My middle lad is interested in getting into sports journalism. He's 18 and has a full time job at the moment, but its not for him.
He has seen this link and tentatively enquired, they responded and said that initially he would be a free contributor and if his pieces are good enough then they can make him a paid editor.
Before he commits I wonder if anyone else has experience of Football League World. Pros and cons etc.
Any advice greatfully received.
Thanks
http://footballleagueworld.co.uk 
Comments
Edited to add more info: w3bin.com/domain/footballleagueworld.co.uk
9000 site visitors a day it seems.
Louis Mendez and Greg Stubley both post on here and write for the news shopper. Ask them.
And there is always Voice of the Valley. No pay but you get a free copy and it builds up the portfolio to show to people. Again it has to be any good (although Rick does publish crap from John Lawson so standards must have slipped since the 5th Column went)
If he is really desperate he could write reviews and articles for Charlton Life but the pay stinks and the appreciation non-existent. But he might toughen him up for the real world of journalism what with all the slagging off, grammar and spelling pedants and general abuse.
Footballleagueworld sounds like someone in their back bedroom. Might as well do his own blog.
HI - yes he is doing his own blog as well , we have worked out a USP for his blog too.
Thanks again.
I'd advise trying to learn as much knowledge of SJ as you can.
I went on one of these workshop days in Wimbledon (think it has moved since then) and learnt a lot. If he is serious about it, then a University degree that also does a 'NCTJ' qualification is recommendable.
http://sportsbeattraining.co.uk/free-sports-journalism-workshops
For websites that don't pay, make sure their readership appeals to him. For instance, I write previews for this forum and cover Charlton regularly for News Shopper. The previews for CL are great as it's somewhere I visit every day, so to see something that i've worked hard on commented by people I know (so to speak) means a lot.
News Shopper has allowed me to be involved with other journalists, players and managers and despite it being voluntary, the experience and knowledge I have picked up in just over six months has been fantastic. Might be worth him writing to his local paper even if it is covering a more local team like Welling or Dartford etc.
If continues with his own blog, make sure that USP or 'Niche' is something he'll enjoy. Writing for not very well known websites for free is not always the worse thing in the world, but if he never picks up advice or comments, then it will seem pointless after a while.
For any more advice or help, just send me an inbox.
We are pleased to announce the return of the annual WSC writers' competition, in memory of contributor David Wangerin. Entrants are invited to submit an article of between 800 and 1,500 words, about any aspect of the 2014-15 football season. The award was David's idea and he requested that it should only be open to amateur writers, ie those who don't make their living from writing. The closing date for submissions is May 31, 2015.
Send entries by email to writers.competition@wsc.co.uk. This address should also be used for any questions you may have as we will not take phone enquiries.
The judging panel will be made up of WSC editor Andy Lyons, co-founder Mike Ticher and news editor Tom Hocking. There will be a cash prize of £250 for the winner and the winning article will be published in the magazine next summer.
Read the winning article from the 2013 competition by Mark Sanderson
Read the winning article from the 2014 competition by Charlie Monaghan
Rules and conditions of entry