ABOUT

Tell us who you are!

My name is Daniel Oyebamiji and I am 23 years of age. My current role is the Academy Communications Officer for Chelsea Football Club.

So what do you actually do?

So my primary responsibilities are covering the academy games, specifically the U18s, U19s and U23s.

Writing match previews, match reports and various informative articles on the players that Chelsea are nurturing within its youth setup.

My role also includes liaising with parents and keeping them up to date with information surrounding the academy and its staff.

What has your career path been?

It has been very interesting, very unique I would say. From studying Politics for my undergraduate degree, to then doing Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management for my masters to then applying for roles in consulting.

It was the setbacks and rejections that made me decide to focus on my passion. Lockdown allowed me to focus on my craft of writing and content creating.

Through this it allowed me to gain recognition and gain a lot more experience. This invaluable experience helped me land part time roles with COPA 90, BCOMS and then now I find myself at Chelsea.

What is the best part of your job?

I think the best part about my job is working within the sport that I have loved for as long as I can remember.

In addition, Chelsea are the club I support which just makes this experience perfect. I can say that my '9-5' involves me doing what I love, honestly it does not even feel like work, it is me having fun doing something I am not only good at but very passionate about.

Why do you do your job?

Besides the obvious which is the fact that I enjoy what I do so it makes my work worthwhile, I do my job because I want to improve everyday.

Life is about being the best you can possibly be when it is all said and done and I can only do that by putting myself out there, leaving an impact.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

Be prepared to work hard.

It sounds so cliche but when you find yourself in an institution that prides itself on excellence, you need to be ready to work extremely hard to maintain those standards.

Be prepared, plan for the days ahead, utilise every resource available to you and keep on top of the work that has been set. I'd also add that your creativity and enthusiasm is what landed you the role, so continue showing what helped you get the role in the first place and you will thrive!

Any parting words?

My drive in life stems from me always wanting to be the best. My mentor Mayowa Quadri has taught me so much about the industry and the space that I am currently in.

It is a privilege to do what I do and I can never take that for granted. I urge any aspiring content creators/journalist/creatives to stay true to yourself, always believe in your talents and continue to work hard. Never be discouraged as there will be endless setbacks but always get back up and go again.

Check out Daniel’s Instagram below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

A typical day begins with me ticking off all the admin tasks I might need to do. Collecting information regarding certain bits of information that we believe Parents would like to know.

For some of the younger age groups if they have won a tournament, I would write a short piece on that. Or if they are doing presentations at school that would be of interest to the parents I would write a piece on that.

If i’m writing a match report, I need to ensure that I am following the game closely and highlighting the major points from the game, giving an in-depth summary of the game. Some people don’t have the benefit of watching so they want a feel of how the game went. The crux of my job however on a typical day is me collecting research and data and using that write previews for the games ahead. In writing match previews, I select the photos I deem appropriate.

There’s not much data in a match review compared to a match preview where I need to do research on both teams, looking at the form of the opposition, players to watch out for etc.

What is so unique about my job is that no two days are the same and you can never be finished. It’s a continuous process where once a preview is written the next day which is usually a game day I would need to write a report on the game.