Football Manager become new sponsor of Football Writers’ Association

Founded in 1947, the FWA represents the interests of more than 800 football journalists in England, liaising with clubs and governing bodies to improve working facilities. The FWA also present the Footballer of the Year Award, the oldest and most distinguished award given in the English domestic game. 

Central to the sponsorship agreement, which formalises the close ties that have existed between Football Manager and the FWA over many years, is the promotion of education. To that end, four new bursaries have been created to encourage young people from underrepresented backgrounds within the journalism industry.

Each bursary is worth £5,000 and is designed to help students pay for tuition fees and training programmes. In addition to the financial aspect, recipients of the bursaries will become full FWA members, receive mentorship from a senior FWA member and a work placement with Sports Interactive.

Richard Trafford, Sports Interactive’s Head of Business Development and Partnerships, said: “The entire studio is delighted to play a small role in the fantastic initiative created by the FWA to assist aspiring journalists from unrepresented backgrounds. Four students are currently being assisted by the FWA and hopefully we will see them working for our favourite media outlets at some point in the future.

Equally,we are honoured to be formally aligned with principal representation of football writers in England.”

The FWA’s Executive Secretary, Paul McCarthy, added: “We are delighted to welcome Football Manager to our family of sponsors. They are the kind of blue-chip brand that the FWA are proud to work alongside.

"Their impact has been immediate and the four bursaries we have been able to award thanks to Football Manager's generosity are changing the lives of potential young journalists from backgrounds traditionally under-represented in the industry.

"We look forward to our relationship going from strength-to-strength."