The transfer window seems to have opened early in the world of British sports journalism. There have been major moves at The Times and The Athletic.
On Wednesday, Henry Winter announced he had been made redundant from his role leading football coverage at The Times. It seems, on the face of it, a bizarre decision given that Winter is one of the most respected football reporters in the country. In announcing his departure, he made a point of mentioning his awards:
Some personal news: I’m leaving @thetimes @TimesSport. Been made redundant. I’ve loved my eight years there, great people, I thank them for the platform and I leave as current @SportSJA and @WeAreTheFSA Football Journalist of the Year 👍 pic.twitter.com/YPbXmqwwba
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) April 10, 2024
Quitting The Athletic for the BBC
Today, the BBC announced that Alex Kay-Jelski (pictured above) is taking over as director of sport. He leaves The Athletic, which he launched internationally. In a statement, he said:
I am so excited to be joining BBC Sport in the summer and to have the chance to work with so many incredible people. Like most people, so many of my sporting memories have been lived with the BBC there to guide me through and having the chance to shape what that should look like in the coming years is a brilliant challenge. I am emotional leaving The Athletic and all the wonderful people there. It means so much to me and I’m incredibly proud of all of them.”
Kay-Jelski starts in June. It’s a huge role heading into a summer that includes a football Euros in June, then the Olympics and Paralympics in July/August.