Lights, camera, action…Multimedia Sports Journalism students get behind-the-scenes at Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain

Budding sports journalists from the University of Northampton put pedal to the metal to report live as the Lloyds Bank Men’s Tour of Britain came to town.

Four Multimedia Sports Journalism students volunteered their time and expertise to cover the Lloyds Bank Men’s Tour of Britain that featured more than 100 athletes competing in six stages snaking down the UK.

The eyes of the nation were on the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus, which hosted thousands of spectators for the start line of the penultimate competition stage.

The quartet of budding journos – Tom Toseland, Sophie Smith, James Logan and Andy Durrant – had their fingers on the pulse, reporting alongside national and international media representatives to bring the public the latest news and updates.

Sophie Smith was one of them, leading on capturing live content using state-of-the-art recording equipment. Sophie is an athlete herself – competing internationally in Snowboarding with support from UON’s Elite Athlete Scholarship scheme – and is about to enter the final year of her degree. She says: “It’s been a fantastic experience to report from the Tour of Britain and be part of such a monumental event for the community.

“The real-life experience we gain from working at large-scale events like this can’t compare to our academic practice. My studies at UON have given me the knowledge and skills which I carry forward into the interviews we conduct, which makes me a better well-rounded journalist.

“Speaking to professional athletes in fast-paced environments is an entirely different world of journalism, and I’m excited to continue to get more interviews under my belt to build my experience as a professional journalist.”

As well as interviewing the athletes after they sped across the finish line, the student reporting team also had the once in a lifetime opportunity to interview Sir Bradley Wiggins, winner of eight Olympic medals, five gold, the Tour de France and nine World Championships, who was on campus to support his son Ben competing in the Tour of Britain.

“It was fantastic to have the opportunity to chat with Sir Bradley Wiggins, a world-class cyclist who has made a huge impact on the professional cycling community,” reflected Andy Durrant.

Andy is someone you will have spotted recently reporting from local elections. He stepped aside from the election counts to cover the post and pre-race interviews. He adds: “As part of our course, we’re all told very early on – say yes to everything. Radio, TV, political coverage, national event reporting – it’s important to test the waters, try out everything and build our portfolio.

“This event isn’t an environment we would usually find ourselves in, so it’s been nice to flex our reporting skills and really put them to the test. While my recent election reporting was primarily radio-focused, this event needed more social media and TV content.

“As an industry, Journalism is very reactive and changes at a fast-pace, and I’m confident the skills I’m building and developing at events like this will prepare me for launching into the industry after graduating next year.”

Senior Lecturer in Multimedia Sports Journalism Jefferson Lake shadowed the students as they delivered gold-star coverage of the event: “I’m incredibly impressed with the level of professionalism demonstrated by our students for this event, showing promise for this next generation of Journalistic talent preparing to hit the industry.

“The experience our students gain from covering internationally significant events like the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain goes beyond conducting interviews and taking photographs – it requires them to think on their feet to achieve professional coverage, working as a team to react as the event unfolds. This is the kind of experience which will instil the invaluable skills necessary from our next generation of sports journalists.”

The University of Northampton’s Multimedia Sports Journalism course is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), offering real-life experience working with elite sports teams and national events, utilising specialist radio and broadcasting equipment, as well as benefitting from strong industry connections.