Three journalism students have been honoured nationally for their football writing skills.

The Football Writers’ Association has revealed the winners of its Student Football Writing Awards after whittling down a total of 732 entries.

The Hugh McIlvanney Student Football Writer of the Year award was won by University of Sheffield student Andrew McLean for his investigation into the number of spectators being taken seriously ill at matches this season.

In the Unheard Voices category, run in conjunction with anti-racism organisation Kick it Out, Southampton Solent University’s Sajidur Rahman triumphed.

From left: Andrew McLean, Yara El-Haboury and Sajidur Rahman

Sajidur impressed judges with a “funny and perfectly observed piece about Dan Neild, a former couch potato who gave up slouching in front of his Playstation, took up playing football and is now a regular with Weymouth”.

The Vikki Orvice Female Student Football Writer of the Year prize went to Yara El-Shaboury, of St Mary’s University, in Twickenham, for her probe on con artists preying on young Yemeni footballers keen on making their way in Europe by pretending to be agents.

Each winner also receives a £500 cash prize.

Jim White, of the FWA’s national executive committee, said: “We had more than 700 entrants to the three FWA Student Football Writer of the Year awards.

“And the standard was uniformly excellent: the next generation of writers is fine indeed.”