwriter.com

Keith Meadows passes away

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Keith Meadows, a former sports reporter on the Daily Mirror in Manchester, has died following a long battle against cancer.

Meadows, 69, was NUJ FOC when Robert Maxwell shut down the northern operation in 1988 and played a major part in negotiating pay-offs for the staff.

His non-religious service will be held at Fred Hamer’s Funeral Home, James Street, Rawtenstall, Lancashire on Friday Aug 26 at 1pm. He will be laid to rest shortly afterwards at Rawtenstall cemetery, where he often walked his dogs.

A celebration of his extraordinary life will then take place in his favourite pub, The Black Dog, in his home village of Crawshawbooth just up the road from Rawtenstall from 2pm.

He wasn’t a fan of flowers, just York City, so any donations please to MacMillan Cancer Support or the Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary near Ramsbottom.

Meadows leaves a son, Mark, who is European sports correspondent for Reuters based in London after a four-year stint in Milan.

FWA National Golf Day

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The FWA National Golf Day is back! Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Vauxhall, the 2011 event will be held on Monday October 3 on the New Course at the London Hatfield Golf Club, which is about ten minutes from junction 24 of the M25.

The format will be the same as when the Day used to be held at Mottram Hall. There will be bacon rolls and coffee on arrival before a mid morning shotgun start. A warm buffet will be served afterwards along with prize giving.

The competition will be arranged in teams of four, with the best two Stableford scores (from ¾ handicap) on each hole counting to the team score. There will be an individual prize for the highest scoring FWA member.

Please fill in the form below to complete your application.

PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9 STRICTLY AT 3pm.

You may apply to enter singly, or with up to three guests to form a team. Guests should be related to the football or newspaper industry, please. Please indicate the handicaps of those for which you apply. In the event that demand exceeds the supply of places, then preference will be given initially to accommodate FWA members.

For those who want to stop over, there is a special FWA rate available from the nearby DeVere Ponsbourne Park hotel, about 5 – 10 minutes drive away, at £29 B&B for Sunday night October 2nd, and £59 B&B for Monday night. There are a limited number of rooms available at that rate (20 each night), and they must be booked by September 15 to get that rate. People who want them should e-mail direct to Sarah Shackleton at the hotel on sshackleton@deverevenues.co.uk England will most likely be holding press conferences at The Grove on Tuesday morning ahead of that week’s international (we anticipate a number of FA staff, possibly including Fabio Capello, will be taking part).

St Mary’s report, July 2011

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The Football Writers’ Association national committee is pleased report that following discussions with John Nagle at the Football League, Southampton have agreed to resume holding post-match conferences upstairs in their excellent former press room rather than in the players’ tunnel, which had become customary but unsatisfactory in the past few seasons. The club have also agreed to an FWA request that opposing managers are brought up separately rather than at the same time.

Brighton and Hove Albion regret the “teething problems” working journalists experienced during their first Championship match against Doncaster at their new Amex Stadium on Saturday, August 6. National committee member Tony Hudd visited the Amex Stadium the following Tuesday and was assured by press officer Paul Camillin that the club were working hard to resolve the few problems.

The general consensus among journalists on the night was that the press facilities were exceptional.

Carrow Road report, July 2011

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Attended by Joe Ferrari, Head of Media, and his assistant Gemma Gifford and FWA’s Brian Scovell, Tony Hudd and Jim Van Wijk.

We were assured that the club will meet the minimum requirements of the PL and if it stays up, there are plans to either knock down the main stand and build another one or extend it adding 3,000 plus seats including a topgrade press facility.

The glitzy press room, built in 2006, will remain, wifi is to be upgraded, refreshments will be better (copying the Ipswich formula), extra seats for the interview section, no-one to be allowed standing close to the dias to conduct interviews and more security is provided to keep out intruders. Manager Paul Lambert will do 8/10 interviews with rights holders, radio and TV before he comes into the room which will mean him not being interviewed by the written press for an least half an hour, or more. Non-contracted radio reports will have a combined interview in the corridor outside. Lambert is willing to do a Monday’s interviw as well, also access to a mixed zone in the same corridor.

One snag is that photographers will have to continue using the room, which could lead to overcrowding. They normally use the space on the right and it will be rather congested.

The old press box (circa 1986 with its knee crushing knees) will be revamped – long desks are to be replaced and the new ones made deeper with the obstructive box to plug in being replaced by discreet ones, the old metal seats have been oiled and tarted up with padded seats. To meet the PL requirement of 65 seats (including 15 radio positions) extra 15 seats are being put behind the top row, occupying space in a members’ bar for the written press who will be behind glass windows. The main written press section will be on the left facing the pitch and the club warn that national papers are unlikely to given two seats. However, UEFA have insisted 30 seats being installed – in a back row of the opposite stand – reserved for overseas TV and radio people. If the demand falls short, these seats could form an overflow.

CEO David McNally is adopting a tough policy about irresponsible reporting on the club’s activities and BBC (East) and the Daily Mirror have become victims of it.

Our delegation made a strong case about being sitting in with the architects from day one if the club stays up so we can put our views. Joe Ferrari agreed.

We felt this was a very positive meeting and we were all very impressed by the professionalism of Joe and Gemma. Our members will be given a warm welcome, and every possible help.

BRIAN SCOVELL
Chairman of Facilities Committee

Loftus Road report, June 2011

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Brian Scovell and Christopher Davies were the Football Writers’ Association national committee representatives who visited Queens Park Rangers to see media officer Ian Taylor about their new press facilities. If all goes to plan the press box/press room/mixed zone will be excellent. As you will know, Loftus Road does not have too much space but they seem to be making the most of it.

