Students from Meadowhead School in Sheffield this week took part in a Sports Media Workshop hosted by the Trust.

The session was delivered in the HUB at the SMH Group Stadium by the club’s head of media, Nick Johnson, who is a highly experienced sports journalist/broadcaster, working for the likes of Sky Sports, Reuters and PA.

The modules covered were sports news writing, social media coverage, interviewing skills and commentary. 

Former Chesterfield player Haydn Hollis, now a coach in the club’s academy, was interviewed by the students during a mock press conference. They asked him about various parts of his career, including playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup earlier this season.

Teacher Miss Giblin, who accompanied the students, was delighted with how the session went. “I think it’s been amazing.,” she said. “The students have learned so much. 

“Whether they take this into a journalism career or any other career, I think the opportunities that they’ve been given has been phenomenal and definitely worth the experience.

“I think sometimes, when they think of English or when they think of school, it’s all about like these specific careers like doctors and things like that, and sometimes journalism and PR and marketing and opportunities like this aren’t always thought about. 

“I think experiences like this will build their confidence in oracy levels, literacy levels and also speaking to people outside of their comfort zone builds confidence within themselves, so I think it’s a great opportunity.”

When asked what she would say to any other school considering taking part in a similar workshop, Miss Giblin said: “I would say absolutely do it. It’s an absolute value to the students’ experience to build confidence. 

“Year 10s have to do speeches, year 12s, 13s are thinking about UCAS and what they can put on it. All of that is valuable to them in the future, whether that be a job or education. I would definitely say do it.”

Any school interested in finding out more about the Inspire Media Academy Sports Media Workshop should email nickjohnson@chesterfield-fc.co.uk.