So You Want to Write for The Offside…

…here’s what we’re looking for:

Basics: You must be able to write in English. You don’t have to be perfect, but we want accurate spelling and complete sentences that actually make sense. Readers like sentences they can read.

Swearing is fine, in moderation. The odd cuss word will add power to a sentence, but too much makes it look like you don’t know any other words. It’s called the f-bomb for a reason: It should be devastating when you drop it.

You’ll also need to know how to do it bloggy style. That means inserting images and using hyperlinks. If you don’t know how then we can show you (it’s easy) but it’s essential that you’re willing to learn. Just so you know.

Content: Blogging isn’t just reprinting the news. That’s what newspapers are for. You need to be confident enough to state your opinion and write something interesting.

Sense of humour is important too. We like to have fun on The Offside, and hopefully the posts and comments on the site reflect that. Funny is good.

And as long as it’s football related, pretty much anything goes. If you think Landon Donovan needs to grow some balls, we’re with you. If you think Paolo Maldini is overrated then feel free to say so. You’d be wrong (about Maldini, not about Landycakes) but that doesn’t mean you can’t say it. You can say pretty much anything you like.

But there is one Golden Rule: We don’t tolerate any insults based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. No exceptions.

Teams we want to cover: All of them. We love the English Premier League, but it’s not the only league in the world (even if it thinks it is.) We love La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1. We love MLS too. We love all football leagues and all football teams, no matter who and where they are. And if international football is your thang, then pay a visit to our international sister site World Cup Blog.

Commitment: Some bloggers post multiple times a day. Some bloggers post once or twice a week. The bloggers who post more often usually have a bigger audience, for obvious reasons. Multiple bloggers per team are acceptable, provided everyone’s happy with the arrangement. We appreciate enthusiastic, consistent and passionate bloggers.

Community: We’ve worked hard to build a community atmosphere on The Offside, where all bloggers and commenters are friendly and supportive of each other. Even from rival teams. Debate and discussion is the name of the game, but we expect everyone to keep it friendly. We won’t fire up a blog for anyone who can’t.

How to apply: If you’ve made it this far, then you must be keen on writing for The Offside. Here’s what you do to apply.

1) Send an email to daryl[at]theoffside.com
2) Write Potential Blogger: [team you want to write for] in the subject line.
3) Please submit a sample post or two for the blog you would like to write for. Keep in mind our editorial guidelines above. If you’ve written for other football blogs, then feel free to include links.

If you do those three things then we guarantee we’ll get back to you. And if you’ve got what we’re looking for then we might be able to set you up with a team blog here on The Offside.