During my childhood, outside of school, I spent most of my time down at the local park playing cage football.
I was an average player at best. Although I was two-footed and could cover most positions in midfield and defence, I sorely lacked some of the speed and flair of my peers.
Yet, in that period of my life, I started to form a habit that would eventually lead me to a career within the sports media industry.
After a few hours of goals, nutmegs and tantrums, my friends and I would run off to the local shops for refreshments. Everybody would stock up on sweets and fizzy drinks — and I was no stranger to hastily stuffing my pockets with chocolate bars — but I always saved a little bit of money to buy a newspaper from the front of the store.
I was still in primary school but football was already controlling and dominating my life. Sure, playing football with my friends was amazing, but I had developed this intense desire to try and learn as much about the beautiful game as possible.
I would devour the match reports in the newspaper in a desperate attempt to understand Ronaldinho’s brilliance or how England got knocked out of yet another major tournament in the quarter-finals. In the summer, I would gorge myself on any transfer updates and strut around the playground the following day, eagerly flexing my knowledge to anybody who listened.
This passion quickly developed into an ambition to become a sportswriter, so when I was old enough I started to think about going to a university. My mum insists that I didn’t do enough research on potential courses because I was more interested in socialising. But after I discovered a degree in Birmingham that offered students the chance to earn a scholarship at Sky Sports, I simply had no interest in any of the other options.
Alongside my studies, I organised placements on the news desks at The Birmingham Mail and The Sutton Guardian. In my third year, I started producing match reports for a non-League football club in Birmingham called Paget Rangers and regularly wrote features for 90min.
A two-week trial at Sky Sports turned into a short-term contract before Sky Sports News eventually signed me to a long-term deal. I worked on countless transfer deadline days, covered the madness of the European Super League’s rapid rise and fall, and got to work with some incredible people, but it still felt like there was kind of something missing.
I was determined to be at the forefront of telling stories including in-depth player interviews, behind-the-scenes features and tactical breakdowns, and breaking news.
Throughout this time, I kept looking over in awe at the content The Athletic was producing. Their journalists had the time and space to investigate topics with the dedication they deserve. So when they gave me a call, after I recovered from the initial shock, it was difficult to say no.
Since they launched in the UK two years ago, The Athletic have repeatedly demonstrated that they are the home of in-depth, high-quality journalism, and I couldn’t be more proud to join the team.
They have given me the responsibility of covering Brentford’s debut season in the Premier League and, ever since I found out, I have been an uncontainable ball of energy.
That initial child-like wonder to learn everything I possibly can about football still burns brightly, and now I get to focus my gaze exclusively on Thomas Frank and his team.
Brentford’s recruitment system draws envious looks from other clubs across the country, the decision to fold their academy in favour of a B-team structure continues to go from strength to strength, and their fantastic new stadium will make its Premier League debut.
From the Danish influence that has powered so much of their success over the last decade down to their incredible fanbase, it’s clear that there are millions of stories to be told about this unique club. It will be my personal mission to get behind the scenes and tell you how it all works.
At The Athletic, you can expect regular content throughout the season as I travel up and down the country covering the club, seeking to uncover all of these fascinating details while also diving into some of the key topics and debates that will arise. We’ll be on top of all the news that affects Brentford and anything that matters to you, the fans.
Will Brentford’s style of play prove successful in the top flight? Can Ivan Toney replicate his incredible goalscoring form in the Premier League? Will Frank be able to outsmart Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel?
This season is going to be an unforgettable journey for the club and we would be honoured if you followed our coverage along the way.
To celebrate Jay joining The Athletic we are offering a 50% ‘welcomebrentford’ discount code to Brentford fans. Simply follow the link here.
To follow Brentford with The Athletic, click here.
(Top photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
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