TV INTERVIEW ROOM(s)
One for Sky Sports; one for BBC etc. This does not really concern football writers but the TV interview room is to be where the boutique is, towards the front of the main entrance.

PRESS ROOM
At present it is just to the right as you come down the stairs from the press box. It was adequate for Championship games but not for the extra demands of the Barclays Premier League. It is being moved to where the Platinum Bar is at present – turn left as you come from the press box and it is situated at the end of the corridor, about a 35-yard walk. While not perfect, it is hardly the biggest inconvenience in the world. Inside will be a self-contained radio room rather like Ipswich have at Portman Road. The managers will be brought in and there will be eight rows of eight seats, each with a ‘flip top’ to facilitate a lap-top. There will be around 24 work stations with power plugs, mainly around the perimeter of the room. Sky Sports and ESPN will be available on three decent sized screens. There are male and female toilets.

FOOD and WI-FI
At the moment QPR supply soup and a roll, pies and sandwiches plus coffee, tea and soft drinks. They hope to ‘upgrade’ this to, for example, chili con carne and a jacket potato.

PRESS BOX
At present a nightmare (or an afternoon-mare on Saturdays and Sundays). One long row with access only at each end. The idea is to take out every seventh seat with access from the front to a row of [maximum] seven seats, rather like White Hart Lane. This way only three journalists would be ‘inconvenienced.’ They are taking out a row of ‘season tickets’ seats at the front of the PB to facilitate this. The PB will be tight in numbers – 16 radio and 49 written press – but it conforms with Premier League requirements. There will be four new TV monitors showing games; only when the matches are live on television will there be action replays.

MIXED ZONE
This will be conducted pitch-side in the tunnel area with a designated player(s). The mixed zone (on a Saturday) is essentially for the Mondays and the idea is for the Press Association, a Monday national representative plus a local journalist from the home and away clubs to be present. This will always be an area of contention and we will never get what we want because different people want different things. This is probably as good as it gets, though.

Liberty Stadium report, May 2011

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Dylan Thomas famously wrote “Swansea is the graveyard of ambition.” Championship promotion hopefuls Swansea City Football Club beg to differ with the great man.

When Football Writers’ Association national committee members Brian Scovell and Tony Hudd visited the Liberty Stadium to check out their press facilities ahead of the Swans’ push for promotion they found a lively, vibrant club willing and able to meet the challenge of Barclays Premier League football.

With club media and communications officer Jonathan Wilsher, a former local paper football writer, as their guide, the pair were left in no doubt that Swansea are determined to provide the best possible press facilities at their 20,524 capacity stadium.

The present press box, which accommodates 40 seats, all with power points under each desk, will be expanded to meet Premier League criteria. The existing facility is also wired for 3D.

At present, Swansea have two mixed zones, one home, one away, which is near the exit for the visiting team coach. This will become one as the existing home arrangement means interviews being conducted on the main concourse close to the reception area which is unsuitable.

The big press room, which is equipped with work desks and power points, also has toilet facilities. At the moment, reporters and photographers share the room.

This will change with photographers being given their own facilities.

Should Swansea reach the Premier League, the club will do their best to make sure all reporters are given a car parking space and are in the process of purchasing a plot of land that will increase parking capacity.

Brian and Tony wish to place on record their thanks to Jonathan Wilsher for his time and meticulous attention to detail in wanting to improve the club’s press facilities.

Bates re-elected for final year

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Following the 2011 FWA Annual General Meeting held in London on Tuesday May 24th current National Chairman Steve Bates, who has held the post for the past three years, was unanimously re-elected to serve a final year in office.

The meeting also unanimously approved the appointment of Andy Dunn as Deputy Chairman. Andy will succeed Steve as Chairman of the FWA at the start of the 2012-13 season.

Also re-elected was Executive Secretary Paul Hetherington. Samantha Lee, representing the North East region, has stepped down from the National Committee while Ralph Ellis was confirmed as the new Midlands representative.

Steve Bates commented: “I am delighted to serve our members as chairman for one more year to oversee the changes that we are currently implementing.

“The FWA has taken great strides recently and the National Committee are fully committed to moving the organisation forward in the coming seasons.”

Staggered Parker collects FWA award

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Scott Parker admitted he was “staggered” to have collected the 2011 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year Award.

In what was one of the closest contests of recent seasons, Parker topped the poll of journalists ahead of Tottenham defender Gareth Bale.

The England international – who started his career at Charlton before spells with Chelsea and Newcastle ahead of joining the Irons in 2007 – was guest of honour as he collected the prestigious accolade, which has been running since 1948, at a gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on May 12.

Parker, 30, is the first Hammer since England World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore in 1964 to receive the FWA Award, and the midfielder admitted it was a moving occasion.

“It feels pretty amazing, when I first got the call to say I had won the award, you can imagine all of the emotions into one, exciting and shock,” said Parker, who has been an inspiration as Avram Grant’s men battle to stay in the Barclays Premier League. “I am staggered I have won and am very, very proud.

“This is a massive thing, when you look back at the people who have won this award in the past, especially someone like the great Bobby Moore, to think my name will be along side them is pretty special for me.”

Parker added: “I feel like I have been playing the best football of my career over the past couple of years, which is down to a number of things and I guess you come wiser with age.

“I feel like I am as strong as ever and I would like to think I can carry on maintaining my performances.

Parker also took time to pay tribute to his team-mates in what has been a difficult season for all involved at Upton Park.

“At the end of the day, I am in a team sport and ultimately am not doing it by myself,” the England midfielder said, who joined West Ham in 2007.

“I could change all this for me to stay up and be involved in a successful team.

“I would not want to be involved in a team which went down, along with all the rest of the squad, so hopefully we can get some results before the end of the season and other results go our way, so we can get out it.”