I’m Adam Whitty, I’m 22 and from Bristol. If you had visited me before becoming a ‘Kick Off’ reporter, you would have found someone looking directly into a career related abyss. I was doing a Master’s in social research that I did not enjoy and did not want to pursue. At that stage I had never considered sports journalism to be part of the plan. Now, there is a real possibility that I could work in sports broadcasting for the rest of my life.
At the very least, I have experienced one of the most memorable and exciting periods of my life.
I spotted the ‘Kick Off’ scheme whilst searching the BBC work experience portal, although many others spotted it on social media. When I was filling out the online application form I tried to highlight my future potential by discussing both my knowledge of sport, as well as the effect that it has on the local community.
I have always had a real passion for sport; I love watching live games, and will always jump to the back pages of the papers before the front. But after realising that I probably wouldn’t open the batting for England, I didn’t think the sporting world had anything to offer me if I wasn’t a sportsman.
However, that passion is all you need to be considered for the placement. Some of those on the scheme, like me, had not done anything related to sports journalism before, whereas some others had never even picked up a microphone. Any previous experience is nowhere near as important as having a demonstrable and obvious love of sport.
I then had an interview with my future mentor and an editor at BBC Radio Bristol, where I had to show a strong knowledge of popular sporting events and local sports people, as well as a good understanding of the radio station I was about to work for.
The placement involved working at BBC Radio Bristol two days a week for eight weeks, and the thing that struck me immediately was the free rein I was given. This is not your typical ‘make the tea and coffee’ internship. Once you’re taught the basics, you are treated like a new, but normal member of the team.
I collected clips of interviews, edited them for broadcast and wrote cues for presenters. I conducted my own interviews with sporting stars, including Bristol City players and the captain of Gloucestershire Cricket Club. I even got to read the sports bulletin on the first day of the football season.
I was also asked to come up with original journalistic concepts, develop them and present them for broadcast. On one particular piece in the lead up to an England’s One Day International fixture, I was able to create a six minute piece of audio for BBC Radio Bristol and write an article on the BBC Sport website, which was posted on the ‘Analysis and Features’ section.
This scheme does not guarantee you a job afterwards, but what it does do is get you in the door. For someone like me with no contacts in radio, journalism or sport, the ‘Kick Off’ scheme has allowed me to get into places that would otherwise have been impossible. Six months on, I have been placed on a list of ‘Freelance Broadcast Journalists’ for stations around the South West, and I regularly work on their ‘Saturday Sport’ programmes.
I would tell anyone to apply for the scheme, as it is a simply outstanding experience. I remember thinking as some of my work was broadcast, “something I have done has gone out on a BBC radio station.” Whatever lies ahead in the future, that is something to be proud of.
*The BBC Kick Off Trainee Sports Reporter Scheme, jointly funded by English Regions and BBC Outreach and Corporate Responsibility, gives talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds the opportunity to learn and develop sports reporting skills at the BBC.
These work experience placements are two days a week for eight weeks during July and August 2015. Placements will be available at BBC local radio and online sites across the UK. We're looking for talented applicants, male or female, from a range of backgrounds and experiences.
Keep an eye on this page to see when applications open for this year.
