Example story – England U19s qualifying for the Euros

Constructed and Set-Up Image:

This image was set-up or rather staged as whilst I was at the U19s Lionesses game I asked the two Manchester City players, the team I support and players I knew to pose for a photo at FT. The reason for this being they are club team mates, they are playing for England together and also they had just qualified for the U19s Women’s Euros. This image portrays a friendship and sense of excitement from two young players working their way up the ladder in professional women’s football.

Point of View Image

This is an angled image of Lily Murphy post-match in the team huddle. The image I took was from a slightly raised height and emphasises her concentration and focus. This image fits quite nicely into the story of the U19s qualifying for the Womens Euros as it shows her appreaciation for her coach, who she is listening to in the photo and also a moment of reflection of all her and her teams hard work. I paticular like this angle as it is framed between the gap of two players and adds a different point of view and visual for the person looking at the image.

Week 1 – In this session, I was introduced to the Photojournalism module and what would be expected of me over the next 12-weeks. I did have a rough idea of some of the things we would cover, as I already take up photography in my spare time… therefore have already learnt and self-taught ‘the basics of using a camera’ so to speak. I chose the Photojournalism module as previously mentioned I am already knowledgable about photography and it’s something I’m very passionate about and dedicate a lot of my time towards. The task for Week 1 was to go out and find a local story in Leeds, and take photos that would be appropriately fitting to tell the story. With this in mind, I went out with my mobile photo and started looking for some inspiration on what story I could tell. I had the initial idea of going to the Leeds Musuem as they were advertising their feature exhibition on the 70th year anniversary on Miffy. Unfortunately the museum is closed on Mondays so I had to think quickly about my next idea, I decided to head on down to the book shop (Waterstones) and ask if there was any newly released books. Luckily for me there was! I spoke to one of the shop managers about the book, and how the launch of the book brought a community of people from Leeds closer together, she also shared some of the events that had put on to celebrate the newly released book. After speaking to her, I captured some images for the story, I took pictures of the book stand, some people reading the book and also a view of the shop from the outside. I then wrote up in class a story about the book release, a bit about the book itself and weeved in some of the quotes I gathered. It was a slightly daunting experience as I’m not a confident person and to walk into a book shop and ask to speak to someone about a book, was a little overwhelming – but I did it and got the story!

Week 2 – In the second week of the module, we looked at all the different types of Photojournalism and photography styles and genres. As a photographer I was already aware of a few of these genre styles and have expiremented with a couple before – for example I have captured images of sports which would be reportage photography and street portraits on my camera, which would be documentary photography. I also learnt about the differences between all the different genres as I didn’t realise there was so many! I also learned about illustrative photography and what effect that can have on an image as well as the viewer of the image.

In week 2 I also had to start thinking about what story I could tell and what type of photography I would be using. I have done a lot of sports photography so I wanted to mix it up and try and photograph something else. My focus was on a local transport business, where my brother works. They are one of the longest serving businesses in the area so I thought it would be interesting to go and talk to them and see the workplace from their perspective. This type of photography would come under industrial as I would be taking photos of trucks and offices ands working conditions for example. Therefore for the Workshop Task I had to research about my chosen style and understand that type of photography a little better. There wasn’t much online about industrial photography but I did manage to find a photographer who specialised in taking landscapes of factories and industrial parks as well as powerstations and abandoned buildings.

Week 3 – I wasn’t in this class so I didn’t initially write a reflection, however upon on submission I had noticed I hadn’t done the workshop task or reflection for this paticular week. If I also remember correctly this was the week where Chris was covering. I had a look at the workshop sheet but was slightly unsure on what the task was, so I decided to use my own images. It might be wrong, but I have a lot more understanding and research behind these images and why I chose to frame them in that exact way for example. Therefore I’ve used them for the task.

Week 4 – In this week’s class I learned about aperture and how that can affect a photo. I wasn’t actually present in Week 4 so I had to the task at home which was more convenient for me as I had access to my camera and lens. My lens has a low aperture of F2.8 and a maximum of F32. The task was to take images using different apertures to see the kind of effects it has on a image, the first image I took of my dog was at F2.8 – with this aperture the background was blurred enabling my subject in this case my dog to be completely in focus. This setting is especially good for sports and fast-paced action as it helps to get the subject in focus. I then upped my aperture to a mid-range, this then brought my background into slight focus but still kept my subject heavily in focus, my final image I cranked up the aperture to the maximum. This made the entire image in focus, a high aperture is often good for landscape photography.

Week 5 – In this week’s class I learned about shutter-speed and what effect that has on taking an image using a camera or mobile phone. It wasn’t a new piece of information to myself as I already on my own camera and have been taking sports images at professional football matches for over a year now, so I already know how to use shutter-speed correctly and when using a fast/slow shutter-speed is appropriate to match the image style I’m trying to achieve. As I didn’t bring my camera with me to class, I opted to use my mobile phone’s built-in camera. Therefore I had to shoot in burst mode to emulate a fast shutter speed and then in live mode partnered with long-exposure to demonstrate the effect that slow shutter speed has on an image.

Week 6 – In this week’s class I learned about how to use Photoshop to colour correct images post-production. I had already used the Photoshop software before because of my exsisting photography role, however I don’t often use it to edit my photos. I tend to use Lightroom Classic to edit the RAW Images and make any modifications I need to do. Therefore I learned a bit on how to make simple adjustments using the elements already built into the software. I chose to use a dark photo that I had taken on my mobile phone up on the moors, this then allowed me to challenge myself using the features and see if I could bring out the colours I wanted to.

Week 7 – In week 7, I learned the importance of cropping images. When I edit the photos I take one of the first things I do after image selecting is straighten the image, then I will also go in with the crop tool. In class and for the Workshop Task we were instructed to use Photoshop, I rarely use photoshop in my editing process, I edit and colour grade using Lightroom Classic (or mobile) if I’m on the go. But for the purpose of the task I used photoshop and selected one of the sample images provided, I cropped the image from portrait to landscape as it was a group of runners in motion and the image looked better in landscape as it matched the direction they were running in. I then also used the perspective crop tool on the same image and lined up the image in line with the running track and lines that are marked out for the runners, this helped to crop and straighten and make the image a lot tighter for viewing.

