Avro FC media officer encourages aspiring journalists to volunteer

When he is not working as a teacher, Bambridge gives up his free time to help Avro produce content for their channels, having previously spent eight years working at Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division side Lewes.

Since he joined the club 18 months ago, Avro have had a fantastic story to tell and promotion last season means they are now looking forward to taking on a new challenge in the Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division.

And Bambridge believes the experiences available at clubs like his can give the reporters of tomorrow all the experience they need for a successful career in football.

"The vast majority of people who work in non-league football are volunteers but what we are being asked to do is the same," he said.

"We do post-match interviews, we manage the website and write the reports, everything we do is exactly the same as if you were working in the professional game.

"It is the perfect place to try these things out, you need to be careful and aware of the same rules you need to follow, but ultimately it is not such a pressurised environment because you are a volunteer.

"It is the perfect place to get that experience that you would then hopefully take to a full-time role at a professional club.

"At Avro, we are trying to be as professional as we can, so we are looking to have a platform on all the main social media outlets, we are looking to have an up-to-date website.

"That gives any would-be volunteers opportunities to get involved in many different things."

Opportunities for budding volunteers across the country are now available to view on the Pitching In Volunteer Hub, which showcases roles based on proximity to the postcode entered.

Avro’s 2-1 play-off final victory over Lincoln United last season continued a remarkable journey for a club who were at Step 7 as recently as the 2017/18 campaign, a rise Bambridge admits has created its own challenges.

"The whole thing just keeps growing and growing," he added.

"We want to keep growing, which is why our volunteers are crucial to us because those people are vital to our success.

"We haven't really had a close season at all. As soon as we got promoted, it has been flat-out trying to get ready for the new season, which we are all looking forward to.”

Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/

By Jonny Bray

Photo credit: Gordon Marino