Real world learning helped Harry bag dream journalism role
Photos courtesy of Jay Harris
Being encouraged to gain real-world experience while still at university was crucial when it came to stepping out into the competitive world of sports journalism, according to Huddersfield alumni Harry Everett.
Harry graduated from the University’s BA Sports Journalism degree in 2018 and has worked for a variety of organisations across multiple sports since.
These include BBC Sport during the Rio Olympics, Wimbledon and Cricket World Cup and Test Matches, to Huddersfield Town Premier League commentary and match programme contributions, to being Badminton England’s media manager at the Yonex All England Championships. Harry has run the gamut of short- and long-term experience and full time to freelance roles that are the nature of the sports journalism industry.
Discover more about BA Sports Journalism at University of Huddersfield
But it is as a Somerset CCC commentator, unofficially the youngest regular county cricket commentator in the country, that Harry is most proud of as his “dream job.”
“The only level above what I do now would be something like Test Match Special on international matches, and I have already done live text comms for BBC Sport on England v West Indies tests and commentated live on South Africa cricket at Taunton,” says Harry.
Harry bowling in club cricketHe was also part of the team that established Somerset County Cricket Club’s fledgling YouTube channel as a leader in its field, to the extent that it won YouTube Sports Channel of the Year at the 2021 Broadcast Awards.
It saw off competition from Gary Neville, Chelsea FC TV and others, having become a go-to site for cricket fans starved of seeing live action during the pandemic, with Harry commentating alongside some well-established names.
“I commentate with childhood heroes like Pete Trego and Vic Marks, the ex-Somerset and England allrounder, who is an absolute legend from Test Match Special and a master of the art of commentary,” Harry adds.
“There were not many other young voices in cricket commentary when I started at 15 on local Somerset radio) which encapsulates how difficult it can be to get a foothold working in the sport. It’s very much the case in other sports as well, so naturally I was delighted when we won the award, especially coming ahead of some big-hitting names who were also nominated.”
Somerset's YouTube channel has won awards and widespread praise for its coverage of the county's four-day games.
Gaining experience through the wind and the rain...
“We were really encouraged to go out and get experience while still studying,” Harry adds. “My lecturers helped make things work, and having volunteered at the flagship tournament once a year in my first two years, I then started at Badminton England late in my third year. Work experience was lecturer Dave Devenport’s buzz phrase, which we all laughed about, so much so that I had it on the back of my mock business card in my top pocket when I dressed up as him for a University social night out! But in fairness, he and the other teachers were absolutely spot on.”
And work experience gained whilst at Huddersfield helped give Harry an appreciation of both the variety of sports that can be covered, and how conditions out in the field vary wildly from the comfort of a classroom.
“I was on the gantry at Grimsby Town in a howling gale, climbing over a rickety ladder to get there, which was right out of my comfort zone. But that’s required in this field of work. Similarly, reporting on top level badminton and netball were both sports I had never watched before being at university. But I felt it was important that I continued to be across multiple different sports.
“My first two assignments were rugby league and Formula 1 – two sports I knew nothing about, especially rugby league being from down south. I had to learn about them quickly, and they were hard assignments.
“I covered Yorkshire Jets v Manchester Thunder netball and interviewed Tracey Neville before she was England coach. I did a week for the Press Association over in Howden, and someone from there offered me work with Doncaster Rovers based on my work with him at the PA. It’s the little opportunities like that that can help open doors, so many of my work posts have been offered to me based upon previous work starting from when I was at Huddersfield.”