BBC Sports Journalist Inspires in Football Reporting Session

Katie Shrivastava – CFA tutor

The L5 academy pupils put their football knowledge to good use last month during a special sports reporting workshop led by author and BBC Sport journalist, Alex Bysouth.

The boys enjoyed a masterclass in live text football reporting, which saw them reporting on the 2022 World Cup final match.

The session took place during their English lesson at the Manchester City Academy at the end of December and was designed to help support their understanding of non-fiction writing, an important part of the English Language iGCSE.

Alex Bysouth, a senior journalist for the BBC Sport website, began with an interesting discussion about football reporting at the BBC, before letting the boys test out their reporting skills by writing a live commentary.

The Argentina vs France match was played on the big screen while the pupils feverishly typed their commentaries on their Chromebooks.

As the tension and excitement of the match built, the pupils became creative with their reporting, resulting in some very colourful and engaging descriptions of the action on the pitch. One pupil received praise from Alex, who is also the author of Football For The Soul, for his lively commentary, which he said was worthy of being published for the BBC!

As the match went to penalties, the tension in the room was palpable with pupils working hard to keep up with the pace of the game and ensure they delivered timely, engaging commentaries. Well done to all the boys for their great attitude and excellent reporting skills!