BCOMS North members attend Premier League Press Conference.
Thanks to support from BBC Sport, members of the BCOMS North Masterclass Programme were allowed to attend a number of Premier League Press Conferences which took place in the final few weeks before the Men’s World Cup break. Accompany a member of the BBC Sport Football team, they were allowed to observe, in person, Managers/Head Coaches taking questions from both English and International Journalists.
Max Carlyle sat in on Frank Lampard’s Everton press conference previewing their game against Leicester. “As an aspiring broadcaster, the experience was hugely enjoyable, informative, and somewhat of a milestone at this stage of my career. I learned about the unwritten code of conduct adopted by the press in terms of the way they interact with a top-flight manager, and was also able to see the work rate
required for live reporting of key news lines across social and digital media platforms.”
Stewart Luunga and Harold Sanchez listened on as Antonio Conte spoke to the media ahead of Tottenham’s match with Liverpool. Stewart said “I had mixed expectations. However, what made it less intensive was the assistance of George Cummins, who ran me through the ideal rules and media courtesies. I acquired insight into the real world of journalism”. For Harold it was “a unique experience. Understanding how George goes about his day, and the preparation needed to be successful. He explained why writing up six questions beforehand is so important, just in case your questions get asked by others, and was something I never considered on my way to the Tottenham Hotspur training ground. It was an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.”
Aadam Haladh attended Graham Potter’s Chelsea press conference ahead of his sides game against Newcastle.” It was my first time at a press conference, which made it all the more exciting. Working alongside John Southall was fantastic. He was just as good with me as he was speaking to Graham Potter. The experience John has at this level within the sports media industry was telling just by the way he carried himself. For me, this was more than experience at the highest level, it’s a memory that’ll stay with me forever.”
Returning back to Finch Farm, Ali Hussain watched on as Frank Lampard took questions ahead of Everton’s match with Bournemouth. “The press room was compact. The journalists were discussing amongst themselves what questions they would ask. It was surprising to see the warm relationship between rival publications as they helped each other to research the most beneficial questions. I learned that
the questions that were thought of in the moment got the best out of the manager, as they had the most human element.” Special thanks to BBC Football Reporters George Cummins, Alastair Magowan and John Southall, plus the Media teams at Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur for being so accommodating, and generous with their time.
