Training Ground Guru shortlisted for prestigious award
Training Ground Guru was set up in February 2017
Written by Simon Austin — February 2, 2018
TRAINING GROUND GURU has been shortlisted for sport website of the year at the prestigious Sport Journalism Awards.
The site is up against heavyweights including the Daily Mail, ESPN and The Guardian (who won last year), in a shortlist of six for best site of 2017.
Winners of the awards, which have been running for 41 years, will be revealed at a ceremony at the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza on Monday February 26.
Peter Jackson, chairman of the SJA awards panel of judges, said: “Every year we keep thinking that the standard of sports journalism cannot possibly be as high as the previous year – and every year we are proved wrong.
"The quality has always been there but never on a broader spectrum. Making the short-list has become an achievement in itself.
“I congratulate them all, especially those from publications nominated for the first time. That some outstanding journalists have not made the cut reflects the ferocity of the competition.”
The website award is to recognise “all aspects of a site’s performance”, including “journalistic excellence, design, layout, images and digital techniques.” The other finalists are the Daily Mail, ESPN, Sport 500, The Telegraph and The Guardian.
Training Ground Guru was set up in February 2017 by Simon Austin with the intention of providing insights into football performance and to showcase the work of practitioners.
Highlights of 2017 included interviews with Carlo Ancelotti, Brian Ashton, Andy Cole, Alan Smith and John Barnes, while a number of coaches, sport scientists, medics and physios have contributed pieces.
The site was built and designed by Manchester’s Cotton; illustrator Stanley Chow created the distinctive logo; and writer Ben Dirs, a former finalist in the SJA Awards himself, has been a regular contributor.
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