Football commentators are the people whose voices give minute by minute updates on the action in a football match. They are the ones that help add that extra enthusiasm and excitement to an already action packed sport. To become a Football commentator there are no set qualifications needed. Some of the biggest commentators out there now haven’t got any qualifications but because they have a vast amount of knowledge of the game through playing, networking and general hard work, they were able to get to where they are now. This alone should be enough motivation for you to believe that you to can become a football commentator. As long as you have good knowledge of the sport, know how to deliver that knowledge to others effectively and are willing to put in hard work, you stand a good chance in this industry. However, if you do have a qualification in journalism, PR or communications it could help you make that break in to the industry a bit quicker.
Work Experience
As in the other fields within the media industry and work in general, experience counts for a lot. When it comes to pursuing a career in Football commentating, it is essential you have experience. Work experience allows you the opportunity to build up your portfolio on all your work for when you look to gain employment plus you will build up vital contacts along the way.
Where Can I Gain Experience
When you are starting out, you may have to start off small and then work your way up, this can be with local radio stations offering sports updates, news reports on transfers/all things football or even a local newspaper doing the same. Some colleges and universities may have their own local radio stations so if you are a student that can also be an avenue for you to go down in order for you to gain experience on air. Do remember to record your broadcasts as you will need those to build up your portfolio.
Finding Football Commentator Jobs
Given the specialist nature of this role, jobs tend to be far and few between, it can be a matter of who you know or what contacts you have which can help land you a job. In saying that, this further proves why gaining as much work experience is important, as that is where you are likely to meet various people in the industry who do different things. Some places you can look are on Sky and BBC websites as they may occasionally post an advert looking for a sports journalist or even commentator.
