Raise Your Game 2017 Mentor Biographies (Mentors are subject to change) 1. Media and Communications Page 2 2. Coaching and Management Page 11 3. Grassroots and Community Page 15 4. Player Services Page 21 5. Refereeing Page 23 6. Sports Science Page 24 7. Football Administration Page 25 1 1. Media and Communications Tom Adams Deputy Managing Editor of website and app Eurosport Twitter: @tomEurosport Tom is the deputy managing editor of the Eurosport website and mobile app, overseeing news, feature, video and social media output. He has been working in digital sports newsrooms for over 10 years, including spells with ESPN, Sky Sports and the BBC amongst others. Justin Allen Sports Journalist The Sun Twitter: @justinallen1976 Justin is a football writer for The Sun, having previously worked for The News of the World, The Times, Daily Express, Daily Star, Daily Mirror, the Evening Standard and BBC Radio Kent. He started his career at the East Kent Mercury at the age of 19 and was named Kent Young Journalist of the Year in 1998 before winning the BT Regional Sports Writer of the Year in 1999. Justin also worked for two years at the Evening Argus in Brighton between 1999-2001. Nemesha Balasundaram Sub-Editor Sky Sports News Twitter: @NemeshaB Nemesha is a sub-editor at Sky Sports News, where she produces video content for the TV channel across a variety of sports including football, cricket, boxing and Formula 1. Her role also involves writing stories and TV scripts to strict deadlines. Previously, Nemesha worked as a news and sports reporter at The Irish Post across its digital and print platforms. A law graduate, she received her NCTJ Diploma in Journalism with News Associates, graduating in summer 2015. That same year, Nemesha won the NCTJ’s Trainee Sports Journalism Award and was also nominated for Young Sports Writer of the Year at the prestigious Sports Journalists' Association awards in London. Jordan Barrett-Bryan Sports Reporter Channel 4 Twitter: @_jordanjbryan Jordan is a freelance sports journalist and broadcaster working for Channel 4 News and Premier League Productions amongst many. He also produces and hosts his own podcast. He began his career on his own due to a lack of opportunities and encourages anyone entering the industry to do the same. Richard Bates National Communications Manager SportsAid Richard is the National Communications Manager at SportsAid – a charity helping the next generation of British sports stars by providing them with financial support and recognition during the early stages of their careers. 2 His role at SportsAid sees him managing all the charity's communications including its website, social media platforms, newsletters, branding, publicity and content. Richard joined SportsAid in September 2015 having previously been the Media and Communications Manager at Kick It Out. Richard studied Sports Journalism at the University of Brighton where he gained experience with local newspapers. Anne-Marie Batson PR Consultant Twitter: @AnnemarieBatson Anne-Marie is Director of AmberGlass PR. She has built a reputation as an expert in her field who offers fast and clear solutions for a range of public and private sector clients. An ethical practitioner, Anne-Marie Batson is an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Her hope for the future is to work towards greater transparency between the sports industry, the media and the public. Richard Beech Digital Media Consultant Freelance Twitter: @BeechardRich Richard is a digital media consultant specialising in sports journalism. He has worked as Sports Editor at BuzzFeed, an Editor at JOE, Social Lead at the BBC and as a football reporter for the Daily Mirror. Alastair Bennett Head of Publicity and Advocacy Premier League Twitter: @AlastairBe Alastair is the Head of Publicity and Advocacy for the Premier League. His role is to support and promote work undertaken which the Premier League provides financial support for. The League will giveaway £1billion in its current three-year funding cycle. Previously, Alastair was Director of Communications for the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity. Steve Bond Public Relations Officer Chelsea FC Twitter: @SteveLBond Steve started his career as a sports journalist for press agency Sportsbeat, covering numerous events including the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He worked his way to Editor of the agency before switching to a more PR-focused career with Chelsea FC. Focusing on all Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Charitable operations within the club, Steve is responsible for first-team appearances to promote club and community activity, through local, national and international media as well as club media. Steve manages the relationship with the club’s Global Charity partner, Plan International (previously Right To Play) as well as assisting with CSR requests from other club sponsors and stakeholders 3 Lynne Cameron Sports Photographer Press Association Twitter: @pasnapper Lynne Cameron is an award winning sports photographer specialising in football with a keen