In a largely male-dominated industry, Roanna Sanelli knows that forging a career in football journalism will be tough. But as she writes, it is her passion and love for the Beautiful Game which drives her on.
It was in the early hours of a cold winter’s morning when the Sanelli household awoke to shouts of joy and happiness.
The year was 2006 and soon-to-be Italian hero Fabio Grosso was walking to the spot in front of a crowd of passionate supporters in Berlin. Seconds felt like hours as Azzurri fans worldwide waited for referee Horacio Elizondo to blow his whistle. When his Puma boot finally made contact with the ball, I turned to my father whom was standing next to me with the same pose: clasped hands in front of his face, praying for a goal.
Almost in an instant, the Adidas ball hit the back of the net and we watched as the stadium erupted with glorious elation. Tears uncontrollably fell from my eyes as my pride of being half-Italian began to show.
In 90 minutes, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions and little did I know that in that moment my love for football had begun.
Safe to say that I never looked back.
Growing up, I was always encouraged to be active and sport was one of my favourite hobbies. As I entered high school – the teenage years when everything is “apparently” difficult but is really dead easy – it became all too clear for me how much sport was classified on the scale of things and by that I mean really low down. Some of my classmates thought I was strange simply because they could not understand why a girl who seemed normal would wake up at 4am in the morning to watch the UEFA Champions League. Albeit most of them didn’t even know what the UCL was and I really could not be bothered explaining to AFL addicts what the alternative sporting competition was. I seemingly became the weird girl who actually liked a sport enough to lose valuable sleep. Luckily I am blessed to have great friends who never judged me but merely said “I don’t know how you do it.”
Hence it was really a no-brainer for me to study journalism and I went into the course optimistic about becoming a sports journo I even met girls whom had similar goals to me.
But I was naive to think it would be easy, you know, the whole challenging a previously staunchly male dominated industry part. Yeah, I guess I misjudged that.
My very minimal journalistic experience so far has been positive but it has definitely taught me to have a thick skin. Radio, print and television are all very different mediums but for women, all have one thing in common.
We cannot stuff up.
Unfortunately it is our reality and while there are many successful female sports journalists out there like Lucy Zelic, Debbie Spillane and Melanie Mclaughlin (to name a few) we are still in the firing line.
What does it stem from I hear you ask? Not a clue.
Perhaps on the outset it is an assumed lack of knowledge of the game, its players, key issues or even an idea that women should not be involved in the reporting of sport. Ludicrous. Despite this it is clear that us as females in the sports journalism industry will always have to work harder to gain the respect of our peers and co-workers alike.
Admittedly I was thrown off course at first but they say there comes a time and place where everyone realises what they truly want to do.
Mine was when I saw Real Madrid and AS Roma in Melbourne.
Yes that’s right, little old Australia, the island in the middle of nowhere played host to some of the biggest names in world football. I still cannot bring myself to believe it and nor can the little fan girl inside me.
There was something about seeing Portugal’s greatest asset Cristiano Ronaldo in the flesh and greeting Francesco Totti the King of Rome which made my mouth gape in disbelief.
It’s moments like these when we know nothing will deter us.
Myself like many other female aspiring sports journos, have a journey. While it may come under scrutiny on occasion, we have no one to answer to but to our own personal standards. Just like an unknown Grosso, we are determined to make our mark on the football and sporting world.
The critics need only sit back and watch us shine.
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