Sport & Media Management

July 2010

Lisa Dobriskey returns to world-class form within weeks of her first serious race of the year in the European Trials and UK Championships. Third there in a slowly run affair behind Hannah England, Lisa clocks the fastest time in Europe over 1500 metres this season just two weeks later against a top-class field in Lausanne. Another very fast time follows when she dominates a similar line-up at the Gateshead Grand Prix meeting (right) and, in her final run before the European Championships, she breaks four minutes for the second time in her career when a close-up fourth in the hottest race of the season to date in Paris.

Sue Mott previews the Wimbledon semi-final involving Andy Murray for the Evening Standard, and interviews a battered and bruised Steve Redgrave about his cycling mishaps for the Mail on Sunday.

Jim White and Will Gray agree new deals with Eurosport for their on-line Champions League and Formula 1 coverage, and Tom Watt previews the World Cup final in his regular podcast for the Independent newspaper.

The Mail on Sunday report on GB Hockey’s experience with goal-line technology, and Sport’s Minister, Hugh Robertson, gives his backing to British Volleyball’s fund-raising initiative focused on a cycle ride from Sheffield and due to arrive in London on July 27, exactly two years before the opening of the 2012 Games (pictured right).

England Hockey (pictured right) also continue to impress on the field and underline GB's Olympic prospects by taking the bronze medal behind Argentina and Holland in the prestigious Champions Trophy in Nottingham.

June 2010

GB Hockey and British Volleyball both provide regular bloggers for Inside the Games, and both are filmed for Skillicious - a new ITV series aimed at schoolchildren interested in entering sport.
Alex Danson is also interviewed by Meridian TV and
Lynne Beattie by the Glasgow Herald.

Ivan Ponting concludes work on a new book for Headline with Ryan Giggs (pictured right), due out in the Autumn.

Tom Watt signs a new contract with Walker Books for a book of Football Shorts featuring contributions from many well-known authors and players; begins a daily podcast for the Independent from the World Cup; and hosts a breakfast sports event for the Cornwall Development Company.

Sue Mott uncovers an original World Cup song for the Guardian; agrees to act as a sports mentor for the CCPR; and begins work on media strategy for a forthcoming fund-rasing cycle ride by the
British Volleyball Association.

May 2010

Tom Watt hosts QPR's player-of-the-year awards; delivers two feature-length colour scene-setters from Cape Town and Johannesburg for the Daily Express on South Africa's preparations for the World Cup; and provides background research for the forthcoming James Corden World Cup programme on ITV.

Hugh McIlvanney introduces a big-screen stadium tribute before the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, while Stuart Barnes presents a radio promotion for the Heineken Cup Final with Andy Gray.

Lisa Dobriskey takes possession of a sponsored car from Alfa Romeo; records Question of Sport for the second time in the series; and begins filming a fly-on the-wall documentary for the BBC - as well as being twice featured in Athletics Weekly - during her pre-season preparations for the European Trials in June.

DWM facilitates a special media lunch (above right) for SJA members involving top hockey players, Crista Cullen and Richard Mantell and chief executive, Sally Munday, and arranges for exclusive coverage of the GB women's training camp at Lympstone from BBC TV, 5 Live, local radio and the Mail on Sunday.

The BBC also cover British Volleyball's success over Azerbaijan and Peter Bakare’s phenomenal jump over one of their reporters - while Andy Pink begins a series of blogs for Inside the Games.

Sue Mott writes of Steve Redgrave's latest enterprise - a charity cycle ride across America - for the Sunday Times, and appears at a special CCPR conference on Fairness in Sport.

 

April 2010

Sue Mott interviews Steve Redgrave for a Debenham's promotion, Chris Hoy for the Sunday Times and leading Scottish hockey international, Abi Walker, for the Glasgow Herald (right).

The Daily Mail, Inside the Games and the Yorkshire Post run lengthy features on British Volleyball and men's captain, Ben Pipes, and the BBC films a Beach volleyball training session as part of their Olympic Games build-up.

Lisa Dobriskey - currently immersed in overseas warm-weather training in preparation for her return to the track in May as the world's top-ranked British track athlete - agrees to make her second appearance this season on Question of Sport.

