We offer each of our trainees a summer bursary of up to £1,000 every summer of their degree to spend on journalism work experience or a journalism project, giving them the unique opportunity to travel and explore the areas of journalism they are passionate about.
Here, School of Journalism trainee Lydia shares how she spent her summer as a content executive at England Rugby.
I had the incredible opportunity to intern at RFU England Rugby, working behind the scenes on some of the most exciting rugby projects last season.
I’m a huge fan of the Red Roses, so working alongside them and their commercial team was an absolute dream.
My two-week-long internship was based at the England Rugby Headquarters in Twickenham Stadium.
The summer bursary provided by The School of Journalism allowed me to pay for my living costs during this time, which in turn allowed me to complete the internship without the worry of expenses.
The iconic Twickenham stadium and Lydia’s workplace for her summer bursary
The experience I gained with England Rugby was invaluable as it not only strengthened my existing journalistic knowledge, but also taught me new skills and exposed me to connections within the industry which will be extremely useful once I start looking for full-time employment post-graduation.
Game days:
A particularly inspiring day on my internship was shadowing the content team during the Red Roses game against Ireland in the 2024 Women’s Six Nations Championship.
I started the day by assisting the photographer capturing the team’s walk into the stadium, followed with an introduction to a number of well-known sports presenters and stadium announcers as pre-game shows were broadcast.
I then watched the entirety of the game alongside radio pundits who were live broadcasting the media section of the stadium.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor also performed her classic ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ during half time!
Website copy:
I conducted interviews, researched and wrote copy for the RFU website, by keeping up-to-date with events and anniversaries.
This was a brilliant experience for me as it allowed me to adapt my style to match that of England Rugby which is great preparation for future sports media and copywriting positions.
Meetings:
As a member of the team I attended department-wide content meetings where future goals, analytics, projects, podcasts and pitches for content were discussed.
Being in such meetings gave me invaluable insight into the aims of sports commercial teams and the types of industrial analytics that are used within the industry.
Podcasts:
A large part of England Rugby’s content output is podcasts.
One of the many broadcast studios England Rugby have to offer
Throughout my internship I acted as a runner on a set of podcasts where I was able to meet players and offer creative ideas for interviews and filming ideas.
Being able to meet England players offer content ideas and learn how podcasts can grow from just an idea to a full-fledged production was massively informative.
Conclusion:
From writing articles for the official website to helping run events on matchdays, this internship provided hands-on experience in sports media and event management.
I have gained a unique perspective on the inner workings of one of the most prestigious rugby organisations in the world.
Going into the final year of my degree and NCTJ exams, I feel all the more prepared to find a role within the industry.
Read an article written by Lydia during her time at England Rugby here.
You can read more summer bursary blogs here.
Click here to join our free taster events to experience what it’s like to be a journalist and study on our BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism degree.