“You did get to know people a bit better and, when


you’re answerable to the person you’re reporting on face to face rather than a couple of stages removed, that’s maybe a different sense of responsibility,” he says. Aside from promotions, cups and playoffs – “your emotions go haywire on days like that” – the stories that stay with him are about players who have opened up about mental health issues and abuse, and an interview he did 20 years ago with a player whose son was fighting for his life with leukaemia. He saw them again recently. The rest of the time, he is usually stuck in traffic. “I remember going to Crawley one year – it was a six- or seven- hour trip,” he says. “I got to the ground and the kit man came out and said, ‘I think this could be in doubt here’. I had to turn around and go home.” A personal highlight was being invited on a pre-season trip to Ibiza with the team. “It was heck of a trip – but we weren’t in a smartphone era then,” he reflects. John Cross, chief football writer at The Mirror and chair of


the Football Writers’ Association, has covered the game for more than 30 years. He says the biggest worries are deadlines and different


time zones at major tournaments. He recalls the England versus Colombia game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia which went to extra time and penalties: “I ended up writing three intros. You’ve got to be so tight and so on the button.” While working on print, digital and video platforms, podcasts and broadcasting – and enjoying the mix – Cross believes the relationship with newspapers is still valued. He recalls Harry Kane after he missed the penalty in the quarter final against France at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “Rather than stew on it, he wanted to talk and he came over to the newspaper faces that he knew,” he says. “It was a very difficult interview, but we were incredibly sympathetic, respectful and grateful that he chose to talk about it. He was in tears but, equally, it was an interview that was powerful and that is the relationship that is still strong.” Like most journalists, Cross has had the occasional run-in,


including with former England manager Steve McClaren, who was so irked by one of his questions that he stormed out of a press conference. So, what’s the art to doing a post-match interview? Cross says he always tries to start with a positive and that it is


“If it’s a tactical change or a row or something behind the scenes, the best journalists get it.” John Cross, chief


football writer, The Mirror


“Getting accreditation is difficult. You don’t want people to think ‘we won’t let her in if she’s going to say something’.” Zoë Hitchen, football photographer


“If you’re fair, balanced but opinionated, that will get you noticed.” Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester Utd correspondent, The Sun


“It’s a dream job. I don’t think any of us should lose sight of that.” Jon Colman, sports reporter, News & Star and The Cumberland News


important to think about what you are going to say and phrase questions in a respectful way, even in difficult circumstances. “It’s about getting the answer to the question you want and, I think, sometimes people can go in and be too critical,” he says. Cross has seen many bans being imposed on reporters over


the years and experienced it himself when The Mirror was banned at Chelsea. He had to buy a ticket and watch from the stands. “It’s a horrible state of affairs when a club bans a reporter and should always be the last resort,” he says. Although the success of the Lionesses has had a huge


impact, a recent survey by Kick It Out showed a 67 per cent increase in reports of sexism and misogyny since the last season, with online abuse a major concern. Zoë Hitchen began her career as a photographer with Bury FC and suffered constant abuse from rival fans at away games. “I got sexist chants from the crowds and I was groped by a


mascot on more than one occasion,” she says. Although she complained, she was told it was ‘banter’ and, after being followed out of the ground and threatened by a group of young men, she stopped working pitch side altogether. Hitchen says although complaints are now taken more


seriously, sexism has moved online. Hitchen believes there is a reluctance among women to speak out (she experienced a backlash herself after speaking to the BBC). She now mentors young female photographers working in football and believes a lot more could be done to improve women’s safety, including fixture times. Hitchen’s passion for the game keeps her going to matches and she is working on a project called Girlfans with photographer Jacqui McAssey. This shines a light on the lifelong and sometimes overlooked female fans and local communities, who – just like the reporters – can’t get enough of the beautiful game.


theJournalist | 19


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