Martin Keown begins a new, weekly, Premier League column alongside a series of other high-profile contributors for the new Irish website JOE.ie

Tom Watt interviews Randy Lerner for the Independent plus Charlie George and Sammy Nelson for Arsenal TV.

Laura Williamson and Sue Mott both feature in a new ITV series to be shown before this summer's football World Cup, while Stephen Jones chairs a high profile sporting panel to decide the best official XV in the history of European Rugby.

March 2010

DWM arranges for England Hockey's performance director, David Faulkner, to write a first-person column in The Times, and for an extensive interview with captain, Barry Middleton, in the Yorkshire Post before the team underline Great Britain's Olympic medal-winning prospects by reaching the World Cup semi-finals. And for the Daily Mail to join the British Volleyball squad on a visit to Olympic Park.

Hugh McIlvanney receives the Doug Gardner trophy at the SJA annual awards (top right) in recognition of his continued outstanding contribution to sports journalism, and David Conn (bottom right) is named Sports News Reporter of the Year.

Tom Watt interviews Ray Parlour and Lee Dixon for Arsenal TV and delivers a video-presentation on ‘switching careers' on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Sue Mott discusses the return of Michael Schumacher on Radio 4 and Radio Wales, as well as interviewing Elena Baltacha, Lisa Dobriskey, James Cracknell and Frankie Dettori on the subject of stress in sport for Psychologies magazine.

Patrick Barclay is filmed for a new World Cup Moments programme for BBC3 and Jim White makes another appearance on the popular Saturday morning 5 Live show, Fighting Talk.

February 2010

DWM begins working with England Hockey and British Volleyball on their media exposure and PR in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Hugh McIlvanney is signed to appear in a film being made by Setanta (Ireland) on the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival.

James Lawton is commissioned to write a definitive profile of Wayne Rooney for Esquire's World Cup edition, while Sue Mott interviews Grand Prix legend, John Surtees for the Mail on Sunday.

Tom Watt appears on 5 Live's Stephen Nolan show; interviews Tony Adams for Arsenal TV; and (pictured right talking with Arsene Wenger) hosts an evening to celebrate 25 Years of Arsenal in the Community at the Emirates. He also provides voice-over for a DVD marking the occasion.

David Conn, Paul Hayward, Stephen Jones, James Lawton, Jim White and Laura Williamson are all short-listed for next month's prestigious SJA awards and both Paul Kimmage and David Conn are nominated as Sports Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards.

January 2010

David Welch Management facilitates a publishing agreement for 'My Life in Football' - a pictorial celebration of the footballing career of Sports Personality of the Year, Ryan Giggs. To be produced in the Autumn by Headline, the book will be written and researched by Ivan Ponting.

Lisa Dobriskey delivers an illustrated lecture to pupils and staff at the Princess Royal's former school, Benenden, in Kent ('Lisa was amazing' - Dawn Bradford). She is also interviewed by The Times prior to her first cross-country appearance of the season, and, over lunch, entertains a prize-winner for one of her sponsors Spatone.

Sue Mott, Jim White and Tom Watt all appear on Fighting Talk and David Conn analyses the financial situation at Manchester United for Victoria Derbyshire on 5Live. Sue Mott also previews the final of the Australian Open featuring Andy Murray for the Sunday Times.

December 2009

Lisa Dobriskey (pictured right) marries fellow Olympian, Ricky Soos, and is named as the World's highest-ranked British track athlete in Track and Field's World lists for 2009. Second only to Maryam Jamal in the 1500 metres, she is now clearly established as the country's leading gold medal hope on the track for London 2012.

Jim White and Will Gray agree new deals to provide the Eurosport website with weekly Champion's League and Formula 1 news, feature and comment
during 2010.

Sue Mott reviews the decade's leading sports stories and performers in a three-hour Christmas special for 5 Live along with Patrick Collins and Matthew Syed, and interviews Tony Hawke for the Sunday Times... while Laura Williamson provides the Daily Mail with three double-page spreads for their sports pages.

Stephen Jones analyses a controversial year for the sport in the Christmas edition of Rugby World.

October 2009

Two books ghost-written by Sue Mott - in association with Steve Redgrave and Andy Murray
(paperback version) - are published (right)
and Sue also interviews Ellen Whitaker for
Horse and Hound.

