How much do sports journalists earn?
A sports journalist’s salary can vary depending on experience, qualifications, location, the size of the company, and whether the journalist works full-time, part-time, or freelance. While the pay may start lower than the UK average salary for beginners and interns, experienced sports journalists at national outlets or major broadcasters can earn significantly more.
What Sports Journalists Do
On average, a journalist in the UK earns about £25,344 per year. Sports journalists cover live games, write match reports, review performances, and share the latest news about athletes or teams. They attend press conferences, conduct interviews, and often post content online, such as news updates, blog posts, or social media stories.
The journalists who work in television or radio may present highlights, give commentary and report on-site during matches. They need to be able to work quickly to meet tight deadlines, and a strong knowledge of sports, rules, and current events is also essential.
If you take a sports journalism course, like at schoolofjournalism.co.uk/journalism-courses/sports, you will quickly learn the necessary specialist skills needed for live match reporting and sports broadcasting that employers value.
Qualifications Needed For Sports Journalism
Many sports journalists are graduates with degrees in journalism, media, communications, or sports-related courses. These programs will teach research, writing, interviewing, and shorthand skills.
Some enter the field without a degree but gain experience through internships, local newspapers, radio stations, or freelance reporting. Being able to type or take notes at 100 words per minute or more is also usually required, as reporters need to write details quickly during interviews, matches, or press conferences.
