Annual membership subscriptions for the Sports Journalists’ Association become due on January 1.
Under our rules, you risk losing your membership if your fee – £30 for those living or working in London; £20 for those outside London – is not paid promptly. We would suggest that 2012 Olympic year is not the time when you want to miss out on the programme of events, discounts and other benefits of membership.
In 2012, our range of discounts on offer will include reduced ticket prices for members to attend the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards dinner in March. There, the savings offered will be enough to repay the cost of your membership fee.
We will also be offering a discount on entry fees to SJA members who enter the Sports Journalism Awards, details to be announced later this month.
There will also be a series of SJA Ladbrokes Lunches, with high-profile and headline-generating guests, where priority will be given to SJA members, who will also pay less for the lunches than any non-members who may attend.
Regular members’ news emails and inclusion in the 2012 SJA Yearbook are also benefits exclusive to SJA members. And the internationally recognised AIPS press card remains available in this country only to fully paid-up members of the SJA.
How should you pay your subs?
We recommend using a standing order form, which you can print off from here in order to complete and post off.
Make sure you update your Yearbook entry
Yearbook editor Paul Trow is planning a bumper 2012 edition, which contains contact details of all SJA members – a vital tool of our increasingly freelance-orientated trade. With the Yearbook also distributed to sports editors, leading sports governing bodies and public relations companies, your inclusion in its pages can often be a foot in the door to work opportunities.
So make sure that your profile and mug shot are up to date ahead of the London Olympics by completing the online profile form by clicking here. And of course, if you’d prefer, you can always print the form off and fill it in and post it to Paul. If you have any questions about your Yearbook entry, contact Paul at ptrow76780@aol.com or by post at 3 Clifton Avenue, London N3 1BN, or call 07973 862747.
How do I become a member?
If you are not already an SJA member and are interested in joining, then what do you need to do?
Membership of the SJA is open to those working in any branch of the business – reporters, broadcasters, photographers, editors and cartoonists; in newspaper or magazine, in print or online, radio or TV.
But it is still strictly restricted to British-based professional journalists. All applications for membership are carefully scrutinised and checked.
Click here for the application form. Please follow the instructions in respect of proposers and seconders; recent work examples; and covering letters.
- Who did you vote for as Britain’s Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team of the Year?
- Follow news of the SJA British Sports Awards on Wed Dec 7 on Twitter with the hashtag #SJA2011.
- Reports and pictures will be posted on sportsjournalists.co.uk from 4pm on the day