Lisa Dobriskey appears on Question of Sport
(below right); is filmed for the BBC Sports Personality programme; is photographed for a special Olympic exhibition by the National Portrait Gallery; undertakes more national media interviews and hosts a consumer day for Aviva in Nottingham - before heading off to Kenya for three-weeks of intensive altitude training.

Stephen Jones and Stuart Barnes begin a fresh season of articles for Rugby World magazine while Ben Jacobs - lifelong Leicester City fan - starts a new column for his home-town newspaper, the
Leicester Mercury.

David Conn assesses the footballing career of Sir Alex Ferguson for Esquire, and Tom Watt begins filming a new season of Friday night Fans Forums for Arsenal TV.

 

September 2009

Lisa Dobriskey wins the British Grand Prix in Gateshead and defeats double-world champion, Maryam Jamal in Rieti, Italy, while, off the track, she lunches with Gordon Brown and hosts an Open House day for the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Laura Williamson is guest speaker at Business Link South East's Women in Business lunch; Tom Watt appears on BBC Breakfast to discuss the Adebayor controversy; and Paddy Barclay is signed to feature in a new TV series focusing on goal celebrations - to be shown globally before the 2010 World Cup.

Sir Bobby Charlton's 'life in pictures' - compiled and written by Ivan Ponting - is published, and Sue Mott completes her work on the updated paperback version of Andy Murray's autobiography - while also appearing again on 5Live's Loose Women and the Simon Mayo programme.

Jim White and Will Buckley open a new series of Fighting Talk with Tom Watt booked for an early appearance next month.

 

August 2009

Six weeks after having to sit out the GB trials because of injury, Lisa Dobriskey rounds off a magnificent comeback by taking silver in the IAAF World Athletic Championships in Berlin, and, just five days later in Zurich, breaks through the four-minute barrier with a personal best 1500m time of 3m59.5s.

Will Gray interviews Sebastian Vettel for the Sunday Times' In Gear magazine, and David Conn profiles Arsenal's Stan Kroenke for Esquire.

Sarah Stirk continues to present for BBC World and features in a new sports series for ESPN along with Will Buckley
and Sue Mott.

Tom Watt agrees on a new Rising Stars football book involving many of the country's top authors and players, and David Miller confirms an update of his official Olympic history, Athens to Athens/Beijing/London with publishers, Mainstream.

 

July 2009

Lisa Dobriskey makes an inspirational return to international competition after injury (see Lisa's biography) and secures her place in the GB team for the World Championships. She also undertakes extensive interviews for the Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent, Runners World, BBC London and Athletics Weekly.

Jim White features as a regular sports expert on the new, nightly, BBC2 quiz series, KnowItAlls.

Sarah Stirk reports from the Open for TalkSport and begins a series of appearances for BBC World while John Taylor provides more voice-overs for BT Vision.

Sue Mott completes her work on Steve Redgrave's new book on Inspirations within sport, and appears with leading female sports performers on 5Live's new discussion programme, Loose Women.

Ben Jacobs makes his first appearance on 5Live Breakfast with Nicky Campbell; covers the London Athletics Grand Prix for BBC London; and starts a new season on Final Score.

David Conn is the 'overwhelming' choice of the Football Supporters Federation as Football Writer of the Year because of his 'commitment to investigating and exposing the issues which really matter in football'. His coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster's 20th anniversary was particularly cited.

 

June 2009

Sue Mott takes an exclusive look inside the Royal Box for BBC TV, and, during the fortnight, reports on the Wimbledon tennis championships for the Sunday Times as well as appearing on ESPN.

Former Lion, John Taylor, provides Talksport radio with expert analysis from a dramatic Lions Test series in South Africa, while Tom Watt looks ahead to next year's World Cup there in a special article for the Evening Standard.

Ben Jacobs makes his debut on 5Live Drive; attends Queens, Wimbledon and the ICC World Twenty20 final for BBC London; and is signed to present the Henley Rowing Regatta for the official Regatta radio station.

Ivan Ponting completes his work on part three of the Sir Bobby Charlton story - due for publication in September - and Laura Williamson signs a new contract with the Daily Mail.

 

May 2009

Sue Mott interviews Serena Williams exclusively for the BBC (and Square Meal magazine) as part of their Wimbledon build-up, and begins a comprehensive update of Andy Murray's successful last 12 months for the paperback version of his autobiography.

