Module 1: The World of Sports Journalism and Match Reporting
Topic 1: Understand the role of a freelance sports journalist
Topic 2: Understand the sports journalist’s market
Topic 3: Establish your writing career goals

Module 2: Writing for the Media: Structure of a Sports Article
Topic 1: Identify and establish a freelance journalism business strategy
Topic 2: Evaluate your office space requirements
Topic 3: Apply the appropriate bookkeeping and accounting systems
Topic 4: Understand how a sports journalist should structure an article
Topic 5: Apply the pyramid to each of your sporting articles
Topic 6: Understand the importance of each of the different parts of an article
Topic 7: Explain the five Ws

Module 3: Writing Sports Stories
Topic 1: Explain the six main areas of sports journalism
Topic 2: Recognise and present sports news
Topic 3: Understand the importance of analyses, quotes and other essentials
Topic 4: Explain the importance of knowing and following house style
Topic 5: Understand what a sports fan wants to read
Topic 6: Explain why ‘people skills’ are important
Topic 7: State how to get good quotes and how to use them
Topic 8: Understand different types of interviews
Topic 9: Understand what a media conference is and how to get the most out of them

Module 4: Sports Writing Essentials

Topic 1: Define a feature
Topic 2: Define techniques to overcome Writer’s Block and understand how to use them
Topic 3: Explain the format of a story and how to start it
Topic Understand the importance of the ending and bringing all the facts together in a satisfactory conclusion
Topic 5: Explain how to present your copy properly before submitting it to an editor

Module 5: Style Matters
Topic 1: Understand the difference between your own style of writing and a house style
Topic 2: Use honorific correctly in your work
Topic 3: Use apostrophes correctly Topic 4: Understand basic rules of grammar and their importance to your writing
Topic 5: Define what an editor expects to receive when you submit an article

Module 6: Facts, Figures and Match Reporting
Topic 1: Research various sports and their national organisations
Topic 2: Use various reference sources for the rules of all sports
Topic 3: Explain how facts and figures make a story more interesting and are the basis for most sports research
Topic 4: Access various research sources including electronic and non-electronic media

Module 7: Sports Writing Ethics and Copyright
Topic 1: Define defamation, libel and slander
Topic 2: Understand the differences between defamation, libel and slander
Topic 3: State what you can and cannot report if you are reporting from a court
Topic 4: Explain what is copyright and how it applies to your work
Topic 5: Understand the importance of ethics and courtesy as a journalist

Module 8: Marketing to Sports Editors
Topic 1: Explain how a freelancer is paid
Topic 2: Define who a stringer is and what they do
Topic 3: Understand how to write a query letter
Topic 4: Discuss how to check if your idea/article is original
Topic 5: Understand how to deal with newspapers with and without sports editors
Topic 6: Research where to locate overseas newspaper details

Module 9: Sports Magazines
Topic 1: Research the different magazines on the market
Topic 2: Decide which magazine suits your style
Topic 3: Understand the importance of contributors’ guidelines
Topic 4:Use contributors’ guidelines to ensure your article has the best chance of being published

Module 10: Broadcast Journalism
Topic 1: Understand the structure of television and radio in Australia
Topic 2: Evaluate what Australian television programmers want
Topic 3: Define writing for television and radio as a freelance journalist
Topic 4: Explain how radio/television writing differs from print media writing
Topic 5: Understand television/radio writing techniques

Module 11: Sports Public Relations
Topic 1: Understand the role of PR in sports journalism
Topic 2: Research getting your foot on the sports PR ladder
Topic 3: Write and prepare a press release
Topic 4: State the benefits of writing sports books
Topic 5: Understand how sports clubs and businesses can use your skills

Module 12: Succeeding as a Sports Journalist
Topic 1: Understand how to minimise your chances of rejection
Topic 2: Keep track of articles you have submitted
Topic 3: State why it’s important to always have your camera with you
Topic 4: Understand the importance of marketing
Topic 5: Present your article to editors in an acceptable format
Topic 6: State the different parts of an article
Topic 7: Define plagiarism and understand how to avoid it