In some ways feature writing is the bedrock of all good comms. You need thoroughness, empathy, a logical approach with lateral thinking, and a firm handle on what your audience is looking for.
And I still get excited when I see a piece with my name on the byline.
Here are a few examples of the feature writing work I’ve undertaken.
The football
My writing for When Saturday Comes includes articles, book reviews and features in the long-running Match of the Month series. Check out a few selected contributions:
- Ultra sensitive: a critical look at the beginnings of an ‘ultras’ movement in England
- Walk this way: new out-of-town stadiums and their inaccessibility for fans travelling on foot
- Carlisle 1 Newcastle 1: a unique pre-season friendly lights up a flooded summer
- Will You Manage? A book review
I’ve also written about football as a columnist for the Grimsby Telegraph, as a contributor and editor for a wide range of zines and blogs, and as co-editor of the book We Are Town.
Research features
At a time when misinformation looms large, it’s perhaps more important than ever that proper academic research is seen and understood by a wide general audience.
But the language of scholarly publications remains a long way from the kind of tone that makes features appealing to an audience outside of the academic research community.
One of the writing projects that gives me the most pride was for the University of Sheffield, when I created two articles highlighting research projects taking place in its Department of Journalism Studies.
The brief was to present the work in magazine-style features, which would offer an easy read for non-academic audiences without oversimplifying the issues surrounding the projects, or the complexity of the work the researchers were doing on the ground.
To some people that’s mission impossible. To me it’s a stimulating challenge. Have a read of the articles below and see what you think.
FemmepowermentAfrique
Led by Dr Emma Heywood, the team behind the FemmepowermentAfrique project explored the use of radio as a medium to support the education and empowerment of women across several nations in west Africa.
Photo: Vincent van Zeijst, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Defining Freedom of the Press
Freedom of the press is a core value in many societies, but the UK’s phone-hacking scandal raised questions around how to balance that freedom with journalistic ethics. This project, led by Dr John Steel, set out to define the boundaries.
Interviews
Among the work I’ve taken on for Women in Football (WIF) is an interview series called Members in Focus. As the name suggests, its aim was to celebrate the professional journeys and achievements of the organisation’s members.
Occasionally my interviewees would be widely recognised figures from the football community; often they were people working away from the spotlight. My starting point was that everyone’s story is remarkable, so I set out to give a similar platform to everyone taking part.
I researched their careers before each interview and I thought about how to make them feel comfortable sharing their stories with me. I wrote them up into features, shining a light on the hopes, fears, disappointments and triumphs of every interviewee, and rendering their voices in an authentic way.
The series proved a great way to widen the organisation’s reach. The features appeared on the WIF website, and when I promoted them on social media they performed brilliantly. WIF members love to lift each other up, so they were super keen to engage with the Members in Focus content.
After a couple of years I handed the series over to the in-house team at WIF, who are still adding to it regularly. Here are some of my favourites among the features I created for the series early on.
Karen Bardsley
Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper
Growing up in California gave Karen an unorthodox route into English football – and some valuable perspectives on the game.
Chris Paouros
Consultant and EDI advocate
Chris is a trailblazer in more ways than one and a spinner of many plates, with a compelling backstory that made her who she is.
Zarah Shah
Partnerships & Engagement Manager, City Football Group
Zarah experienced a great deal both growing up and in the first few years of her career, which proved to be ideal preparation for her current role.
Still want more?
Can’t say I blame you. Have a read of this article I posted on LinkedIn on International Non-Binary People’s Day in 2026. Or check out my personal website, where I sometimes blog about poetry and music and urban space.