interest in promoting women behind the camera. She started her career at Rangers FC before progressing to national newspapers. This was followed by becoming a full-time staff photographer with Rangers, becoming the first woman to do so. After nine years of successful management of digital media and photography, Lynne moved to the Press Association as their first sports photographer in Scotland, a position that incorporated the role of official photographer for Scottish Rugby. Last summer Lynne went freelance and is currently working with clients and agencies including the FA and Getty Images. Matt Cecil Head of Media Wycombe Wanderers FC Twitter: @mattcecil87 Matt is the Head of Media at Wycombe Wanderers, having previously been appointed to the club’s board of directors, becoming the youngest director in the EFL at that time. A lifelong fan of the club, Matt started out with a work experience placement, and has gone on to take overall responsibility for all communications, including production of the matchday programme, management of the website and creation of content for its social media platforms, which were recently ranked first and second for engagement in a Fanalyse study across all 92 league clubs. Anthony Clavane Freelance Sports Journalist Twitter: @LUFCPromised Anthony has been a national sports journalist for 20 years. He worked at the Independent and then the Sunday Mirror and Mirror for 18 years, covering World Cups and Olympics. He has written three books and three plays about sport. He now writes for The New Statesman, The New European and other publications. David Conn Sports Writer The Guardian Twitter: @david_conn David Conn is a sports writer for the Guardian, focusing predominantly on aspects of the sport away from the field of play. He has won numerous accolades for his writing including Sports Journalism Association’s sports news reporter of the year in 2004, 2009 and 2013. He is also the author of The Football Business: Fair Game in the '90s?, The Beautiful Game? Searching the Soul of Football and Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up (2012). 4 Robyn Cowen Freelance Sports Reporter Twitter: @robyniocowen Robyn is a freelance sports reporter, working with the BBC on radio and television for the past seven years. She has recently featured as a lead commentator on Match Of The Day. Robyn has also commentated on WSL highlights for the corporation. Prior to working with The BBC, Robyn successfully completed a law degree from Oxford Brookes University. Sam Cunningham Sports Writer Daily Mail Twitter: @samcunningham Sam is a sports writer for the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. He has worked as a football reporter for a decade, predominantly reporting on the game for the Mail and has also covered major sporting events such as Euro 2016, Wimbledon and the London 2012 Olympics. Neil Dejyothin Senior Producer SI Games Twitter: @neildejyothin Neil developed his own online football game in his teens before working on various football titles including Football Manager, Championship Manager, FIFA, Total Club Manager, PureFootball and PureFootball Manager. At Sports Interactive and on Football Manager, Neil leads the Match Engine team, who are responsible for all of the artificial intelligence for the match simulation and all the graphics, animations, motion capture and visuals. Steve has also coached QOR Ladies in his spare time and is the Home Counties U18s Girls Regional Coach for the Independent Schools FA. Mimi Fawaz Freelance Sports Journalist Twitter: @MimosaFawaz Mimi is a sports journalist, premium show host and presenter of Sports360 on Vox Africa. She's also a freelance journalist at BBC Sport World Service and a CNN contributor on African football. Scott Field Director of Communications Team GB Twitter: @scottjfield Scott is the Director of Communications for the British Olympic Association – having worked at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – and has worked in elite sport for nearly two decades. Previously Scott worked as Head of Communications at The FA, working with England teams but having primary responsibility for the communication of all of the FA’s disciplinary matters. Scott also worked for Watford and West Bromwich Albion in both the Premier League and Championship, and has been to World Cups, European Championships and UEFA Champions league Finals. 5 Rob Harris Global Sports Writer Associated Press Twitter: @RobHarris Rob is Global Football Writer for The Associated Press (AP). Based in Britain, he leads coverage of the sport for the international news agency. He also appears on TV and radio stations analysing football issues and wider sports news. He has reported for the AP for a decade after previously writing for newspapers, with a strong focus on the political maneuverings in football and other sports. In recent years, Rob has covered World Cups, European Championships and Olympic Games. Warren Haughton Senior Digital Sports Reporter The Sun Twitter: @WarrenHaughton Warren started his media career in London working for respected sports news agency Hayters.