Meet the team
Darren Lewis
President
Darren is the Assistant Editor of the Daily Mirror and was named President-Elect of the SJA in July 2023. Started out in local news journalism in 1995 before joining the Mirror in 2000 as a football writer, going on to become a columnist for the paper and taking on a senior role on the football desk. Included on Football Black List three times, most recently in 2017, and was appointed to the Football Writers’ Association national committee in September 2018. Promoted to the role of Assistant Editor at the Mirror in September 2020. Long-time contributor to talkSPORT and Premier League Productions, and became regular on the Super Sunday Matchday programme on Sky Sports News in August 2021. More recently, he has taken on the role of Senior Sports Analyst for CNN Sport.
Darren is the nominated successor to Patrick Collins, who stepped down as SJA President in April 2023 after eight years in the role.
Ashley Broadley
Chair
Sports Editor, PA Media. Joined PA Media, the UK and Ireland’s national news agency, in 1999 as a news reporter covering the Yorkshire area. Moved to London and the news desk in 2003 before taking up current role as Sports Editor in 2007. Based at the company’s northern headquarters in Howden, East Yorkshire, he has overseen the coverage of many events including London Olympics in 2012. Also led the development and growth of PA Media’s digital output for sport. Joined the SJA Committee in April 2017 and was appointed Chair in September 2020.
Leon Mann
Vice-chair
More than a decade of experience in sport and media and has worked with some of the world’s most respected companies including BBC and ITV. Has been international spokesperson for football’s anti-racism campaigns Kick It Out and Football Against Racism in Europe. In 2010, founded the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS). Co-founded the Football Black List in 2008. In 2014, founded the Sports People’s Think Tank (SPTT). Founder and director of Refresh Sports Consultancy and Productions, a company working with clients across the sports industry on content and advising on communications. Joined the SJA Committee in May 2017 and has been Vice-Chair since May 2019.
Philip Barker
Secretary
Freelance broadcaster and sports historian. Columnist for Insidethegames.biz, contributor Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and author of books on Olympic Flame and Lord’s cricket ground. Has been on the editorial team of the Journal of Olympic History and is credited with having transformed the publication into one of the most respected publications on the history of the Olympic Games. He is also an expert on Olympic music, a field which is not generally well known. Joined the SJA Committee in May 2004 and has been Secretary since September 2020.
James Green
Treasurer / Events / Director - Start2Finish Event Management
Start2Finish Event Management have managed the two flagship SJA events – the SJA British Sports Awards and the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards – for many years. They also administer the SJA membership and handle general queries relating to the SJA, with James also currently serving as Treasurer. Mobile: 07891 509277
Kathryn Anastasi
Committee
Kat is the Deputy Head of talkSPORT, having worked her way up from broadcast assistant, a role she took 16 years ago. She is an experienced live producer, working on events such as the British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia in 2013 as well as major tournaments. Outside of her core role, she launched talkSPORT’s first-ever apprenticeship scheme, which is now on its second cohort. She is the co-chair of the News UK Broadcasting Diversity Action Group and is passionate about improving ED&I in sports broadcasting. She joined the SJA Committee in April 2023.
Jon Batham
Committee
Freelance cricket writer, author of ‘Middlesex CCC – The Championship Years’ and off-tube football commentator for Flashscore. Joined the Committee in April 2017.
Louise Bawden
Committee
Louise is the Managing Editor of News and Major Events for Stats Perform News. An experienced senior broadcast journalist with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. She joined the SJA Committee in 2022.
Carrie Brown
Committee
First female chair of the Football Writers’ Association and Senior Correspondent at beIN Sports. During lockdown, Carrie lobbied Rishi Sunak to protect freelancers during lockdown, forming the Sports Freelancer Collective with the SJA and other sports journalism bodies. While Chair of the FWA, Carrie devised and launched three student writing awards, identifying a need to encourage a greater number and more diverse range of students into sports writing. This led to the Unheard Voices award for diversity, a brainchild of Kick It Out; the Vikki Orvice Award to encourage and celebrate women’s sports writing; and the Hugh McIlvanney Award. All awards, brilliantly run and organised by Jim White of the Telegraph, enjoyed great success and identified talent now working in the industry today. In 2023, Carrie was awarded bronze in the Social Media Journalism category at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards. In 2024, the FWA finalised mental health support for its members in partnership with Tony Adams’ Six Mental Health Solutions. This was a long-term aim of Carrie’s tenure while Chair. 25 years in broadcasting covering four FIFA World Cups, three Olympic Games, and multiple Premier League and Champions League seasons and trophy lifts.
