“For me, there will never be a more challenging story to cover, 10 or 30 years from now”- Ciaran Kelly on covering the Newcastle takeover
Gone are the days when all a sports journalist would do is write about happenings on the pitch. Sports journalism now transcends writing reports, doing interviews and attending press conferences.
Today’s sports journalists are intertwining sports with culture, economics and even climate change while discussing the impact it has on the communities. They have to keep up with all the moves during the busy transfer windows, at times dissect multi-million pound business decisions and what not.
Sport has become increasingly globalised and consequently, the conversation and coverage of the same has also shifted. Sports journalism goes beyond covering the football club you support on the pitch. It is now as much about reporting on the happenings off it as well.
Ciaran Kelly, a journalist who covers Premier League club Newcastle United, is someone who knows this shift too well. The Irish journalist reports and writes for the Chronicle, a daily newspaper that covers the northern region, with Newcastle Upon Tyne as its primary focus.
Newcastle United has been at the centre of the news recently, after making it to the final of the Carabao Cup and losing 2-0 to Manchester United last month. What better way to kickstart a conversation than around that title clash at the Wembley Stadium.
“I’ve been to Wembley three times before, but nothing compares to that Sunday,” he said, with enthusiasm mixed with a tinge of disappointment.
The Magpies, who are on a 54-year trophy drought, were edged by a rejuvenated Erik Ten Hag side, but a feeling of sense of pride by the region and fans was undeniable, despite being made to wait for silverware for at least a while longer.
Kelly said: “Over the years you realise how much an occasion like this [getting to the final of the Carabao Cup] means to the fans.
“Having covered the club, something like this was so far away even 18 months ago.
“It was very powerful to see grown men literally in tears, tens of thousands of Geordies seeing their team do the city proud, no fights and cleaning up the area after,” he said.
Off the pitch
Away from their fairytale cup run, Newcastle have also been on the news for happenings off the pitch.
They are today considered one of the richest clubs in world football. Former owner Mike Ashley sold the club in October 2021, after 14 years as its owner. The new owners were a Saudi Arabian consortium, made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners.
The team splurged in the 2022 January transfer window to ensure the Magpies comfortably avoided the threat of relegation. The team then cruised to an 11th-placed finish last season.
Kelly elaborated how different it was covering the Newcastle takeover as compared to on-the-field action.
Covering the takeover
“Whether I am in the field another 10 years or another 30 years, there will never be a more challenging story than that which I will cover,” he said.
“Never!
“The takeover was one of the breakout stories from the North. Newcastle United was making headlines again, and it was not because of their performance in games.
“It was a time when the world was navigating the global pandemic. The takeover was happening. Then it was not.
“It was bizarre,” he admitted.
He went on to add: “It seemed like I was telling two parts of the story.”
“As a sports journalist, you need to develop a sustainable relationship with sources. In order to be factual in reporting, you need to confirm with the direct source.
“The Saudi-led consortium was extremely optimistic about the takeover. The club side not as much. The fans wanted new ownership. It was a strange period, a strange time for Newcastle United,” he said.
“Reporting on the same was even more challenging!”
He went on to explain what was quite a limbo period that was extremely bizarre – during the height of the pandemic and a time when the key sources became unreachable.
“It challenged me as a reporter as there are two sides who you hear different things from,” he said. “It went on throughout the process.”
But then the dust settled.
The moment of uncertainty was done. The Saudi-led consortium opened its doors and the takeover was completed in October 2021.
New era
Newcastle are currently on a good run in the Premier League and there is renewed hope among the fans. Eyes are on landing a spot in the European competitions. It seems like manager Eddie Howe is the perfect person to get the best out of this Newcastle squad.
Fourteen years of disappointment under the Mike Ashley leadership and the 10,000 season tickets which were being given away for free because people walked away from the club are things of the past now.
Certainly, Newcastle are in a better place than they were 18 months ago.
However, we cannot ignore what is going on off the pitch. We have to be extremely aware of what is going on in Saudi Arabia. Mass executions, people being jailed for what they tweet and human rights issues, it would be unfair for the Newcastle fans to be held accountable.
Do they get to choose who owns the club they love? After all, they certainly did not choose previous owners.
“As a reporter, these issues made it a challenge on a daily basis because you have to be so aware of what is going on, not necessarily on the field,” he said.
The Yemeni community up the North East and the Newcastle Supporters Against Sportswashing are just some of the leading groups in peacefully reminding the fans about what is going on in Saudi Arabia.
Kelly has aired his opinion on the controversial Newcastle United third kits calling out its resemblance to the colours of the Saudi Arabian national flag.
“I received some harsh comments for that, but if I did not, I would not be doing my job,” he said.
Apathy just like anger can be very powerful. Newcastle fans are happy to have Ashley leave the club. Majority of the fanbase are happy with the new ownership, as things stand.
“We have conducted surveys, 98 percent of the fans are content with the new ownership,” he said.
With new owners imminent at Manchester United, and a Qatari bid involved, are there any parallels to be drawn from the Newcastle takeover?
It goes without saying that media coverage on Qatari potentially buying the Old Trafford outfit has been somewhat subdued.
Kelly has covered the Red Devils as a former reporter for the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester United and Newcastle United being completely two audiences, Kelly weighed in on the move from Manchester to his current base in the North.
“You got to know the history of the club and the fans as well. The audiences are different,” he said, adding that it brought about different challenges.
“What a Manchester United fan in another part of the world wants to read is different from what a Newcastle fan down the road wants to read.”
Jose Mourinho: The Rise of the Translator
Kelly is also the author of ‘Jose Mourinho: The Rise of the Translator.’ Growing up as a Chelsea fan, he wrote the book while pursuing a Master’s in Sports Journalism.
He delves into Mourinho starting out as a translator for the late Sir Bobby Robson and later coming to define a new breed of manager. He highlights Mourinho’s unrivalled use of psychology, exhaustive research, and man management, which provided ample compensation for an unremarkable playing career.
“It was also the time Mourinho was coming back to Chelsea!” he said.
Kelly is also a nominee for Regional Sports Journalist of the Year honour at the annual Sports Journalism Awards.
At the end of the day, Kelly is a great example which proves sports journalism is not just about talking about the happenings on the pitch. It’s about tackling different audiences, networking from scratch, getting to seemingly unreachable sources, asking difficult questions and saying the hard truths while maintaining objectivity and being accountable to your audience.
“It should never be about money, it’s all about passion,” Kelly said.