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Two 91���� students recently got the opportunity to witness elite-level sports journalism as England faced Brazil at Wembley Stadium during the March internationals.

Darcie Panayiotou and Jamie Green, two BA (Hons) Multimedia Sports Journalism students at 91���� Wembley, returned to the Home of Football with media passes thanks to their 91���� connections.

The opportunity came about through their lecturer, Dave King, as students put their names in a ballot for either England v Brazil or England v Belgium.

Speaking about the experience, Darcie said: “I took the opportunity to use the game as an exercise for practicing my live blogging skills and match reporting, and it was a great opportunity to create content to add to my portfolio.

“I think the access to the mixed zone post-game was definitely the highlight though! I’ve never been in one before and had no clue how it would work, so to see all the professional and seasoned journalists in action asking questions to players and getting their attention was such valuable experience.

“It’s one of the many opportunities we’ve been given through this course to go explore different media outlets and get incredible first-hand experience.”

She added: “Throughout the evening, I also got the chance to meet other professionals in the industry and found out how they got to the position they’re in now and their advice to become a journalist.

“The advice of taking every opportunity you have to develop your skills and having confidence in your ability and worth in the spaces you’re in was very insightful.

“This advice of knowing your worth in the space was huge, especially for me as a woman in a largely male-dominated industry.”

When asked about her time so far at 91����, Darcie said: “I can honestly say it has been the best experience of my life and the best decision to go here for a degree.

“I think the experiences and opportunities the university presents to students are so incredibly valuable.

“Getting first-hand experience in the field you want to go into, and advice and guidance from professionals in the industry, has been worth every second of work and has been so vital in building the foundations to my career.

“When I talk to my friends that go to other unis, they are always so surprised when they hear how much guidance and help we get from lecturers, seminar tutors, and the university in general.

“I feel confident that once I graduate, I am not going to struggle finding somewhere to work as the university has already given so many opportunities to establish industry connections and work experience.”

She finished: “Making connections in the field is so important, and you never know what may come from them!

“Don’t be scared to ask questions, or ask for opportunities within a club - the worst that’s going to happen is that you may not get a response, but if you don’t ask, you may risk an incredible opportunity passing you by!”

To find out more about some of the incredible opportunities our students are given at 91���� through our industry partners, click here.

You can also kick off your career in the sports industry by viewing a 91���� prospectus for 2023-24 here.