This year started with determination to achieve something that at one time looked impossible - now with hindsight, what was once hidden was always there.
I began January 1st travelling to Preston to cover Tranmere Rovers v AFC Fylde in a National League match, doing live tweeting, social media updates and a match report which you can find here.
Starting the year with defeat did not matter, as the result was a moo point (cue Friends gif) however, the chance to cover a high profile game and be working productively and proactively in football in the opening day of the year was the best start and everything I wanted.
Much of the first part of the year followed in similar fashion, working several hours a night producing graphics, articles and securing interviews for Tranmeretalk.com so much so that it become much more than a university project.
As well as this, possibly the highlight of 2018 professionally, came when I received a press pass for Five Star Wrestling through Total Wrestling Magazine and braved my fears and approached former WWE superstar Rey Mysterio for a candid interview.
Given my major anxiety, it proved to me that if the reward is big enough I can overcome my anxiety and fears with the interview one of the first since his stunning return in the Royal Rumble just a week earlier.
However, the novelty of doing something great was one quickly lost upon me. I wanted more and through opportunity granted by LFCTV that was exactly what I got.
The chance to work with legends of not just football but media and entertainment was incredible, and I remain forever grateful for whatever was presented to me, through working with:
- Rickie Lambert
- Robbie Fowler
- Steven Gerrard
- Callum Smith
- Rocky Fielding
- Joe Gomez
- James Milner
- Virgil Van Dijk
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
- David Price
- Conor Coady
- Steve McMahon
- John Barnes
- Yungen
Danny Roberts
- Many more
While the role of unpaid intern was one that taught me appreciation, it also helped me understand how things operated within a media company, there were certain things that reminded me of school in a sense, such as the way people treated each other, yet this was just an immediate thought that I will stop before I go off on a tangent.
One of the most privileged opportunities came from Tranmere Rovers and Paul Harper, a man whose work ethic was tireless and highlighted the importance in workload management within football.
I was allowed to produce content for the club throughout the year alongside my course, including interviews that were featured within the match-day programme and online; following my course work I produced several Behind the Scenes videos, a creation of my own based on the format of Liverpool Football Club, as well as several season ticket promotion videos.
I was allowed unlimited access to the club's facilities and was apart of the media crew at Wembley, where I was able to enter the changing rooms and on the pitch to capture the celebrations and produce a never before seen piece of content for the club's fans with the video in their top 30 most popular of all time with almost nine thousand views.
Before graduation confirmation or guaranteeing a job, I was awarded the Warrington Guardian award for Outstanding contribution towards journalism, and while I know I worked hard I feel as if my interpretation of journalism i.e. match reports and videos was undeserving of the unexpected recognition but I am grateful for the honour nonetheless.
The Champions League final was the biggest event to happen to my club in years, an event we thought was out of reach months ago was here. Fans who struggled to get to the final in Kyiv, arrived at Anfield to watch the match on several giant screens around the stadium. I was one of the freelance staff working the event, providing assistance as and when required. But to be there on the Anfield turf, and meant to be there...I still pinch myself a little.
On the 6th July 2018, the confirmation letter reached my home to confirm that a lad who grew up believing he was less than average in the intelligence department, ended up with a first and the valedictorian award, a league and cup double in football terms.
Then a little less than a month letter I received the call informing me that I had been successful in my application to become the only Digital Media intern within Liverpool FCs media department, taking my place within the Technical Operator team.
Since then I have found people I would regard as friends, people who care about me and highly intelligent people who I hope to learn everything from - to work for a the club I love, the club I washed plates for, the club I served food for to this is was always the end goal of 2018 and to have achieved that was everything I hoped for.
As 2018 draws to an end, its important that I keep in mind everything that I have accomplished over this year, I have a tendency to be far too ungrateful and wish for more and judge myself based on other people's success without determining their end result or considering mine.
This year has been the year of understanding for me. Understanding that not everything has to be perfect. Not everything will go your way. However most importantly, it is understanding that if I have accomplished this much so far, 2019 is going to be the year of so much more.
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