SportsByte

My SportsByte profile

In June 2014, I was appointed as Editor of SportsByte, overseeing and co-ordinating content on the multi-platform website and in the sports section of Spark Magazine. Working with a media editor (who dealt with video and audio), the role sees me produce stories and interview people across sport in Sunderland.

Since March 2012, I have worked for SportsByte across many platforms covering a variety of sports and events ranging from Wearside League football to an international table tennis competition.

SportsByte is a University of Sunderland student-led website dedicated to covering all sport across Sunderland and the North East region. A team of reporters cover teams and sports across the region in match previews, reports and news as well as photos, video and audio. In 2012, the site was amongst the finalists for Best Student Media in the National Union of Student Awards.

“The development and the growth of SportsByte in such a short space of time has been remarkable. Providing a voice and a platform for the many sports clubs, teams, athletes and members, the work being produced exclusively by students, it is a perfect example of a functional working model based on student participation.”                  

 - NUS Awards 2012 judge on SportsByte

In my time with SportsByte I have covered football, volleyball, handball, table tennis and hockey, and I have reported on events such as the Marathon of the North and international table tennis in Gateshead. I have also contributed to coverage of teams in Euro 2012 and various football transfer windows, including working in the newsroom on transfer deadline day in January 2012. I am also a sub-editor for the site.

Silksworth Rangers

For the first half of the 2012/13 season I covered the Wearside League side Silksworth Rangers, providing match previews and match reports with exclusive quotes from the chairman and manager in what was a testing time for the club. I also provided photos for the match reports. I was also covering another team, though, and decided to pass the Silksworth role on to another reporter to enable me to give full commitment to Sunderland City Predators.

Sunderland City Predators women's volleyball

My role with the Predators began in October 2012, the start of their first season in the third division having only recently formed as a club. I provided match previews, match reports and interviews with players and coaches on one of the many emerging sports teams in the region. I also provided photos and match highlight packages for more multi-media work. I travelled with the team to Lincoln, Manchester, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.

International Table-Tennis in Gateshead

In January 2013 I provided coverage of an international table-tennis match involving London 2012 competitors in a European qualification match. I previewed the match, speaking to the Competitions Events Manager at the English Table Tennis Association in response to a press release. I then, along with another reporter and a photographer, attended the match, providing the post-match analysis and interviews. I spoke to the England coach Alan Cooke as well as Olympian Joanna Parker as well as England's Hannah Hicks. The highlights package that SportsByte put together, which included my interviews, was used by ETTA on their website.

Sub-editing

I am a sub-editor for SportsByte, working the Saturday night/Sunday morning shift and ensuring all match reports and general articles from weekend sport are up on the site as quickly as possible. For transfer deadline day in January 2012, I mainly worked as a sub-editor, constantly publishing articles and checking for further stories from around midday to right up to the deadline at 11pm. During the month, though, I covered Chelsea and QPR in their transfer dealings.

In May 2013, I was given the Sports Portfolio award at the SportsByte Media Awards for a broad and diverse list of sports covered over the academic year. I was also among the finalists for the Reporter of the Year award. SportsByte has a plethora of fantastic writers and reporters so I was hugely proud to be among the award winners.

Picture from SportsByte

Picture from sparksunderland.com