New Scottish football magazine and TV show to be launched
The Away End to launch weekly TV show and monthly magazine 
By THE AWAY END
THE Away End is set to launch a new monthly Scottish Football magazine and TV show.
Both are part of a range of new ventures by the popular website after a partnership was established with the University of the West of Scotland.
The innovative publication will be online, aimed at the growing iPad market, with a host of multimedia features.
As well as the interviews and features that are expected of any magazine, it will also incorporate both free and paid for content, with added video and audio material for subscribers, allowing readers to interact with the magazine.
The link-up with the BA (Hons) Sports Journalism course will also see a new weekly Scottish football show, with a state-of-the-art TV studio now available at the Hamilton campus.
The ambitious plans will also see the relaunch and rebranding of The Away End’s general sport website (www.theawayend.org), two weekly podcasts, sport documentaries and sport related books.
Editor Andrew Southwick, who will now take on full-time running of the site since establishing The Away End in 2009, said: “Since The Away End was launched we have always been keen to be a platform for young writing talent in Scotland.
“Over the past 18 months we have had students, freelance and keen football writers from all over the country involved.
“The link-up with the Sports Journalism degree will now allow us to take The Away End to the next stage, with the long term ambition of starting the only magazine dedicated to Scottish football now a reality combining the facilities available at the university, with expertise from people in the business.
“With potentially 80 sports journalism students, added to our open door policy of encouraging anyone with aspirations of being a writer to get involved, we certainly won’t be struggling for content.
“The sports sections across the country deliver great content every day, but it’s been a long wait to have a magazine dedicated to our own game in Scotland.
"The Away End aims to be looking beyond the Old Firm, covering all levels of the Scottish game.
“We’ll also be covering other sports too. Maybe not in the magazine just yet, but we are equally excited about the relaunch of the new general sport website and have some exciting plans over the next few months, with the Lanarkshire Youth Games, Scotland’s involvement in the Rugby World Cup and Andy Murray’s attempt to win Wimbledon all on the horizon.”
The BA (Hons) Sports Journalism degree is the only one of its kind in Scotland and has seen students covering last year’s Scottish Cup Final courtesy of the BBC, this year’s Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse as well as input from guest lecturers from the Scottish sports media industry.
Programme Leader Elizabeth McLaughlin said: “This partnership gives students the unique and exciting opportunity of producing content for a vibrant and dynamic Scottish sports industry while they are still studying, and the work opportunities and portfolio potential is fantastic and far-reaching. It is the perfect partnership of cutting-edge learning and teaching and sports journalism practice in action.”
Anne Gifford, Head of the School of Creative and Cultural Industries, added her support saying: “The University of the West of Scotland aims to be at the forefront of 21st century learning and working with The Away End creating content and developing talent."
