Talk Sport’s Megan Worsell retraced her roots on Wednesday morning as she spoke to students at Leeds Trinity University Journalism and Media Week just a matter of months after she graduated.
Megan discussed a range of topics including her pretty unconventional path to her current role at TalkSport and the challenges that woman who hope to break into the sports journalism world face.
Megan was always destined to work in the world of sport, however her first passion was health and physiotherapy before her school work made her change paths.
“I was really adamant I was going to go into physio.
“But I had to watch this game of netball and commentate on it and then I realised – wow I’m actually quite good at this.
“I just realised then that going into sports journalism is something I wanted to do.”
Despite her determination to break into the sports journalism industry Megan was always apprehensive about working specifically in football.
“When I was at university, I was adamant to all the lecturers I would never ever go into football.
“I was so worried about the backlash that would come with a woman in football.
When asked if she thinks that budding female sports journalists perhaps slip the net out of fear of going into what has historically been a male dominated industry, Megan could only agree:
“I think loads of women would have just been like no, I’m not going to go and do that because it is just not a thing that women do.
“I think to myself – are women not coming into the industry because they’re not interested or because they are scared?”
Towards the end of her studies, Megan was offered an internship at Talk Sport. Initially wary it was a talk from her lecturer that convinced her to grab the opportunity.
“Then I thought, we as women should be the one breaking these boundaries.”
Having impressed on her internship she was offered a full-time position at Talk Sport as a social media content producer and the prospect of working alongside Laura Woods, a real trailblazer for women in sports journalism was one that excited Megan.
“As soon as I knew I was going to Talk Sport I thought oh my god, I’m going to meet Laura Woods.”
A busy few weeks lie ahead for Megan as herself and Talk Sport prepare for the FIFA World Cup to start, which Megan will be producing daily content for, but it is an opportunity that excites her.
“I literally cannot believe it, It’s going to be exhausting working every single day. But never ever would I have imagined that I was going to be working covering a Football World Cup at 21 years old.
“To think now about what could happen for me after that will be absolutely insane.”