Week 8 – PROJECT UPDATES. I will admit I’ve not been the best at keeping updated as I’ve been struggling to find ideas. However, I finally have an idea and I’ve carried out the interview and taken the relevant photos. I just now need to start writing up the article and edit the photos. I also need to do some additional research and see if there any secondary sources that are evidence based that I can into the article, to back up what the owner of the dog park was saying. My new idea is I spoke to a local business woman who has built her own dog park. I went down to the site and she was really interesting to speak too, she gave me a tour of her site. There was also a customer there at the same time, so I managed to get some photos of her dogs and a quote as well on her opinions of the dog park. When I went down there wasn’t many dogs onsite as it was mid-afternoon and not on a weekend, a not very popular time, so to help me get some photos – she let me take some photos of her four dogs as well as her in front of the business sign. The angle of the story I think I will take is from what the owner was repeating a lot, about how the dogs should be free and have freedom to exercise rather than been walked on the lead on the same street walks every day and also how it’s a good thing to have for the community.

Project Pitch:

Idea: Family Transport Business – one of the oldest in Bradford. People to interview: Head of the company, his family members (co-owners), truck drivers. Photos to take: Owner in front of his trucks, office workers, truck drivers, the yard, trucks out on the road.

Project Update – 31/03/25

I decided to override my original idea as I wasn’t able to get enough time to complete what I needed to do, due to them being a fully functional business. I did then start to panic slightly as I wasn’t sure of anymore ideas, so I set up a teams call with Karl. We discussed some ideas including events at the City of Culture in Bradford where I live, however most of these events were organised and I needed to obtain permission to photograph and interview. I came up with the idea that I’d make a story from the races as I was attending the first race-meeting of the year at Pontefract the following week. However, unfortunately I didn’t follow through with this idea as the training yard I was shooting on behalf of only had one-runner on the day as the other two were pulled out due to decisions made by the owners and unsuitable ground for the horse. Also on that day I was invited to shoot an England match at St. Georges Park so I attend that.

Project Update – 14/04/25

The racing team, did have another horse running on the 14th April. I did go to this race-meeting and did look for stories. It was AOP free-day and school holidays so I thought I could write something on that as well the horse I was photographing. I just didn’t have any ideas or long enough to interview people as lots of people left after the first-few races and I arrived for the 6th race of the day, for context there was 7 in total. So then I was really starting to panic as I had nothing at all. No idea, no interview and no images.

Project Update – 15/04/25

I had look online for local stories in the previous week trying to look for anything close to me where I can go take photos and interview people with the appropriate permissions. I did find a story and I contacted the owner of a newly built dog-park near me. We set up a date where I could go down and interview here and take images. She spoke to me about what inspired her to build the dog-park, what the response has been like for the community, she even give me a guided tour around the site whilst I took pictures. On the day as well, there was also a timely visit from a drain-pipe company who had donated a long-pipe for dogs to play around with. I managed to get a couple of pictures of this to add into the article.

Test shots from the dog park:

The two photos were taken and edited. I might use them in the final article, as I quite like the one of the dogs jumping in motion as that relates to what the Kate the owner was saying about dogs being free.

Week 1:

This week was a good introduction to the module and gave a nice overview of the sort of standards expected of us. It was great to see examples of past students work, and to hear what sort of marks that they received so I now know more about what I have to make in order to get the grade I like (a first).

The task that was given to us was a little harder than expected as Zach Shepherd and I originally struggled to find anyone that was willing to speak to us. We went to Kirkgate Market as they have a selection of food and clothing stalls that could have appealed as a story. After trying a few stands such as the volunteer booth and the flower shop and getting rejections, we set out to find another story as this wasn’t working. Instead we changed our focus to the new student accommodation that was being built next to the Merrion Centre and asked a few students on the street their thoughts. This time, we were successful in getting someone to speak to us and have been able to write an article on this.

I am now intrigued as to how I can develop my photography skills across this module and look forward to seeing progress in my interviewing skills too.

Week 2

The second week saw us do research into different types of photography and into the specific ones that interest us. For me, sports photography is the one that interests me so it is where I focused my research. In doing this, I have found out how it has developed since its inception and how different technologies and techniques have made the difference and gotten involved. This will help for when it comes to me taking photos for my article as I will be better versed in how the professionals do it.

I found conducting this research really interesting and it is something that I think will become more and more useful as I get more into the making of my final article. It has been great to learn more about how people have captured sports in photos and also how innovative some photographers have been.

Week 3

This week we reviewed the research that we conducted last week to explain to other people about our findings. This was also helpful when trying to better understand what others had found in their own research.

Seeing everyone’s findings has given me a better understanding of what photography is like as an art and highlighted techniques I hadn’t previously heard of before. It was also good to share what I had found as it made sure I had done my research properly and understood what I was talking about.

We also researched other images to find ones that fit certain criteria. For example, images that have disputed meanings, images that affect the story depending on perspective, and images that were scripted.

This task was very effective at understanding the emotion and motives behind photography and got me critically thinking about images in ways that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I did struggle to apply this to sports images which is a slight issue as that is more of my focus with photography. I was able to so this with other types of images I found in the news but if I can apply this the of thinking and find sports images that work then I will be happy with ym development and progress.

Week 4

This week was great at understanding how to better use my phones camera since I don’t currently own a proper one. The workshop mostly looked at f-stop and focusing on objects within images.

The task had us take three images of a person using different f-stops, high, medium and low. This creates more of a blur on background objects when on low and less when on high. This will a great technique for when I am trying to get higher quality images for my article at the end of the module.

We also had an extra credit task to complete if we chose to do so. This involved taking two photos indoors using three objects. The first had to have all objects in focus and the second had to contain only the closest object in focus. This was useful in demonstrating depth of field and how to selectively focus on certain things of our choice.

