We’re looking for more writers to join our Friends of Football website team

posted in: News

Ever fancied becoming a football writer? Or you’ve written copy before and want to do it again?

Friends of Football are looking to add to their team of volunteer writers and photographers.

Since our website launched in 2022, we’ve published more than 6,000 stories about local and international football, of interest to New Zealand fans.

Our readership is growing — our site had more than 914,000 page visits in 2023, up from 335,000 in our first year.

While we initially focused on the Northern and WaiBOP regions, we extended our coverage to the rest of the country in 2023.

In the first half of 2024, we had 562,000 page visits, a 57% increase on the same period in 2023.

We seek:

  • Enthusiasts who either have journalism/media experience or are willing to learn (we’ll provide support and encouragement).
  • Volunteers who are clear about their levels of commitment — we have opportunities for those who want to write lots of stories, and for those who just want to help occasionally.
  • Students who are considering careers in the media, and who want to build their experience.

We are particularly keen to find writers with a specific interest in covering:

  • Futsal.
  • Secondary schools football.

Sub editors wanted

Have you got editing experience?

Sometimes, we have stories that need an edit to get the best out of them, and to help the writer learn how their work can improve.

Please get in touch if you’ve got experience as a sub editor and are willing to help out, either occasionally or on a regular basis.

Photographers wanted

We’re also keen to hear from photographers who cover either the Central League or the Southern League.

What’s in it for you?

Our team are all volunteers, but we look to help them develop their writing and editing skills so they can put them to use in other ways.

One member of our team has found employment (in football communications) as a direct result of his work with our website.

Another of our young writers, still at high school, has had stories published in mainstream media and is building an impressive portfolio of work to help her pursue a journalism career, if that’s what she chooses.

Our editing process helps our writers learn how to improve.

Oh, and we have fun doing it! It’s our way of getting the most out of football.

Find out more

To learn more, contact Friends of Football editor Josh Easby by emailing editor@friendsoffootballnz.com.

Main photo credit: Ioana Han on Unsplash

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