ESPN Soccernet Interview
ESPN Soccernet was nominated for the Best Football Site award. We asked them to talk about the awards, how 2010 had turned out for Soccernet, future plans and of course, who they would vote for in the awards. Here’s the interview:
1) You’ve been nominated for Best Football Site, chosen by both fans and industry experts, how does it feel?
We are very pleased to have been nominated, that goes without saying. That it’s a combination of both fans and industry types doubles that sense of satisfaction.
2) What kind of year has 2010 been for Soccernet?
This has been the busiest year yet for Soccernet, with the World Cup heading the queue for attention. It was a gruelling yet hugely rewarding month for all the team, and that’s not to mention the months of build-up to the tournament itself. We were rewarded with record figures, but we have not rested on our laurels just there. We’ve been redesigning the site ever since, with no rest offered for the wicked… our new site launched last month and we’re hoping that our users and peers are enjoying it.
Another change has been the growth of our ability to break news stories and we especially led the way with the Liverpool takeover, the collapse of Portsmouth, Capello’s new contract (!) and the Wayne Rooney saga, though like almost everyone, we were caught out by Rooney’s sudden volte-face. It has been heartening to see many of our stories picked up by the mainstream media. I think that serves as some form of recognition.
3) What do you think has been the key factor in your success?
The key factor has been, without doubt, the hard work of our editorial and production teams. And perhaps a revision of strategy in augmenting our news stories, our feature/comment writing and our match coverage, with the last of those including a greater ability to attend events and also better coverage them from our offices using our new Gamecast service.
4) If you were casting a vote for your any of your fellow nominees, who would it be?
I’d have to say Guardian Football. Their “Knowledge” and “Joy Of Six” features are appointment reading. And, go on, I’ll admit we all read F365’s Mediawatch but they still won’t be getting my vote… they’ve been rude about us in the past, though not lately.
5) What’s next for Soccernet?
Apart from getting to grips with the new site, I’d say it will be business as usual in terms of seeing out the 2010-11 season. No major, major tournament in 2011, though we will be turning our attentions to the Asian Cup, Women’s World Cup, Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Oh, and the January transfer window is almost upon us, so that will be getting the full treatment as ever. That’s the thing with football, it just never stops. So, in summary, the evolution will continue; we’re always looking at new approaches to covering the game.
You can vote for ESPN Soccernet in the following award category:
Back to the main 2010 Soccerlens Awards nominee interviews page.
Topics: Interviews