Week 5

This week we learnt about the effects of different shutter speeds and ISO when taking photographs. It was really interesting to find out about how ISO can be used to improve the brightness of photos in different lighting. I also enjoyed finding out about how to effectively use different shutter speeds depending on what I wanted to achieve in my final photograph.

Phone cameras don’t actually have shutters so cannot truly carry out different types of shutter speeds. However, they can somewhat replicate the same results as we found out in this weeks lecture. When using the burst feature, you can imitate a faster shutter speed and capture clear images. Then when using the Live Photo feature, if you convert captured images into long exposure ones, it copies the same sort of idea as using a slow shutter speed.

The task this week involved taking two different types of photographs, one with a high shutter speed attempting to capture someone jumping with minimal blur and one with a low shutter speed capturing motion in an image.

Using other members of the class, I was successfully able to use the burst feature to capture a clear jumping image. Then following this I used the Live Photo feature to capture motion in an image where the model shook their head back and forth, creating an interesting result.

This week was interesting to learn techniques on my phone camera that, although I already knew about, I had little knowledge of.

Week 6

This week, we focused on how to edit photos using different editing softwares such as Photoshop and Snapseed. Photoshop is the superior software, however when using a phone to do editing, Snapped is a fantastic alternative.

Today’s lecture saw us look into the appropriate image size for online (1920px) and how to change photos appearances to make them more appealing to people and to be more suitable to be published.

I took two images, one from my project and another from last week’s lecture on shutter speed. I chose them as I felt that they were both a little dark and not focusing on the subject enough. This led me to make similar changes to both images but they were effective once applied.

I increased the brightness, increased the vibrance and then cropped the images to create more of a focus on the subjects and to remove unnecessary space and objects that somewhat cluttered the image. This improved them both as it made them more visually appealing and they looked much more publishable due to being more interesting to look at.

I now feel much better at editing photographs in post production and am more confident in the quality of work I can produce.

Week 7

This week we took a look at the differences between RAW photo files and JPEGs. I was previously unaware about how different the two formats were but soon realised that there were positives and negatives to using both types.

JPEG’s are more suitable for using on social media and web pages due to there small size but since they can be up to five times, it has up to five times less image data than a RAW image. RAW images are better in other ways however as they provide great image quality and capture more information. This makes them easier to fix in post production when editing as they have more data to work with, giving them a wider colour and tonal range. With more data comes a larger file size however, so they will take up more space on a SD card.

Knowing these differences will benefit me in the future as I will be able to select the format type I need that best suits the scenario I am in. I will however need a suitable device to shoot RAW photos on as they can only be shot on proper cameras or iPhone Pro Max’s above the iPhone 13.

We also spent the workshop learning about cropping images, this was good to learn the proper ratio that images should be published at. It is also important as we can edit photos taken in portrait and make them into landscape instead as this is a much better format for online publication.

Perspective cropping is also useful if images can’t be taken from straight forward. Being able to make adjustments in post production is beneficial if I can’t get the photo I want when taking it.

Week 8

This week we took a look at how to use different perspectives to change to style and meaning behind images. It was interesting to see how taking shots from higher or lower can alter how a photo can be used and can be interpreted, sometimes making it more abstract.

Another type of perspective we looked at was the differences between close up shots and shots from distance using telescopic lenses. These are both useful in different capacities and are used depending on access to the subject.

Visual subterfuges are also intriguing as they can help tell stories in a different light to how a more simple straightforward photo would. Reflections in bodies of water, windows and mirrors are creative ways to do this.

Following difficulties communicating with Keighley Cougars, I have made a change in the story that I will be covering and writing about for my article. I have moved onto Halifax FC Women and how their manager Rob Mitchell will be leaving the club after managing them since 2013. I will take a look at his impact on the team, players and coaches too and see how they feel about his departure and what he has done for the club.

My plan is to go to their training session on Tuesday 18th March and get some interviews and photos of the players and coaches in action. Then I will follow this up by attending their game against Liverpool Feds on Sunday 23rd March to get some more shots of the team and coaches in a live game environment.

Week 9:

This week I was able to capture some photos on the 23rd March for Halifax’s match vs Liverpool Feds. I rented a Canon EOS 4000D camera out from the library which was extremely useful and much better than my phone camera, especially for live sport. The shutter speed and focus was highly useful for fast paced action and getting attractive photos.

I was also successful in getting an interview with the manager Rob Mitchell, who my story is based around. He gave some interesting quotes that I can include in my article.

I am now in the process of narrowing down the photos that I like and don’t so that I can select the final 8-12 that will make it into the finished piece. I have accomplished some of this as I have selected 13 that I currently like. Since they were RAW photos, I have been able to effectively edit and crop these in photoshop, making them ready for publishing.

I am, however, also going to be going to a training session on Tuesday the 25th March where I will gather some more photos and interviews. I will attempt to get some staged shots as well in order to break up the natural and action shots that I have been able to collate so far.

Week 10

This week I was successful in capturing a staged headshot of manager Rob Mitchell at the training session, which will be great to break up the other shots I have gathered. However, the Assistant Manager Kevin Heetun did not turn up to the training session as he said he would, meaning I was unsuccessful in gathering more photos and interviews like I had intended to do. Additionally, the players that I needed to interview (Danielle Whitham and Annabelle Cass) did not turn up.

This has caused a delay in the production of my piece and I am now in the process of trying to rearrange a time and a place to meet Kevin Heetun and the players in order to carry on with my article.

Other than this, I have been able to narrow down my photos that I will use to tell my story best, leaving room for more staged photos from players and the Assistant Manager too. I will also look into seeing if there are any fan groups that exist for the team to try and get comments of their thoughts on Rob Mitchell’s departure. This, however, will likely prove difficult as the team isn’t very big and lacks a big fan base.

