Media Pass for BIG Hockey Events

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[NE14HOCKEY]

If you didn't know I run a news site for hockey but does anyone know how you could go about getting Media status for big hockey events to take photos and cover the matches with match reports?

I'm not looking for free tickets I am being totally serious 

[steve]

Some events ask you for a journalist pass/number prior to issuing the Media accreditation. Mind you, I had no problems for the Champions Trophies and the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands.

[NE14HOCKEY]

How much in advance did you have to apply to get that?

[controller]

The thing to do is apply as early as you can. In other words, just check the websites for the events.

Firstly, each National body is looking for the big papers to get the coverage. Get yourself noticed and get yourself well known with players and officials and Technical directors and so on.

Be careful what you say and what you put on to your websites, actually it is not what you write it is if someone can read it another way that is not way it is written. Never criticize anyone in particular is you have had a bad experience with a certain body write to them with your problem but always congratulate them on something else, therefore it does not seem that you are fully complaining.

International events, if you get a chance to go, do not rely on the transport that is put on for the press, traffic and timings. If you want to watch a particular game, make sure you go at least 90 minutes before the game and include travelling time in that and never leave it to the last minute, even if the ground is only 10 minutes away.

[NE14HOCKEY]

Thanks for the advice

[thr]

A rival, eh?

I can pass on the following advice for what it's worth.  If you want to get into big hockey events (World Cup, Champions Trophy, etc) you need to be an established hockey journalist.  The organisers are starting to get very alert to 'fakes' who just try to get in for free admittance but are not genuine writers.  You need to work cover some of the lesser events before you start going to the big ones. The organisers often consult with England Hockey or the Hockey Writers' Club (of which I am chairman) to see whether applicants are bona fide.   If you would like to email me at Peter@talkhockeyradio.co.uk. I will see what help and advice I can give you.

[controller]

thr

who is the rival, PEHC or me giving advice.

[thr]

Controller

Both of you I suppose but it was meant light-heartedly.

[steve]

The organisers often consult with England Hockey or the Hockey Writers' Club (of which I am chairman) to see whether applicants are bona fide.

I have to add that this mostly applies if the event is being organised in the UK region. For sure, both the KHNB and DHB have a different system. When I used to run the old hockeystar.org website I have attended  a couple of events both in Germany and the Netherlands and I had never any issue with accreditations.

[thr]

Steve

If I can add something to your last message - organisers of major tournaments sometimes send invitations to accredit out to the national governing bodies of the competing nations for them to pass on to journalists in their country, so being "known" to England Hockey can be quite useful if you are based in England.

The question of applications for accreditations is quite a hot topic thesedays.  A problem arises when a genuine and professional sports writer is stopped from attending a major tournament because an "amateur" has taken his place. Hockey, along with many other minority sports, has a high percentage of specialist writers who are not 100% professional journalists, and so there is a big grey area between the professional and the out-and-out fake. So, which ones do you treat as bona fide journalists and which ones do you reject? The AIPS Hockey Commission and the Hockey Writers Club frequently appoint a media overseer to major tournaments and concerns have sometimes been expressed in their reports about the credentials of some of the journalists attending.  I think things could get difficult in the future for the freeloaders and consequently this could impact on anyone who is starting out new.  For this reason I always advise prospective writers / photographs to start out gradually, get their faces recognised, and then move up the scale.  Whereas you might be lucky with the odd top tournament, it would be much better to be sure you are going to get accredition when you make the application.  Sometimes you don't received confirmation until after any normal person would have thought it prudent to book their flight and hotel, so being certain that it is going to be granted is quite helpful.

[johncoxon]

In order to get media accreditation all you would normally need , for most sports , is a bona fide  publication or website that is going to use your stuff and you need to tell them who you are working for. I think you have your own  website and that may do. Think you posted and got told to put it in the adverts a while back . Get in early and maybe offer the organisers some of your stuff as well as they all like free stuff.

Agree with Steve about amatuers muscling in and getting accredited as they are often vanity orientated and offer their stuff for nothing, undermining those who earn their living from photogrpahy  but they are anyone's for a credit, a byline  and at no cost to the organisers . Supsect you are not a professional photogrpaher but don't let that put you off. If the organisers get something for nothing or free addtional publicity that will often do. I tend to givestuff to the teams and not the organisers.  At many events you don't actually need accreditation when it comes to hockey as you can get good stuff from behind the fence  and not on the touchline.  There is a different attitude in Spain , Holland and Germany  where they are far more media savy and far more open to accrediting a broad range of individuals and mostly you won't have any problems there. The Europeans in Manchester earlier this year were a bit  of a farce and a lot of very talented and world respected pros couldn't get accreditation as they were " overwhelmed " with requests for accreditation and yet a few local and regional amatuers were given the green light. How fair that is is a mattter of opinion.

With regard to EH there is an official photogrpaher and you can request accreditation for major events but normally they would invite you if the official tog was eleswhere. If you want more on this PM me.

[NE14HOCKEY]

about joining the Hockey Writers Club should I join now or wait till January, will I get charged twice or not until January the 1st?

[thr]

Sorry for the late response but I have been busy.  I am sure we can waive the subscription for the last two months of the year.

Peter