So you want to become a sports journalist? News Associates runs a multi-award-winning 29-week full-time NCTJ-
accredited Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism.
Our NCTJ-accredited multimedia sports journalism course in London is delivered in association with Britain’s leading sports content agency Sportsbeat – perfect for anyone wanting to be a sports journalist.
Our sports journalism courses have achieved unprecedented gold-standard results over the years, topping the league tables. In 2020/21, our sports journalism in London was the best-performing NCTJ course overall, with a whopping 76% of trainees achieving their gold-standard NCTJ diploma. The NCTJ stopped releasing league tables after 2021, but that hasn’t stopped our trainees and tutors excelling in what they do – see more here.
Exam results are important but it’s our job record we’re most proud of – in 2018, 94% of our sports journalism trainees were in paid journalism roles within a month of graduating! Read more here.
You can find them on the back pages of our national newspapers, presenting and reporting on Sky Sports News, penning features for The Athletic, and working internationally for some of the most respected names in journalism from Reuters to Agence France Presse. They have also made their way to the media departments of Premier League football clubs and national governing bodies, from the British Olympic Association to the MCC.
Contact hours
You’ll be studying five days a week for the first half of your course. From week 15, you get to spend one day a week on placement, with lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. You’ll also spend one full week on work placement in February/March. Many trainees are offered full-time jobs with their placement after they graduate. Read more about journalism work placement here.
The course is a full-time commitment and in-person attendance is compulsory – we’re preparing you for the fast-paced world of sports journalism after all.
It’s important to note our sports journalism course will not pigeonhole you into sports journalism if you don’t want it to. You’ll still cover all the essential journalism skills to walk into any job in the industry.
You study ten compulsory modules – see left or click here for course elements – with plenty of time for covering live sport and attending events. Other than sports journalism, which is unique to this course, the other modules are very similar to what is taught on our other postgraduate NCTJ-accredited courses.
Course modules
Mandatory modules:
- Broadcast journalism
- Data journalism
- Essential journalism e-portfolio
- Essential journalism
- Essential journalism ethics and regulation
- Essential media law and regulation
- Public affairs for journalists
- Radio journalism
- Sports journalism
- Videojournalism for digital platforms
Optional modules:
- Media law court reporting (only an option if you also sit shorthand)
- Shorthand
The optional modules are additional to the mandatory modules. You can still achieve your gold-standard NCTJ Diploma by sitting just the mandatory modules. The optional modules are offered at no extra cost or time.
Of course there will be plenty of chances for you to get real-world experience covering the biggest sports events going on during your studies. From the World Cup to the Olympics, our sports journalism trainees have covered it all.
Sky Sports News digital output editor @gedbrand10 joined our sports journalism trainees for the first of two live blogging masterclasses ✍️ pic.twitter.com/6lPiYZK0R3
— News Associates (@NewsAssociates) September 19, 2023
The next intake of our sports journalism courses starts in September 2025.
Click here to learn more about fees and funding.
Got a question about our sports journalism course? Contact us on training@newsassociates.co.uk or 0203 026 3781.
Sign up for a free journalism workshop or Q&A here.
Apply for our sports journalism course here.