“I love working at the club alongside my degree”
When not studying, University of Portsmouth journalism student Tom Cameron is out and about reporting on his hometown football club. Here, he shares a glimpse into his busy life
I have been working at Crawley Town for four years since the age of 17, when I decided to apply for work experience in sixth form. As a Crawley supporter it was an amazing experience to observe and shadow the media team at the time, picking up countless tips on every aspect of football matchday media.
I was fortunate enough to be offered a role that involved attending each home fixture initially, and not too long after that I was also covering away fixtures as far as Carlisle.
After two years of assisting on matchdays, I was offered a media officer role having just turned 19, working alongside my colleague Sam Gadsdon. It has now been two years since taking on this role and I am loving every second of it, working alongside my journalism degree at Portsmouth University.
My role at the club involves following the team home and away every week, conducting the club’s post-match interviews, hosting our weekly YouTube show, covering matchdays on all social media platforms and being the club’s stadium announcer.
The amazing thing about being at Crawley is the different tasks you can get stuck into during the week to help out the team — it is a fantastic group led by General Manager Tom Allman.
I have been able to connect with some big names within the industry over the past few years such as John Cross, Jonathan Pearce, Mark Wright and Alan McInally. The information on the industry that they have shared with me has been crucial.
I have also recently taken charge of media at Crawley Wasps Ladies which has been an exciting venture, my interest in the women’s game has skyrocketed over the past year as a result, and I am now following them home and away on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s.
