AddThis SmartLayers

Editor who left role in restructure joins football club

Liam HodenA weekly newspaper editor who took redundancy from his role last month has bounced back as his local football club’s new media manager.

Doncaster Free Press editor Liam Hoden, left, was among a raft of long-serving journalists in JPIMedia’s Yorkshire titles who left their roles in a restructure which saw the creation of a central editorial pool covering multiple titles.

Liam’s last day at the Free Press was 11 February but he has now landed a new role as media manager of Doncaster Rovers FC.

Liam is no stranger to the club’s Eco Power Stadium ground, having been football correspondent of the Free Press for a decade and later combining the role with that of editor.

Announcing his arrival on Twitter, Liam said: “Absolutely delighted to have joined a brilliant new-look team as media manager of Doncaster Rovers and Club Doncaster. I know I’ve got massive shoes to fill with the superb work that Hayley did during her time with the club.

“Rovers have certainly got their claws into me over the last decade and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what life is like on the other side of the fence.”

He added: “And for those ready to type that I’ve been club spokesperson for years, congratulations on your tremendous wit.”

Liam replaces former media manager Hayley Ford who recently left the club to take up a new job in Championship football.

Chief operating officer Shaun Lockwood said: “Unfortunately we lost Hayley, who has moved onto pastures new – genuinely gutted she has been one of the best people I’ve ever worked with.

“However I’m delighted that her replacement Liam Hoden has started with us today.”

Liam was one of two weekly editors to leave JPIMedia last month, along withthe Sheffield Telegraph’s Ellen Beardmore, after their roles were reabsorbed into central team at sister daily the Sheffield Star.

The moves were an apparent reversal of the policy of ‘decentralisation’ introduced after the takeover of JPIMedia by National World at the start of 2021.

Initially, this saw the previous pool of reporters that covered the group’s South Yorkshire titles broken up and standalone editorial teams created for individual titles.

Both Liam, pictured, and Ellen were among a raft of new editors appointed at that time as part of the decentralisation drive.