Introduction to the blog...

Hi, my name's Toby Wildgoose. I'm a 21 year old who's obsessed by sport, so much so, that I am looking to become a sports journalist/media officer in later life.

I've set up this blog not only so that I can improve and refine my writing skills, but also to provide a platform for potential employers to view my work.

I have already developed a small portfolio of my work, with my experience in the industry including: written match reports for junior football teams, published work at numerous EFL clubs in a variety of formats, and work experience placements at Chesterfield FC and Rotherham United Community Sports Trust - to see my full portfolio click here: http://goo.gl/VWws3H.

I hope to post as often as possible on this blog about anything that is sport related. Please find the time to read any of my posts.

Any comments or suggestions on how I can improve the blog would be greatly appreciated, and I would also be happy to receive any other suggestions for work experience. Please comment on here, email me (tobywildgoose@gmail.com), or even tweet me (@TobyWildgoose). Cheers!

Start Date: 11/12/12 (Aged 15)

Portfolio

BBC SCHOOL REPORT
In March 2010, whilst I was in Y8 at Wales High School, I took part in the BBC School Report of that year. The school report involved a number of days of training in which teachers taught me the necessary skills to put together and edit a report. On the day of the report, I helped to create both a TV report and a written report, on local news stories that we could collect information about. 

ANSTON RANGERS U10’s MATCH REPORTS
In December 2012, I began to write match reports for my brother’s football team Anston Ranger’s JFC U10’s. In total I wrote up eight reports between December 2012 and March 2013, gaining valuable experience in making quick notes during a game and writing to match a tight deadline (the day of the game). All of these reports were published onto the club’s website and were printed in the team’s matchday programme. I followed on from the previous reporter’s style of writing, and so planned to bring in my own style of match report by the start of the next season. Unfortunately, my brother left the team and so it became unviable for me to get to the matches. Had I been there to continue the match reports though, I would have introduced both longer reports and manager interviews.


Here I have a reference from team manager Richard Croft:

“Toby noticed that we wrote match reports for games played on a Sunday, these were games for Anston Rangers u10s. We would then put the reports on the club website in advance of the club programmes for the forthcoming home fixture. 

“Toby would attend the games and very promptly and accurately write his version of events in a match report. They were always very well written, concisely produced and were usually in my inbox the same afternoon as the game ready for me to put onto the team page on the website.”

Richard Croft
Anston Rangers JFC 

TOBY WILDGOOSE SPORTS BLOG – BLOGSPOT (http://www.tobywildgoose.blogspot.co.uk/)
In December 2012, I decided to start running my own blog to both gain experience in writing but also so that I had something to show potential employers. On the blog, I started out by writing match reports on football/cricket matches and by writing general news stories within sport. However, after asking for advice from a friend, I decided to start running a ‘Daily Question’ that viewers of the blog could answer each day. Unfortunately, I have had to stop posting so regularly due to the demands of school work but I hope to post more regularly in the future. Other features that I include on the blog are: ground photos; ground reviews; polls. Examples of my work include: http://goo.gl/7ULsXj; http://goo.gl/K7Vz6K;  http://goo.gl/M0diij;  http://goo.gl/ILzFno  


ROTHERHAM UNITED COMMUNITY SPORTS TRUST WORK EXPERIENCE
In April 2013, I won a week-long work experience placement at Rotherham United Community Sports Trust. I had previously applied the year before, however, my application was not successful and so I applied again in 2013. During this work experience, I helped to write a number of pieces (http://www.themillers.co.uk/news/article/walking-club-celebrates-759986.aspx & http://www.themillers.co.uk/news/article/ferham-festival-set-for-return-760113.aspx) for the ‘Community’ section of the Official Rotherham United website. I was then allowed to write my own piece for the website on the football master classes that had been taking place around the club (http://www.themillers.co.uk/news/article/revell-visits-master-class-777301.aspx). During the placement, I also got to shadow Rotherham United press officers, Matt Young and Ben Shepherd, at the Rotherham United vs Exeter City match on Tuesday 9th April. This was a valuable experience as I got to sit in the press box at the New York Stadium and so what goes on behind the scenes on a matchday. 


SCUNTHORPE UNITED PROGRAMME – 2013 ONWARDS
In April 2013, I saw a tweet from the Scunthorpe United programme account about any possible contributors for the 2013-14 season. I subsequently got in touch with the media manager at the club, Chris Mumby, and organised which part of the programme I would be writing. Chris offered me a part writing an away day preview on grounds that the club would soon be visiting. I began writing for the programme in August 2013 and have continued to do so throughout the 2013-14 season.

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