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I joined TikTok in 2021 and I absolutely love it. Come and join my 250k followers. My most viewed post so far is from Jack Grealish’s first game as a Manchester City player and has received over 10 million views! https://www.tiktok.com/@alibendertv?lang=en

Alison chatted to ‘Freelance Football Opportunities’ to explain how she got into the industry https://freelancefootballopps.medium.com/freelance-football-host-and-presenter-alison-bender-b7961e9cae99

What Hair Gel do you use? So I admit it is a dumb question (and one I knew I’d get a tonne of stick for). Perhaps I’d even have rolled my eyes myself at such a question. After a great performance on his Chelsea Premier League debut it was certainly not one he was expecting […]

Want to work in sports journalism? Already work in it and need some advice about how to stay the distance? Want to hear some of the challenges faced, tips and truths? Stop right here. During lockdown I heard so many stories about the challenges facing budding journalists, and with so few women in the sports […]

I’ve always seen my industry as being bullet proof. I’m so lucky it has provided me with endless work. Never did I expect a situation like this though. Of course, no one could have predicted it. No football! None!

A debate… I just listened to (and participated in) an hour debate on whether the 2019-20 Premier League season should be void or not and I have to admit the very persuasive speakers changed my mind. Fair play to Debate Mate and all the speakers, in these challenging times it was great to be part […]

That’s the thing about TV interviews, you get your 4 or 5 minutes and just as you start to get into a point it’s over. That was me at 7am this morning with legend Peter Shilton on Good Morning Britain. I was on with Piers Morgan so I’d always expected to be interrupted, but now there were 4 of us all trying to get a word in. That’s the thing about Mourinho, there is just so much to talk about. I used to have a list of things he had done that were out of character, but that list got so long I guess at some point you have to accept, this IS his character, this is him now.

The England fans to my right were going crazy, I was going crazy, at that moment (albeit in the 5th minute) England were going to a World Cup final. I leaned over to my colleague and mouthed: “It’s a bit early to score though isn’t it?” That game seemed to last an eternity, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the clock so many times. With every passing minute England looked more and more fatigued and Croatia looked more and more energised, this wasn’t supposed to happen, Croatia were supposed to be shattered.

I watched England win on penalties. It took me a good 24 hours to calm down. I was so wired. That night I couldn’t sleep and the next day I had to ask myself if it was a dream. It took a five-hour stroll in Gorky Park to finally wind down.

I read a tweet the other day that made me smile. If you are ever feeling sad, just remember, the world is four point five billion years old and somehow you managed to exist at the same time as the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It’s silly, but it’s true, and somehow I managed to be AT the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and what a tournament it’s turning out to be.