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Sixteen jobs to be created in regional publisher’s football journalism shake-up

Jon BirchallSixteen new jobs have been created as part of a restructure which will see a regional publisher’s football writers work as one UK-wide team.

Reach plc has announced the launch of ‘The Football Project’, which will launch on New Year’s Day.

The company says the project will offer more diverse football coverage for its 40 regional websites, including football news, informed opinion, scouting analysis and esports and video gaming trends.

As a result, new roles will be created in Newcastle, the East Midlands, West Midlands, Manchester, Liverpool and on Reach’s Football.London website.

Jonathan Birchall, current head of sport for Reach’s regional websites, has been appointed editor (football) and will be responsible for the delivery of The Football Project, focusing on the development of football content and growth of football audiences.

Jonathan, pictured, said: “I believe that our regional teams deliver the best football journalism in the market today.

“Coupling our unrivalled local insight with the scale of a nationwide network will ensure we become even better at giving fans content they love about the teams they passionately support.”

David Higgerson, chief audience officer at Reach, added: “We have come a long way in terms of football coverage online in recent years and we believe there is an opportunity to reach even more people, and engage with those who already visit, more frequently.

“I’m delighted Jon has agreed to take on this new role. The Football Project is about making the most of our local connections, and improving what we do by providing a wider range of football-related stories to readers.”

Tom Marshall-Bailey has been appointed publishing editor (football), focusing on best practice and fan engagement, with current Reach plc Bristol head of sport Aidan McCartney being named wire editor and Liverpool Echo sports audience editor Kristian Walsh taking up the post of content editor (group sport).

Replacements for Aidan and Kristian’s current roles will be announced in due course.

Alan Edmunds, editorial director for Reach Regionals, said: “Innovation, which is key to our future success, will be at the heart of this project.

“Jon and Tom are brilliantly placed to ensure the great ideas generated across our sports teams are shined and shared.”

As part of the restructure, Josh Williams and David Hughes have been appointed as football scouting writers, while Nathan Bliss is the new esports and gaming writer.

Christopher Doyle and Connor O’Neill have been appointed as UK football writers, and will be attached to Reach’s BelfastLive website.

6 comments

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  • December 19, 2018 at 10:17 pm
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    The plan proceeds. Reach is turning its local product into a national one. Gradually the pretence of being even slightly local is evaporating. This will please the big advertisers, which will please the quarterly bottom line, but gradually the local readership will be lost along with the more local commercial market. Is this wise?

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  • December 20, 2018 at 11:21 am
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    @GladImOutOfIt

    Hello. Compliments of the season.

    I can’t quite square how you have managed to take us investing into a number of local newsrooms as a move to make our product national? On the contrary, this is us recognising that our strategic advantage is that we are local in an extremely crowded national and in some cases international marketplace. We are investing in that and I think that’s good news for local sports journalism. I hope our work in the coming months will prove that.

    All the best,

    Jon

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  • December 20, 2018 at 11:48 am
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    Yes, of course it’s wise, Glad. Nobody’s interested in local news any more because they’re all gawping at their phones the live long day, so media companies have got to get a bit of that action, haven’t they?
    PS: Hope you do irony.

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  • December 20, 2018 at 11:49 am
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    And good luck to you if you’re interested in reading about any sport other than football.

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  • December 20, 2018 at 11:51 am
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    And while I’m on, Reach’s obsession with football is alienating the hundreds of other sports – some of them quite mainstream – which people are interested in. Rugby, basketball, cricket, cycling, athletics? Naw, forget it. Don’t get enough clicks.

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