Week 11

I have been unable to make a lot of progress this week as I haven’t yet been able to see any of the players or assistant manager yet. Although, I have arranged to speak with Kev on Thursday 10th April at a training session so I will hopefully be able to gather some more content there such as staged shots and interviews.

I have had a look around on Facebook as it is Halifax’s main social platform and they don’t appear to have any fan groups or ultra supporters that would be able to provide a comment on Mitchell’s departure from the team. I think that I will have to move on without adding this into my article.

I am hoping to get the final pieces of my content at the training session so that I can work towards finalising my article and having the time to polish it off before submission.

Week 12

I have now been able to gather the content that I required for my piece. It wasn’t all able to be captured at the training session on the 10th though as the players that I needed to speak with weren’t there. I did speak to Kevin and gather photos of him to use which I was very happy with. Following up from the interview however, I did arrange to attend their match on the 13th April at the Horsfall Stadium in order to speak with the players.

I was able to interview both of the players and gather photos of them which will massively boost the quality of my article. It has been difficult to speak to the right players about my article as most of the players that knew Rob had left at the start of the season, so there were only a couple that had stayed and could provide a proper comment on Rob before him leaving.

Having captured some more photos, I have edited them in a similar way to how I have already edited other photos that I have, increasing things such as contrast, saturation and vibrance.

I am now satisfied with the content that I have gathered and I am working towards finishing my article. I am however going to the Universities Rugby Union trip to Los Angeles on the as a part of the media team, so I am trying to complete this whilst working around the trip. Since it runs from the 17th to the 28th April, I will have to balance my time very well in order to complete all of my work before the deadlines.

Week 13

I have now returned from the Los Angeles trip and am working on the final article. I am currently incorporating quotes from the interviews that I conducted to best tell the narrative I want to convey.

I have a few more days to polish things off before the deadline, so I feel confident I will hit my deadlines. My main priorities in the remaining days are to ensure that the article is grammatically correct and that the story I am telling reads and flows well. I believe that I am on track to finish everything and also write an effective story that I can tell with the photos I have captured.

After 12 years of managing Halifax FC Women, manager Rob Mitchell has taken the decision to step down from his position. The journey he has had over his time in charge has been full of many ups and downs, but there is no doubt that the impact he has had on the club is overwhelmingly positive.

His tenure has had many successes such as taking the club from tier six to tier three of the women’s football pyramid, alongside winning multiple pieces of silverware and having memorable cup runs too.

The decision to leave wasn’t an easy one for Mitchell, but a multitude of factors came into play that made up his mind.

“We compete against teams who’ve got resources and finances. I just think as a club, it needs to go in a different direction now,” said Mitchell. “I think my own personal aspirations of trying to coach or manage at an elite level feel the longer that I’ve stayed at one club it shows loyalty but at the same time it probably shows safety.”

Looking towards the future, Mitchell is leaving his options open to multiple different pathways that could allow him to achieve his management career goals.

He said, “I think I’ve worked tirelessly over 12 years to try and ensure that we’ve got a team and club, and I’ll continue to do that wherever I go next, whether that’s at another club or another project or however that looks.”

For the next step of his managerial career, he stated that he would move to another club to be a number two or even a first team partner. His ultimate goal is to go to any club that’s got aspirations of progressing and going even higher. 

Since officially announcing his departure though, Mitchell has stated that he believes he should have left the club at the end of last year. His reasoning for staying on was due to circumstances occurring after the conclusion of the 23/24 season.

“We lost nearly every player for various reasons so I felt obliged to stay and help the club rebuild and be in a position where they can complete this season, and to give enough notice to bring someone else (another manager) in,” said Mitchell.

Because the side had lost so many crucial players, it set up a difficult year for the Eagles. A lack of foundations coming into this season has meant that results and points have been hard to come by for Mitchell and his players.

This season Halifax accumulated a total of seven points after 22 games and are sat in 11th place. For context, after 22 games last season they were on 31 points and in sixth, 22 points clear of the relegation zone where they have now finished.

Mitchell said, “This is the first season where we’ve suffered adversity to the point where we’re facing relegation. Before we have suffered adversity and we’ve come back even stronger. It’s been tough.”

The club are set to be relegated as they have finished the season sitting in the bottom two. They have had little to celebrate all year as they have lost 19 games and have accumulated a minus 73 goal difference in the process.

One of the results that summed up the type of season Halifax have had was their 2-1 loss at home to Liverpool Feds. They took the lead early on but the game was level by half time, and then they conceded in the last few minutes to lose the match. It was extremely disappointing for everyone involved with Halifax as despite having a performance worthy of a positive result, they got nothing from the game.

On a more positive note, however, before Mitchell leaves the club have the chance to win one last piece of silverware under his management.

Halifax have reached County Cup final in May, where they will face off against Leeds United after beating Harrogate Town in the semis. If they go that one step further and win the competition, they would have won it an impressive five times in a row and for a second time under the name Halifax FC Women, following their rebrand from Brighouse Town in 2023.

The County Cup has been a favourite competition of Mitchell’s during his tenure, with the first one he won being a particularly memorable one for him.

“I always say that the first County Cup we won, it was a big moment because it was something that I always wanted to achieve as a young manager when we first started out,” said Mitchell. 

Halifax have a recent history with Leeds United in cup competitions after they faced off in the League Cup in 2023. The match was very eventful and heated, ending 4-3 to Halifax, leaving a close match-up in the final a likely outcome.

Another layer of complexion to this fixture is that many of the Halifax players who left at the end of last season such as the previous captain Shauna Legge, twins Darcie and Drew Greene and midfielder Ellie White now play for Leeds. Alongside this, Halifax midfielder Danielle Whitham has also made moves between the two clubs in the past, creating further connections between the sides.

Having worked with Mitchell for many years, Assistant Manager Kevin Heetun knows Mitchell will be a real loss to the club once he leaves at the end of the season.

“When we talk about people defining a club in terms of DNA and identity, I think his fingerprint on the club is massive … he’s really put his heart into the club,” said Heetun.

Mitchell has also had a large impact on Heetun’s career as well, providing him with the opportunity to coach professionally.

