I felt this project had a great deal of potential in terms of both the work that could be produced and opportunities for me to show potential employers what I am capable of, but it has ultimately left me frustrated. When applying the context of quite how much more difficult it was to secure interviews with players, managers and broadcasters going to their first World Cup in Australia and New Zealand than it initially seemed, as well as starting a working regularly before the tournament had gotten underway, I think I was still able to produce a perfectly fine project but it could have been so much better.

Knowing what I know now, I would have quite likely approached the project differently. When I initially contacted 20 or so clubs, players and broadcasters about whether they would be interested in being interviewed for the project, I received enough positive responses to believe I would have more than enough content to work with. Although I was able to secure a handful of great interviews, it was hard not to get disheartened by the number of times that access seemed to disappear and follow-ups, and follow-ups to follow-ups, received no reply. If my initial enquiries had been received in a similar way then I would likely have changed the idea of the project entirely. As frustrating as this was, it provided both an opportunity to learn about the reality of accessing high-profile individuals in sport and to show some resilience and creativity to make something of the situation.

I think I produced more than enough written work on football throughout the year to put together some form of portfolio on the fortunes of AFC Wimbledon or Sutton United, but that would have felt a disservice to the work I had already put into this project. Exclusively interviewing two players who featured at the tournament and a manager of one of the teams is an achievement in itself, particularly given how difficult access became. For example, the interview with Ireland’s Diane Caldwell was cancelled more than once in the build-up and was even postponed again on the morning when snow caused training for her Reading side to be called off. I was fortunate that she still went to the club’s training ground for treatment that morning; less fortunate that the walk from the train station to meet her consisted of two miles of snow. This is an example of what this project did provide me with - plenty of reminders of the resilience it will likely take to have the sort of career that I am currently envisaging.

This resilience was needed again when I travelled to Dublin to get as much content as possible from two of the first-time qualifiers in Ireland and Zambia when they met in a pre-tournament warm-up fixture. I got plenty from the Ireland press conferences but effectively having to chase the Zambia media officer around the city would have been hilarious if it had been important to someone else’s project and not my own. The media officer kept changing the time and place I would be able to interview the team’s manager and members of the squad, eventually agreeing to arrange something after the game itself. However, several ignored calls and text messages later, it became clear that I was one of the last people left at the stadium and the Zambia team had more than likely left long beforehand. It was a moment that left me questioning whether I truly wanted to pursue a career in the industry let alone continue with the project, but it ultimately proved something to learn from for the future.

These disappointments led me to writing previews and historical pieces to fill out the project. Whilst this is not my favourite type of work to produce, nor did it feel the same level of achievement to produce, I still think they were of a good standard. I also produced TikToks throughout the tournament to add a multimedia element to the project. Again, recording these was not something that felt particularly fulfilling, and some of the earlier ones could have been done better, but I think they continually improved over time. Video content has now become a more regular part of the work I do away from the course and the project, meaning this was another way in which ‘My First World Cup’ has helped in other aspects of my journalistic work.

A final complication in relation to the project was starting regular work before the World Cup itself had gotten underway. Obviously in an ideal world, it would have been great to start a job after the tournament and therefore cover the football thoroughly for the benefit of the project. This was possibly the most disappointing element of the project, as I was able to produce a handful of report/analysis type pieces on some of the games involving teams that had qualified for the first time on the occasions I was able to watch the relevant games, but not to an extent that the written element of the project felt satisfactory or complete. I provided regular updates on the first-time qualifiers using TikToks instead but I feel as though these short videos are not capable of conveying the same ideas and emotions as 800 words or so – perhaps this is simply due to my preference for writing.

Ultimately, I still do believe I produced some work of a high standard in terms of interviews, and if this project has not achieved what once seemed possible then it is not due to a lack of trying. Perhaps I could have produced a better project by attempting something simpler, but there has been plenty to learn from the difficulties that I encountered. Whether it be understanding the right ways to be persistent when trying to chase an interview or what my expectations should be if I attempt something similar in the future, the project has opened my eyes to reality if nothing else.