Opportunity knocks for aspiring football writers as part of next year’s Football Writers’
Festival to be held in Jamberoo, NSW.
Organisers have today announced an Emerging Writers’ Program for aspiring football
journalists aged 30 years and under, to be published in an Anthology, and to attend and
present at the Festival.
The program requires entrants to write a 3,000 word piece on any football topic in any
form.
The aim of the Emerging Writers’ Program is to encourage young writers interested in
football to write a long-form piece, which is seldom required in today’s media.
A long-form piece presents an opportunity to bring to life an individual, a club, an issue or
something of interest in the football world to the writer.
Ten entries will be selected for publication in the Anthology to be launched at the Football
Writers’ Festival, from which two entries will be selected to attend the Festival and present
on their writing to the audience of journalists, writers, readers, fans and administrators.
The entries for inclusion in the Anthology will be judged by a panel of four comprising
former long-term soccer writer with The Australian Ray Gatt; freelance journalist and author
Matthew Hall; retired sports journalist and broadcaster Debbie Spillane; and Festival cofounder,
freelance writer and author, Bonita Mersiades.
Two international judges will decide on the top two entries to attend and present at the
Festival: investigative journalist and broadcaster Andrew Jennings, author of several seminal
books on FIFA and IOC corruption, and Amy Lawrence, journalist with The Athletic and
author of four books on Arsenal Football Club. Both Jennings and Lawrence are from the
UK.
Entries close on 31 January 2020 with the ten winning entries announced in April next year.
Further information, including guidelines for the Emerging Writers’ Program, is available
at www.footballwritersfestival.com.au.
The Football Writers’ Festival will be held on 23-24 May 2020 at Jamberoo Pub, Jamberoo
NSW. It is an initiative of Fair Play Publishing supported by the Johnny Warren Football
Foundation.