“I will be forever grateful for him because he gave me a chance in the National League,” said Heetun.

This impact he’s had on the club is hard to ignore, with achievements such as winning League titles and even achieving unbeaten seasons also being part of his legacy.

Despite being the one to have shaped the modern history of the club, Mitchell wasn’t always the manager that he is today. When looking back on his time when he started, he feels that there is a big difference between that and what he is like as a manager now.

Reflecting on those earlier years, Mitchell felt he was quite “naive” and “inexperienced,” believing he couldn’t give the players the level of coaching they deserved.

“Now obviously I’m doing coaching badges and qualifications and CPD (Continuing Professional Development). So I’ve got to a level where I can maybe deliver the messages a little bit better. I’ve still got a long way to go, I’m learning,” said Mitchell.

Although Mitchell still believes he has room to grow as a manager, he is massively appreciated by current players such as defender Anabelle Cass. She has spent a significant amount of time under Mitchell and spoke about him in high regard.

She said, “He’s an overall lovely person. He’s very kind and he’s all about football. He puts his heart and soul into it.”

Whitham, a player who has also had a notable amount of time being coached by Mitchell, praised him highly too. She made a point to emphasise his passion for the game and expectations he has for his players.

“He’s got high standards. And I have some high standards, too. People think he’s hard work, refs in particular, but he’s just passionate,” she said.

Mitchell is also lauded for the connections he builds with players on a more individual level, with Whitham highlighting this side to his management style too.

“I’ve always had a really good relationship with Rob. I think he knows what he gets from me, and I know what I get from him,” she said, “and as long as you understand that from each other you get along.”

It’s not just gratitude and praise that the departing Halifax manager gets though, with him receiving a high level of admiration too. Heetun especially applauded Mitchell’s ability to manage the club with such a low financial power in comparison to other teams.

“Early in the game he realised that if he had the right environment, despite not having a big budget or anything, he would be able to attract the right players and build (a team) and compete in the league,” he said.

The most impressive side to these achievements is how they have been competing without having the same sort of financial powers that other clubs have. Also, with the club not having a large standing in the game, alongside its rebrand, it hasn’t got the same stature or pull that others might have.

This is arguably one of the best accomplishments he has managed during his time in charge. Having the ability to compete without having the same sort of finances or standing in the game has been one of the biggest challenges he has faced.

Mitchell said, “It speaks volumes and it speaks for itself. How do you take a team from that low (in the divisions) without a name or a backing or a brand or a badge? Doing what we’ve done consistently year after year as a collective, not just me, everyone who’s been involved, the players, the people behind the scenes, the staff, the supporters, it’s incredible.”

Looking at the overall impact he had on the club throughout his tenure, Cass could not have held him in higher regard.

She said, “His legacy will last forever, I don’t think he’ll ever be forgotten at the club. He’s a through and through from Brighouse right to Halifax. He can’t be beaten in my eyes, nobody can take over from Rob. Whoever comes in has got some big boots to fill.”

When taking a look towards the final games of the season, Mitchell was hopeful to end his tenure positively despite the disappointment of relegation.

“That is our objective … finish off with a cup win,” said Mitchell.

With Halifax likely losing their place in tier three bar any late reprieves, it’s possible that additional players leave at the end of the season. Wherever they end up, if that’s remaining at Halifax or elsewhere, Mitchell hopes that they will all go on to achieve greatness in their future careers.

He said, “Hopefully they look back at me as one of their favourite coaches, best coaches, whatever you want to look at it, but with fondness I suppose. That I helped them develop and gave them opportunity on their journey to be, say, pros or (go) as high as they possibly can.”

The club have already started looking for a new manager to replace Mitchell and, with the application window having closed on the 31st March, they will already be well into the selection process.

With next season’s head coach of Halifax being still unknown, Mitchell left a message for any successor coming into the club. He spoke of the importance of falling in love with the project and for the need to continue to lay foundations and build on the ones that are left behind.

Mitchell said, “I think just enjoy the ride and understand that you’re probably not going to get rich coaching Halifax, but you’re going to get richer experience and you’re going to get rich with the people that you meet, it’s more of a family club.”

Whether the new manager will be able to reach the same heights as Mitchell is unknown, but it will definitely be one of the most interesting story lines to follow going into next season.

With Mitchell’s future also being undecided, for the time being he will continue to work with Halifax FC girls and carry on helping their development.

Only one team has ever won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Women’s County Cup four times in a row – Sheffield Women lifted the trophy on four occasions between 2011 and 2015.

Huddersfield Town Women now have the opportunity to match the record held by Sheffield Women. After winning the County Cup for the past three seasons, Huddersfield Town Women will go head-to-head with Sheffield United Women Under 21s at the New York Stadium to see if they can match the record of four in a row.

The County Cup is an opportunity for the better sides in the Yorkshire area to flex their muscles, blood their youngsters, and find some form as they head towards the business end of the season.

The following article will take a closer look at Huddersfield Town Women’s journey to the 2024/25 Women’s County Cup Final, providing detailed analysis and statistics, as well as adding valuable context about games taking place during the cup run.

Only playing one fixture in the entire month of January, Huddersfield Town Women began their County Cup campaign with a 2-0 win against Rotherham United Women.

Hosting the Millers at the Stafflex Arena, Huddersfield Town welcomed striker Katie Astle to the club, as she appeared in the matchday squad for the first time since joining from York City earlier that month. Rotherham United play their league football in a division below Huddersfield Town but with a strong away support travelling up the M1, it was obvious that the South Yorkshire side were desperate to try and cause an early upset and knock out the reigning champions.

Using the game as an opportunity to provide minutes to members in the squad who weren’t always in the starting eleven, Huddersfield Town manager Glen Preston made a handful of changes to his side. Experienced back-up goalkeeper, Lauren Joyce laced up her boots and stuck her gloves on to make her third appearance of the 2024/25 season.

