Gavin Kelly
Jedburgh,Scottish Borders
Summary
Focussed, adaptable and creative journalist with experience in long-form tactical analysis writing and short-form breaking news stories. Constantly learning new skills and proud of my ability to work independently whilst contributing to a team-first ethic led by deadlines and targets. Unmatched sense of discipline, honesty and integrity instilled by 11 years in the Royal Air Force and 14 years in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
2010
2010
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Freelance Football Writer
National World/Ionic
Home Based
2025.04 - Current
- Sourced quotes and comments for exclusive stories, leading to linkback from other publications.
- Liased with Editor for daily content briefs including developing unique angles to established stories and reports.
- Created headlines in accordance with News Now and Google best practice resulting in increased reader engagement.
- Produced content for Liverpool World, Manchester World and London World websites covering major Preimer League teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
- Consistently produced Chartbeat peformance of over 60% quality page views and engagement time of over 35 seconds.
Football Journalist
GRV Media
2023.04 - 2025.04
- Journalist for Rangers News, sourcing stories from across the world of football linked to Rangers Football Club.
- Produced exclusive content on transfers with insight from journalists such as Graeme Bailey, Sacha Tavolieri, Emanuel Rosu, and Luca Bendoni, and football industry experts covering finance, scouting, and recruitment.
- Developed SEO skills, Google Discover, comprehension use of Canva to create bespoke images, and writing style through GRV’s Writer Lab.
Editorial Assistant
Snack Media
2022.03 - 2023.04
- Worked independently on Vital Rangers, and increased content on a monthly basis, leading to Snack Media hiring another Editorial Assistant.
- Developed writing style to include tactical and player analysis.
- First to report several Rangers transfer stories including Connor Goldson signing a new contract.
Freelance Football Journalist
Snack Media
2019.09 - 2022.03
- Sourced, wrote, and published articles on both Rangers and Celtic, including transfer news, interviews, and fan reaction.
- The highest page view article received over 44,000 views for a fan reaction story about Joe Aribo being injured for Rangers.
- Helped to drive page views from circa 150k per month to over 1m per month for Vital Rangers.
Education
BSc (Hons) - Sport Rehabilitation
St Mary’s University
TwickenhamSkills
- Writing various styles of football articles, from news and opinion to analysis
- SEO optimisation
- Google Discover optimisation
- Ability to source stories ahead of mainstream media outlets
Timeline
Freelance Football Writer
National World/Ionic
2025.04 - Current
Football Journalist
GRV Media
2023.04 - 2025.04
Editorial Assistant
Snack Media
2022.03 - 2023.04
Freelance Football Journalist
Snack Media
2019.09 - 2022.03
BSc (Hons) - Sport Rehabilitation
St Mary’s University