The University of Salford has hired Dr Taylor Umland to head up its new Sports Journalism course at MediaCity.
He joins from Leeds Beckett University, where he spent more than 3 years as a Senior Lecturer. Prior to that he was a news journalist at NBC-affiliate KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa.
At Salford, his role will be to lead its newly established BA Sports Journalism programme.
“With the exceptional facilities at our perfectly-located MediaCity campus, outstanding training from our talented tutors and the ability to be embedded in and cover a variety of sports in and around one of Europe’s biggest sporting ecosystems, students can hardly study in a better place,” he said.
“We are very ambitious about what we can achieve with this programme as we know that we can offer an unmatched plethora of opportunities for our students that will give them the best possible shot at a career in this dynamic and exciting industry.”
Dr Richard Jones, Director of Journalism, Politics and Contemporary History at the University, added:
“Sport is a bigger part of our lives than ever and journalism and the media are at the centre of that.”
“With BBC Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV among our close neighbours, we’re well placed to help train the next generation of sports broadcasters, writers and content creators.”
Course organisers are seeking to partner with Greater Manchester clubs and organisations to deliver opportunities for placements and matchday coverage, building on its existing relationships with the Sale Sharks and Salford Red Devils.
According to the university, interest in sports journalism courses has continued to grow, with student applications increasing by 23% between 2017-18 and 2021-22, with a sharp rise in the last year of that period.
Roles relevant for Sports Journalism graduates are also forecast to grow by 9.4% in the UK and 11.9% in the North West by 2030.