Whilst Town also named a completely different front three to the one that started in their last fixture against Stockport County. Leah Embley, Kate Mallin, and Yasmin Mason all rotated out of the side to be replaced by the youthful trio of Molly Firth, Scarlett McMahon, and Ashley Tiripke.

Town set up in their standard 4-3-3 formation, although when in possession it appeared closer to a 2-4-3-1 shape on the field, with the wingbacks pushing higher up the field.

Pacey wide player, Yasmin Mason started the game at left-back for Town, but it became quickly apparent that her speed in transition was going to be an issue for Rotherham. Town doubled up on the left, as Mason and Tiripke continually danced their way around lost-looking Miller’s defender Amanda Millar.

Showing the difference in the levels between the two sides, Town began the game on top. Mason and Firth were both supplying some fantastic crosses into the box that were begging to be stuck into the net by one of their teammates.

The first notable chance fell to the feet of Tiripke, who toe-poked an effort towards goal but it caused no trouble for the Rotherham goalkeeper. Unfortunately, that was all that Tiripke could contribute before being withdrawn from the field with a suspected shoulder injury, as she was replaced by the legendary figure of Kate Mallin.

As expected, Mallin took over all set-piece taking duties and delivered some wicked balls into the danger area, but Town did not take advantage of any of them.

A triple substitution at half-time was exactly what Town needed to break the deadlock. Firth had moved from Town’s right wing to left back. Overlapping down the left flank, Firth made a deep run towards the back post, where Mallin laid a perfect ball for the youngster to tap the Terriers ahead.

It could and potentially should have been two goals for Town moments later as club top-scorer Charlotte Stuart couldn’t glance substitute Leah Embley’s cross towards goal.

Katie Astle came on to the field in blue and white for the first time, and almost had a dream start to her Huddersfield Town career. The ball dropped to her just six yards from goal, a perfect opportunity for the poacher, but Astle’s strike was miscued and ended being a tame effort that was lapped up by the outstretched arms of the Rotherham goalkeeper.

Thankfully, Town’s number nine got her goal with just one minute left of the 90. Embley cut in from the right side and unselfishly sent the ball across to Astle at the back post, who smashed the ball into the net with a first-time finish, delivering a definitive blow in the tie and confirming Town’s place in the next round of the County Cup.

Assistant Manager James Horner said: “There was definitely a bit of rustiness. Coming back after Christmas we didn’t get many training sessions in and obviously, we haven’t had any matchdays with all of the cancellations.

“We struggled a little bit in the first 45 minutes, and you could tell that it was made a lot harder with Rotherham being structured and well set-up.

“Katie’s goal was a big positive for us. It’s also probably good for her to get her first goal in and out of the way.

“In terms of other positives, I think in the second half, players came on and made a real difference and impact. That’s a testament to them, after that first half, for improving us.”

Rolling into the next round, Huddersfield Town Women had been drawn against minnows Handsworth Ladies who really were hoping on some cup magic to try and come away with a result from the Stafflex Arena.

Town delivered a destructive display at home, putting nine goals past Handsworth. Ashley Tiripke was the star for Glen Preston’s side, scoring a hattrick in 39 minutes, and adding a fourth just before the hour mark.

Elsewhere, Rebecca Beresford got her name on the scoresheet, Astle found the net in the County Cup once again, Beth Ibbotson and Charlotte Stuart each grabbed a goal, and Molly Firth claimed Town’s ninth of the afternoon.

Manager Glen Preston said: “It was just a professional performance.

“We said before the start of the game to both Ashley (Tiripke), and Molly (Firth) ‘go show what you can do’, their opportunities have been a bit limited, they have got to remember that they are young pups, and this is their breakthrough season. It’s always a little bit stop start for them; they have got to mature into this level.

“These County Cup games are a really good opportunities for them to showcase themselves and they have both done themselves proud today.

“Ash scored four fantastic goals, so well done to her for that.

“We have won this competition for four years, and it’s a competition we are proud of winning. It’s a competition that I think this year will be tougher than ever. There are more teams that are more than capable of winning it this time round.”

Huddersfield Town drew Worksop out of the hat in the next round. Sadly, Worksop couldn’t raise a side to face Huddersfield Town, potentially partly down to what they had just seen what Handsworth experienced.

Regardless, Town went into the next round, the quarterfinals against Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Taking place at Denaby Main, Town travelled to take on Doncaster Rovers Belles for a place in the County Cup semifinals.

Both teams struggled early on, as the bobbly pitch wasn’t allowing either of them to get the ball on the deck and play any attractive football. The bouncing ball caused an early claim for a penalty to Doncaster, but the referee didn’t seem interested.

Firth and Tiripke both had efforts inside the box, but both sailed wide of the mark, whilst McMahon headed an effort towards goal but her powerful header was well matched by a confident save from the Doncaster keeper.

Caz Simone put the West Yorkshire outfit ahead with a special lob from outside the box that soared over the goalkeeper and found the back of the net. There were appeals against Simone, claiming the midfielder was in an offside position when they received the ball, but the assistant referee’s flag remained still as Town took the lead.

Hungry for more, Town continued to press forward. Mallin delivered a ball into the box that was met by the tall figure of Ibbotson, but the defender crashed her header wide.

Town would rue their missed chances as Doncaster pulled an equaliser back late on. Joyce misread the flight of the ball, as it bounced over the Town keeper, and Autumn Housley couldn’t do enough on the line to keep out Holly Findlay’s strike.

With the game even at full-time the game went to a nervy penalty shoot-out. Doncaster went ahead, scoring their first penalty, and Astle missed the target with Town’s first. Thankfully, after her blunder earlier in the game, Joyce stepped up to be the hero for the Terriers.

First saving Marelle Carlisle’s spot kick, and then more importantly tipping Laila Abadi’s strike on to the post, Joyce put Town’s fate at the feet of Ella Duffield. Needing to score to put Town through, Duffield stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, causing all sorts of celebrations from the Town squad.

Manager Glen Preston said: “It’s not the way we would have wanted to have won it but we’re happy we’re through.

