[28 SEP 11] CRUSADER NEWS

Crusaders press officer hands over reigns

 

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Coventry Crusaders Basketball Club press officer Adam Manning is leaving his post with immediate effect after gaining a full-time job having now graduated from Coventry University.

Ex-press officer Chris Bestwick takes over media responsibilities for the foreseeable future.

Adam helped the Crusaders in a plethora of activities during his time at the club since June 2009, including: editing the match night programme and website, match reports on the senior and youth teams, setting up and developing the club’s facebook and twitter pages, and creating a Crusaders TV channel which has had over 1,500 views since its birth in January 2011.

Upon his departure, Adam left the following testimony to what the club has done for him and his career, and includes some tips for any hard-working and committed students looking to get involved in the club like he did:

“As I come to the end of my press officer’s role at Coventry Crusaders Basketball Club, I’d like to put on record my sincerest thanks to the club’s managing director Dip Donaldson, and Crusader Foundation director Scott Neely for giving me the opportunity to deal with the club’s media activities.

“It all began when I was a first year journalism student at Coventry University in May 2009. My journalism course director Rachel Matthews popped into one of my lectures and pointed out that a basketball reporting role had come up, and that the club was looking to interview candidates for the role. I jumped at the chance, and that enthusiasm ensured I gained the role.

“Over the course of the next year I proved my worth by updating the website’s content. Some long hours were involved sifting through newspaper articles to update the history section, as well as updating player profiles and familiarising myself with the game of basketball ahead of the new season. On a weekly basis I wrote match previews, match reports and gathered match reaction. This experience was invaluable to me in so many ways. Writing the club’s history pages taught me very quickly to get facts right, a must for any journalist. Doing match previews and match reports enabled me to enhance my creative writing, and to try and adopt different news angles to news pieces that sometimes had potential to sound the same.

“Alongside this I also took up the challenge of editing and writing the club’s match night programme. This involved interviews from players and managers; as well as reports form the club’s youth team and its community work. It was a challenging task alongside my journalism course, and one that required the utmost dedication; but the reward of seeing your work in print as a student is priceless. It is CV and portfolio gold dust. I killed two birds with one stone by incorporating this voluntary reporting work into my journalism course. 

“Then, in September 2010, through dedicated hard work and with a little bit of luck, I was offered the press officer’s role, as the previous press officer Chris Bestwick had work commitments. This is where I felt my creativity really shone through. It is important to note that I got this opportunity not because they needed someone, but I had worked my way up by proving my worth. Make yourself indispensable.

“From here on in I had access to the platforms of the Crusaders website, facebook and twitter sites, and a new YouTube TV channel to showcase the potential multimedia exposure this basketball club is capable of getting. If you’re a media student reading this, then my message is simple and clear: get involved with the club and prove your reliability and creativity. It has made the difference in me getting the media career I want.

“I wish the club all the best for the future, and hope to be seeing the men’s team back on court in October 2012.”

If you’re a committed individual looking to get involved in providing media coverage for the club’s community activities over the coming year, please email Crusader Foundation Director Scott Neely on scott@crusaders.co.uk .

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