Former Setanta presenter, Sarah Stirk, is signed to cover the Open Golf at Turnberry for TalkSport, and John Taylor provides The Rugby Paper with another Lions look-back feature before setting off on the tour itself.

Lisa Dobriskey shows she is fully recovered from the injury which resulted in her missing the indoor season with two impressive runs at Loughborough. She will now ease her way back into international competition with runs in Hengelo and Warsaw.

Jim White, Sue Mott, Will Buckley and Tom Watt round off the football season for Fighting Talk.

 

April 2009

Tom Watt talks exclusively to Andre Arshavin for the Evening Standard and Sue Mott interviews Theo Walcott and his family for Esquire magazine.

John Taylor looks back on previous Lions tours for The Rugby Paper and provides voice-over for BT Vision's special series on the Rugby World Cup.

Will Gray's Formula 1 column for the Eurosport website is extended to become a twice-weekly offering.

Ben Jacobs goes to Canada to cover the Baseball play-offs for 5 Live, whilst continuing to report on crucial end-of-season football matches for them and BBC's Final Score. He also secures an exclusive interview for Radio London with Peter Andre and Katie Price during the London Marathon.....and features in Charles Sale's award-winning Daily Mail sports diary when fulfilling a pledge to read 5 Live's sports news in the nude after recklessly predicting in his blog for this website that his beloved Leicester City would not gain promotion under new manager, Nigel Pearson.

 

March 2009

Paul Kimmage wins the Sports Newspaper Interviewer of the year title for the fifth time in a row at the prestigious SJA Awards at The Brewery, with Sue Mott again shortlisted in the same category.

Others short-listed in their respective sections included Paul Hayward (twice), James Lawton (twice),
Sam Wallace, David Conn and Mark Hodgkinson.

Patrick Barclay makes his debut at The Times...Martin Johnson previews a summer of cricket for Square Meal magazine...Sue Mott interviews John Surtees for the Guardian and leading tri-athlete, Vanessa Raw, for the Sunday Times In Gear section...and John Taylor flies to South Africa for a piece bound for High Life magazine in which he sets the scene for the forthcoming Lions tour.

Lisa Dobriskey begins a month of intense warm-weather training in South Africa in readiness for the start of the outdoor track season which this summer features the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Jim White and Sue Mott both feature in Eurosport Classic's special programmes marking a celebration of football.

 

February 2009

Sue Mott is asked to work with Steve Redgrave on a new book focusing on his Inspirations within Sport, and interviews Sebastian Coe, Tony McCoy and Matthew Hampson for Men's Health magazine.

Ivan Ponting, author of more than 30 sports books, joins DWM and is immediately contracted to produce Bobby Charlton's photographically-based record of his footballing life.

Martin Johnson - in his new freelance capacity - agrees to join the Sunday Times as a columnist/feature writer, just in time to reflect on the bizarre Test series in Antigua.

DWM arranges for Will Gray to provide the Eurosport web-site with a regular Formula 1 column.

Ben Jacobs signs with Hull-based radio station, KCFM, to do ad-hoc Premier League football commentaries in addition to his BBC work, and is asked to present a one-hour special on Red Dwarf for 5Live over Easter.

Laura Williamson is sent to Varsseveld, birthplace of new Chelsea boss, Guus Hiddink, for a full-page sports feature in the Daily Mail.

Tom Watt interviews former Arsenal star, Gilberto, in Athens for the Evening Standard.

 

January 2009

Lisa Dobriskey is named as the 'hottest star from Sport for 2009' in the Independent Magazine, alongside top talent from the worlds of fashion, music, art, literature, politics and film. Lisa is also named as 2008 Athlete of the Year by the British Milers Club - who, similarly, honour her coach, George Gandy, as Coach of the Year.

Paul Hayward completes his high-profile move from the Mail to the Observer/Guardian - for whom Will Buckley also begins a new freelance contract as columnist and
feature writer.

Martin Keown looks back on the first half of the Premier League season for the Evening Standard.

David Conn interviews Peter Kenyon for Esquire magazine and Sue Mott talks to top American wrestler,
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), on behalf of the
Sunday Times In Gear section... as well as appearing on
Richard Bacon's 5Live show.

Jim White begins a regular series of articles on the Champions' League for the Eurosport web-site.