Favourite Articles of 2015

2015 has been a happy one for me as a writer as I’ve been blessed with opportunities to write about stories that I found truly interesting and got to interview a number of people whose views left a lasting impact on me.  Whilst – and I know that this might seem as overly sentimental rubbish – everything that I’m fortunate to have published is special for me, I have to admit that I enjoy writing some articles more than others.  Here, in no particular order, is a list of some of my favourites from the past twelve months.

The Birth of the Serie A
I love coming across, researching and then bringing to life stories that aren’t that widely known and this certainly fits into that category.  Written for Issue 9 of The Football Pink magazine, it tells the story of how a controversial series of games between Bologna and Genoa led to the formation of the Serie A.

Building Aberdeen’s Future
Perhaps it is coincidence but over the years I’ve come across a number of increasingly impressive coaches who are involved in the Scottish youth game and Gavin Levey, from Aberdeen’s academy, continued that trend.

Pulp Fiction (No, Not That One)
Over the summer I had the good fortune of being allowed to write about books and reading for the blog of Merlin Publishers.  It was all good fun as this is a topic close to my heart but I have to admit that I was positively surprised by the feedback that this particular article received.  Particularly as it was on a topic that I genuinely thought no one was that interested about.

Jumping Farther
Over the past few months I have been building up Snapshots of Malta, a site where I write about what I come across in my daily life.  It is a pet project but recently I’ve decided to take it up a notch by interviewing people who I feel are particularly interesting.  The first such interview featured Rebecca Camilleri, one of the finest ever Maltese athletes who announced her retirement in this interview.

Inside An Academy
Twitter is often decried as a waste of time and a petri-dish for trolls yet it is also a place where one can make great connections.  It was certainly the case with Jonathan Henderson, the head of academy at Bristol Rovers who provided me with all the access that I wanted to talk to different people working at the academy, allowing me (and hopefully others) to grow my knowledge as to what happens in an academy on a daily basis.