“It wasn’t our best performance, but the conditions and the pitch didn’t make it easy or possible to either side to play any football.

“I felt we grew into the game and got better. We were on top for the majority of the game although I don’t want to see their equalising goal again if I can help it.

“She [Joyce] pulled off two great saves. I didn’t know she had this in her, but she was playing some mind games which you don’t always see at this level. But it’s worked in her favour. The second save onto the post to win it was brilliant.”

One game away from the final – just 90 minutes. Huddersfield Town got to the semi-finals having scored 12 goals and conceding only once. Now they faced their toughest opposition – Barnsley Women. Although they aren’t in Town’s division, they are level in the football pyramid, and not only that, but also pushing for promotion in their league.

On the road once again, Town were without their top scorer Charlotte Stuart who had picked up an ankle injury a couple of weeks earlier. Despite that, the Terriers were still able to play a strong side in the cup semi-final.

After applying pressure in the early stages, Town found their breakthrough. Youngster Ashley Tiripke twisted and turned into the box on the left wing before cutting the ball back onto her right foot. With a chance to get a shot on goal, Tiripke instead chose to slip the ball across the area to the wide-open Autumn Housley, who laced the ball into the bottom right corner.

Capitalising on their offensive strengths, the away side doubled their lead just before half-time. Yasmin Mason burst beyond the right full back and, like Tiripke, squared the ball back across the box for Fliss Jones to score her first goal for the club.

Town and Barnsley went back and forth in the second half, with each team having several chances. However, the game was soon put to bed as the Terriers scored their third. Housley split the defence wide open with a superb pass in behind, finding the run of Rebecca Beresford who blasted the ball into the back of the net.

The drama wasn’t done there, as Barnsley did manage to pull one back in the last couple of minutes as Jodie Snelson hit home following a goalkeeping error. Town did everything they could to see out the game, but Serena Fletcher was shown a second yellow card for a soft foul in the middle of the pitch. With the defender being shown a red card, her availability for the final was thrown up into the air.

Manager Glen Preston said: “I am delighted with that. I think it was a professional performance, because I thought we were good value for a three-goal lead.

“What we noticed was that in the last game we couldn’t get our fullbacks high on our bobbly pitch. So, we thought with playing on astroturf we were going to be able to get our wingbacks nice and high from the off.

“We knew the opposition played a high line, we prepped for that during the week, with the timing of our runs and our movement.

“I think in the first half I was frustrated as we missed four or five glorious opportunities to get in behind, but we kept hitting the fullbacks, but we still managed to get through a few times that lead to goalscoring moments, and ultimately, it has paid off for us.”

In the space of four months, Huddersfield Town Women secured their spot in their fourth consecutive Sheffield & Hallamshire County Cup Final, hosted at the New York Stadium (Rotherham) on Wednesday 7 May.

Some big wins, and tough tests on their way to the final, but is most important is that the Terriers have a chance to retain their trophy and end their season with a bang.

Novocastrians RFC is one of the oldest surviving and still standing rugby clubs in the Northeast of England. Formed in the year 1899 by a band of former pupils at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle Upon Tyne, they recently celebrated their 125^th year of existence as they kicked off the 2024/2025 rugby union season in September.  

But how does a club that was formed on the whim of a few former students come to be the hub of rugby and social activity that it is today just over a century later?

The rugby club, based in a prime location in the city, has long been popular with schoolchildren of all ages and abilities and it boasts some of the best engagement with the youth of the city than any other club in the area. Historically, the men’s squad have been known to field up to four senior sides in years gone by as well as an occasional ‘vets’ side, whilst the ladies also boast an impressive 2 sides, leading the way in women’s rugby across the region. 

But the real magic doesn’t come from the pitch, it comes from the work of the people behind the scenes that keep this seemingly impossible machine always moving. 

Despite boasting some impressive alumni that have worked their way through the ranks of the club in recent years, such as the likes of John Elders, an ex-captain of the club and former head coach of England Rugby and Sarah Hunter, a former England rugby captain who led her country to glory at the 2014 world cup. The club still manages to hold an exceptional focus on the community aspect of the game, with volunteers in their dozens hosting weekly fundraising activities ranging from a simple bake sale to make money during match days at the club. To setting up and creating annual firework shows that attract hundreds, if not thousands of spectators from around the city and neighboring areas.

Most recently the club and it’s behind the scenes workers organised a second ‘beer festival’ building on the huge successes of an identical event they put together a year ago from today. After experiencing a wave of hundreds of excited drinkers through the clubhouse doors last year on a warm spring’s day in April, things were bound to only get bigger and better as they prepared themselves for opening day on the 25^th of April. The men’s 1^st XV who had recently made it into the second round of the national cup were hoping for a home draw on Saturday 26^th so that they could ‘aid’ in the consumption of any leftovers, of which there wasn’t any! Unfortunately for the club the fixture was drawn as an away game, but the players returned victorious from their fixture to a round of applause awaiting them at the ever-supportive clubhouse and its staff. 

Speaking to Tom Dias the honorary club secretary about the recent successes of the club he said, “It’s been amazing to have the club performing so well across the board in the last few months building up this event, from the 1^st team squads on both the Men’s and Women’s teams through to the junior sections it feels like everyone involved with Novocastrians has been thriving recently.” This comes after the Men’s side of the club recorded their best ever finish in modern history finishing second place in their respective league very narrowly missing out on promotion to a strong Sunderland team, a campaign that will live long in the memories of many supporters.  

Dias went on to say that, “success on the field brings so much more opportunity to the community, and it means that we are able to attract more people to come down and give rugby a try. We even had a team travelling up from near Nottingham just to enjoy the celebrations!” 

The festival itself was, of course, a raging success. Hundreds of players ranging from the ages of 15 all the way through to the veterans of the club took part in some form of rugby throughout the day to the cheers of the crowd watching on from the balcony who thought they would get a head start on the full barrels. Some exceptional entertainment rounded up the crowds into the main bar towards the end of the night with music being supplied by the exceptional Old Man Goat band who kept the party going deep into the night. 

