University football journalism students see it come home!

A group of football journalism students from the University of Derby recently watched the Lionesses make history after being given the opportunity to report on the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship.

Eleven students travelled up and down the country and worked alongside professionals to cover the tournament, with two of the students able to report on the intense final in real time from Wembley Stadium.

During the Women’s Euros, the students attended matches, interviewed players, and wrote features for the likes of England Football, The Athletic, Manchester City and Reach PLC, which owns the Derby Telegraph.

Derby was the only university to receive media accreditation from UEFA to report on the championship due to the long-standing relationship with the European football governing body and a proven track record of reporting and promoting women’s football.

Peter Lansley, the university’s senior lecturer in football journalism, said: “The Women’s Euros has been the biggest, highest-profile event of the five tournaments we have covered since we kicked off the course in 2016.

“UEFA accredited us because of our commitment to redressing the gender imbalance within the industry.

“We seek to shape the hearts and minds of the next generation of football journalists to be open and welcoming of diversity on the field and also in the press box.

“We believe the course will give more women the platform they need to develop into the world of sports journalism as it’s real-world, industry-led learning, where the students learn to work alongside the elite of their profession, creating digital and written content from out in the field.

“The adventure creates memories for life, and top-class football journalists for the business.”