The University of Salford says it is delighted to announce that former NBC news reporter Dr Taylor Umland is to lead their brand new Sports Journalism course with teaching to take place at their MediaCity campus.
Taylor joins Salford after more than three years as a Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University and as a former news journalist for NBC affiliate KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa.
He will spearhead the University’s new BA Sports Journalism programme, which will deliver specialist training from expert tutors across a wide range of multimedia sports content.
Students will have the opportunity to use our industry-standard technical facilities to hone their craft when not covering press conferences and matchdays across Greater Manchester and beyond. Whether its live match reporting, sports commentary or careers within clubs and governing bodies, the course will aim to give students the experience they need to get the job they want.
Taylor said: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Salford to lead its new BA Sports Journalism programme.
“With the exceptional facilities at our perfectly-located MediaCity campus, outstanding training from our talented tutors and the ability to be embedded in and cover a variety of sports in and around one of Europe’s biggest sporting ecosystems, students can hardly study in a better place.
“We are very ambitious about what we can achieve with this programme as we know that we can offer an unmatched plethora of opportunities for our students that will give them the best possible shot at a career in this dynamic and exciting industry.”
Dr Richard Jones, Director of Journalism, Politics and Contemporary History at the University, said: “Sport is a bigger part of our lives than ever and journalism and the media are at the centre of that.”
“With BBC Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV among our close neighbours, we’re well placed to help train the next generation of sports broadcasters, writers and content creators.”
The course will seek to partner with Greater Manchester’s numerous sporting clubs and organisations to deliver opportunities for placements and matchday coverage, building on the University’s existing relationships with the Sale Sharks and Salford Red Devils.
The programme will target placements across the city region’s six professional football clubs, six professional rugby league clubs, and its numerous professional and semi-professional organisations across cricket, ice hockey, basketball, netball, rowing, cycling and swimming.
Interest in Sports Journalism continues to grow across the sector with student applications increasing by 23% between 2017-18 and 2021-22, with a sharp rise in the last year of that period. Roles relevant for Sports Journalism graduates are also forecast to grow by 9.4% in the UK and 11.9% in the North West by 2030.
The launch of the new programme follows on from the continued success of our existing Journalism programmes which are accredited by both the National Council of Trained Journalists and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.
The University also has several Salford graduates securing work in the wider sports media industry, such as 2019 BA Broadcast Journalism graduate Pien Meulensteen, who is a broadcaster for Sky Sports and ITV Football & 2021 MA Broadcast Journalism graduate Sanny Rudravajhala who is a freelance Broadcast Journalist that regularly works across the BBC and Sky Sports on their football coverage.