Paul Gilham
Committee
Senior Director of Photography, Sport for Getty Images. Joined Getty Images in 2003 as an editor. Ten years later appointed chief photographer for EMEA shooting sport across the globe. Having covered summer and winter Olympic Games, football and rugby world cups and 10 years of Formula One, stepped away from the camera when offered the opportunity to lead the sport operation in Europe as Director of Photography. Oversees a team of 55 staff and more than 50 freelancers. Paul joined the SJA Committee in July 2019.
Jon Holmes
Committee
Freelance journalist and media consultant, and the founder/lead of Sports Media LGBT+, an industry network, advocacy and consultancy group. Specialist in content related to equality, diversity and inclusion, and workplace culture. Previously a Senior Editor at Sky Sports, where he continues to work part-time, Jon is also on the National Committee of the Football Writers’ Association. He has been an SJA Committee member since May 2019.
Mayowa Quadri
Committee
Mayowa is the Head of Brand at VERSUS and a leading contributor to the vanguard of new sports media. Having freelanced at the BBC, Sky Sports, IMG PLP and more, he has taken learnings from established companies and combined them with his own experiences to showcase a new form of journalism. His goal of making the sports content space more diverse and accessible has resulted in the launch of the Blue Creator Fund with Chelsea FC, hosting internships alongside Black In Sport Summit, and being a key voice within the Mercy FC launch backed by Stormzy and adidas. Mayowa joined the SJA Committee in April 2023.
Emma Smith
Committee
Emma has been an SJA member for the last few years and a sports journalist for nearly a decade. She is a journalist for the BBC Sport website, primarily working in written articles, including match reports, features and live blogs. She specialises in football – in particular coverage of the WSL and women’s football – as well as boxing, rugby, cricket and LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. She previously worked for Goal, Inside The Games and Daily Mail. She joined the Committee in April 2023.
Brian Spicer
Committee
At the London Olympics Brian was presented with an award for 35 years service as a volunteer and staff member of Table Tennis governing body. Deputy media Officer at World Championships and freelance journalist at European and World Championships has been a role to bring this minor but Olympic sport back to national newspapers.
Rachel Steinberg
Committee
Sports reporter at PA Media, covering Crystal Palace and women’s football. A women’s sports specialist with experience of reporting on Olympic and Paralympic sport as well as motorsport. Rachel joined the SJA Committee in 2022.
James Toney
Committee (Careers / Training)
Director and managing editor of Sportsbeat with responsibility for editorial strategy, major event coverage and journalism school, News Associates. Started career in national newspapers as a news reporter and has been highly-commended by the Sports Journalists’ Association and Press Gazette. Regular contributor to radio and television. Book on sports journalism, Inside Track, published in 2013. Keen sailor and runner. Sits on the British Olympic Association’s media accreditation advisory committee. Joined the SJA Committee in July 2019.
Howard Wheatcroft
committee
Spent 30 years on the Daily Star sports desk including nearly 17 years as sports editor and a spell as Head of Sport at Express Newspapers. Previously worked at the Stockport Express, Salford City Reporter, Northern Echo and Match magazine. Product of the Thomson Regional Newspapers training scheme. A member of the SJA Committee since 2011.
Laura Williamson
Committee
Laura is the deputy editor of The Athletic UK, where she has responsibility for the digital publisher’s football content and leading investigations. Before that, she was sports news editor at the Daily Mail, having worked as a sports writer, columnist and athletics correspondent at the newspaper and MailOnline. She began her career in cricket and tennis at Hawk-Eye Innovations, and she is also the chair of the Volunteer Zambia Foundation, a charity which uses sport as a gateway to education in Lusaka, Zambia. She joined the Committee in April 2023.
Work with us
If you would like to work in partnership with the SJA, bringing your business, sports association or organisation to the attention of the country’s leading sports media figures, we would be happy to discuss sponsorship/advertising possibilities. Please contact any of our officers or committee members or email:
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SJA c/o Start2Finish Event Management
Unit 92,
Capital Business Centre
22 Carlton Road
Surrey
CR2 0BS
Phone
020 8916 2234