My Experience Broadcasting Varsity at Cardiff Met: Behind the Scenes of a Sports Production < CARDIFF MET BLOGS

My Experience Broadcasting Varsity at Cardiff Met: Behind the Scenes of a Sports Production < CARDIFF MET BLOGS
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My Experience Broadcasting Varsity at Cardiff Met: Behind the Scenes of a Sports Production
April 9, 2025
Alex Hyman
MSc Sport Broadcast
Sport
Hi, I’m Alex and I study on the Sport Broadcast Master’s course at Cardiff Met!
I was fortunate enough to begin my studies at Cardiff Met in 2021, having just returned from the United States where I was playing college tennis for an NCAA Division II team in North Carolina. Having seen the amazing jobs that the students from the Sports Broadcast MSc were getting, I felt it was a no-brainer to apply and try to improve my chances of a successful freelance career in the Sports Broadcasting industry.
Varsity is the annual sporting competition between Cardiff Met and the University of Bath. It is always highly anticipated! I got involved with the day because as part of the course, we make up the production team for the all-day livestream of the event, which includes 8 separate live streams of different matches across Cyncoed Campus.
All of the cohort get stuck into various roles during the day as we want to be able to maximise our experiences. I began the day as a ‘roaming reporter’, where I went courtside at the Archers Arena, to interview the Men’s Badminton coach and preview the Women’s Netball match. This was broadcast live on YouTube as part of the main Varsity Show. My next role was producing the ‘Afternoon Show’. This meant working with a director, 2 presenters and 2 separate roaming reporter crews. As with any live broadcast, it was hectic behind the scenes. Communication with camera operators who were on the ground at fan zones and at live games across campus, along with speaking with the director so he knew where the broadcast would cut to next, was all vital to the seamless live stream for viewers watching along. Finally, I finished the day by commentating on the Men’s Basketball game. This was a whirlwind of a game and it finished on a high as the Archers clinched the win to take home the FIRST-EVER Varsity title for the university!
I couldn’t have completed all these roles without the skills I’ve been taught on the course. We’ve learned how to produce running orders for broadcasts. We’ve been guided through how to be a good storyteller. This is a pivotal skill for broadcasters.
It also wouldn’t be possible to gain all these experiences without the fantastic facilities at Cardiff Met. We have access to a wide range of camera and broadcast equipment. My personal favourite camera is the Sony FX3 that we can use, and it’s been so helpful to use in developing my videography skills. The live broadcast gantry is also a facility that enables us to develop live directing, producing, replay and graphic operation skills. We have one gantry at the rugby pitch and one next to the ‘studio’ where we perform our live studio shows. These gantries mirror what the industry uses to carry out live broadcasts to ensure that we are industry-ready when we leave the course.
My aspirations for the future are to become a freelance presenter, commentator, videographer and events professional in the sports broadcasting industry. We are taught that it’s important to be a ‘jack of all trades’ in the industry, and I love keeping variety in the roles I perform so I hope to continue this when I leave university. My long term goal is to run a content agency where we work for different sports organisations and athletes to carry out livestreams and create engaging content for social media.
My advice for students who are thinking about applying to the Sport Broadcast Master’s degree at Cardiff Met is to get as much experience across a broad range of roles. The best way of upskilling yourself is to get stuck into different work experiences whilst studying. I believe this accelerates your employability a huge amount. I am a huge tennis fan and see myself working in tennis longer term, however it’s been so important for me to widen my skill set in different sports such as rugby, basketball and netball. That would be my last advice, is to never turn down opportunities to learn new sports and be taken outside your comfort zone.
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