But, of course, clubs like these don’t survive purely on big events once a year, they rely on   full buy-in from each and every club member to play their part and ensure that there are future legs for the next generation to stand on, not just enjoying the highs but embracing the lowest of lows and overcoming them. Celebrating a diverse and large range of people involved with the club, each with different professions and skills, this means that there is always someone willing to lend a hand when needed.  

Currently working as a barrister at Trinity Chambers, Alex Littlefair, specializing in personal injury claims, used to be the captain of the club and looking back at his playing career he noted that it was, ‘One of the best things he has ever done’ and despite being an incredibly high achieving individual working at the top of his game he has always been able to find time for a club that was in turn able to find time for him.  

The 43-year-old recently completed a 350-mile bike ride starting from his club, then passing by his place of work by the Newcastle Quayside all the way to Old Colfeians Rugby Club over the course of 3 days from the 10^th – 12^th of April earlier this year. Speaking to Trinity Chambers before the ride he said, “One of my friends did some research and found out that day 2 is longer than any stage of this year’s Tour de France. However, there are no mountains, and I am not racing. I hope all the training I’ve been doing pays off and the weather is kind. I’m going to be joined by friends and family on the way. 

As it currently stands, Alex has raised more than £5,000 for his cause, raising money for a rare genetic disease that sadly took the life of Rycroft Alport Foster, the child of a close friend of Littlefairs, at the age of just 16 months. Had it not been to for the incredible support of the Novocastrians Rugby Club, the monumental effort from Alex may not have been so widely supported, instead a community that helped contribute to more than 100 individual donations showed their ability to come together as a club to help a brilliant cause for one of their own. 

Alex was also recently able to be in attendance for another historic day for the club on Saturday the 3^rd of May as Novocastrians took on unbeaten league leaders Sunderland away from home in a fixture that many had already written the small side from Newcastle off the books long ago. A win would see the team progress to the semi-finals of the Papa John’s national cup, a feat that no side in the club’s history has ever managed to achieve before, and despite hurls of abuse from the sidelines, despite playing on an alien pitch far from home and despite the odds being forever stacked against them, the tight nit squad bound together by the full support of some energetic travelling supporters pushed their old rivals to the end and came up victorious in a historic victory. 

However, despite the highs of progressing forward in the competition, the club was hit with another hurdle to overcome. Despite being drawn as the away side in their last 3 cup fixtures the team was hit with the brutal news that they would be subject to a 7 hour round trip away for the next round, despite the team they would face having played their previous game at home.  

With prospects of a bus trip down costing upwards of £2000 it seemed like all those profits raised just weeks earlier by an event that took months to put together would be thrown out the window to help support the players on their journey down south. But a club, still struggling to keep its showers working at times, came together all as one when its members needed it most to provide an unforgettable experience for the players, coaches and supporters combined. Members came together to contribute various amounts of money to fundraise for a bus to take the players to and from their opponents’ clubhouse. Director of rugby Nick Cotterill said, “Thanks to the generosity of our 125 members we now have a bus booked to travel to the semi final”. 

One member of the club who has contributed more than any other member can say they have is that of current bar manager Jan. Upon hearing the news, she was delighted and over the moon to be able to contribute to the successes of the club off the pitch by managing the behind-the-scenes action ensuring the bar was always fully stocked. She even went as far to say that, “If we do make it through the semifinal and into a final at Twickenham I will be on my holidays in Tenerife. So, you best believe I will be coming down to watch and support anyways, I will be jumping on a plane straight to Gatwick and then catch the next flight back to resume my holiday and of course all the lads will be welcome to join me!” 

Jan, a longstanding and much-loved member of the club will step down at the end of the playing season as she moves towards a well-deserved retirement. As the idea of a retirement party surfaced, members of the 1^st team through to the old standing veterans of the club pounced at the opportunity to give her a brilliant sendoff that they believe she thoroughly deserves.

But what does this story actually all boil down to in the end? Well, it’s a story about passion for a sport firstly but secondly and more importantly, it’s a story about how sport can create such a closely knit group of people from varying backgrounds and tie them together in ways that would have never seemed possible. From homegrown players to university students, from those in the navy to those in the office, sports and the clubs that help support them do more than just host games on a weekend, they have the potential to build a community from scratch to support and help them as they navigate life together. And that is what Novocastrians RFC is all about after 125 years of existence. 

This week, we learnt about to use of F-stop and were tasked to practise with our phones at taking F-stop images.

When taking my photos, I used my phone and selected the portrait mode setting and used the F-stop slider to select the amount of blur I had on the background.

In this first photo, I didn’t use any F-stop at all, and you can see this as the background is completely visible.

For this next image, I used the F-stop slider and put it roughly in the middle. This allows the background to still be clear and visible, but with more of a focus on Nico, who is the main foucs of the image.

Finally, I took an image with the slider roughly on 1.3, which allows a fairly blurred background, putting all focus on the main subject in the image, Nico. I prefer this out of the three as it allows a clear image with a clear focus to be taken.

Over the last eight weeks, I have enjoyed completing all the workshop tasks and enhancing my photography skills as well as my post-production skills. In particular, I enjoyed the week 5 task where we focused on ISO and shutter speed. I realised that with just an iPhone camera you can create lots of different photography effects.

Regarding the final assignment, I have struggled to come up with a solid idea that firstly fit the assignment requirements and secondly something that I would enjoy creating. However, over the last week, I have had an idea regarding Coventry Rugby and the cup run. During this season I have been working for Cov and following the cup journey which ended last month. During the six games, I collated photos alongside the videos I was getting for my final dissertation documentary.

After speaking to Karl, if I were to go down this route it would focus primarily on the post-production process. This is something that interests me more than the photography process and also something I belive I have better skills in.

Over the next few days, I will have a look through the photos I got and select around 20 which I can then narrow down to the final 12, hopefully with around two from each of the six games.