So You Want to Write for The Offside…

…here’s what we’re looking for:

Basics: You must be able to write. 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.

The majority of our blogs are in English. But we also welcome blogs in other languages, especially blogs in the native language of the club.

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 Joey Barton needs to learn some manners, we’re with you. If you think Paolo Maldini was overrated then feel free to say so. You’d be wrong (about Maldini, not about Barton) 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. But if you want to blog for one of the following, you will jump to the head of the line:

Argentina: Boca Juniors, Racing

Sweden: Assyriska

Mexico: Atlas, Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Pumas

France: Auxerre, Lille, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Rennes, St. Etienne, Toulouse

Germany: Monch’bach, Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover, Hoffenheim, St. Pauli

England: Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff, Charlton, Derby, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Notts County, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Watford

Italy: Bologna, Genoa, Lecce, Livorno, Siena

Australia: Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Queensland Roar

China: league blog

MLS: Chivas USA, Colorado, New England, Real Salt Lake

Colombia: League blog

Brazil: Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Fluminense, Palmeiras, Sao Paulo

Spain: Deportivo, Espanyol, Racing Santander, Real Valladolid

Ukraine: League blog, Dnipro, Dynamo Kiev

Netherlands: League blog, Feyenoord, Heerenveen, PSV, Twente

Scotland: League blog, Hearts, Hibernian, Rangers

Greece: Panathinaikos

Portugal: League blog, Porto, Sporting

Romania: League blog, Rapid Bucharest

USL: Rochester

Russia: Zenit St. Petersburg

If a team already has a blogger: Then you may be out of luck. We’re happy to have multiple bloggers on the same site, but only if the current blogger is happy. If you want to write alongside a current blogger then the best thing to do is email them directly and ask them. You can find their address in the right hand column of their Offside blog.

Commitment: Some bloggers post multiple times a day. Some bloggers post once or twice a week. The bloggers who post more often always have a bigger audience.

We appreciate enthusiastic, consistent and passionate bloggers. We don’t appreciate it when someone starts a blog, posts once a month and then gives up without telling us. If you do that then we’ll come round your house and pour orange juice on your keyboard.

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. All you need to do now is fill out the form below, and we’ll get the ball rolling: