University of Portsmouth students win Hampshire FA Media Award for second year running

Students from the University of Portsmouth’s Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries have once again claimed the top spot at the Hampshire FA Media Projects Programme Award, marking their second consecutive win in the regional competition.

Four talented BA Film Production students - Joe Batting, Lea Neumayer, Alexandra Carvalho, and Jack Beguin - won this year’s award for their compelling case study documenting Baddesley Park Youth FC.

Their project demonstrated how the Football Foundation’s grass pitch maintenance fund has transformed local grassroots football, highlighting the club’s proactive approach to site maintenance and serving as an inspirational success story for other clubs seeking similar funding.

The Hampshire FA Media Projects Programme, sponsored by SuperReel Productions, runs annually from November to May and challenges university students pursuing media or journalism degrees to complete bespoke projects in partnership with Hampshire's football community. 

This year’s competition was particularly competitive, with seven projects completed across the programme and only two awards presented - winner and highly commended.

“This back-to-back success demonstrates the willingness of our students to take on real-world challenges and to enter into a highly competitive environment where presenting and delivering on a brief is key to success,” said Charlie Watts, Associate Head Global Engagement & Educational Partnerships in the University’s School of Film, Media, & Creative Technologies.

“The students’ work not only showcased their technical skills but also their understanding of grassroots football's vital role in Hampshire communities.”

Last year’s Portsmouth winners, Callum Phillips and Harry Ince, created an engaging video series introducing Hampshire FA’s new King George V Football Complex in Cosham, exploring its impact on the local community through stakeholder interviews and comprehensive facility coverage.

The University of Portsmouth is recognised as an official university partner of the Hampshire FA Media Projects Programme, cementing the institution’s commitment to providing students with real-world experience in sports journalism and media production.

The winning projects demonstrate how university partnerships with local sporting organisations can create valuable opportunities for students while supporting community initiatives and raising awareness of grassroots football development.

Denis Brzozowski at Hampshire FA, who mentored the programme and is a former BSc Digital Media student at the University of Portsmouth, said: "We’re very excited about how far the Media Projects Programme has come, but what particularly stands out for me, is the way we’re able to marry up industry experience with real-world briefs. The students which we’ve been lucky to work with always take the challenge head on and deliver the final piece to an impressively high standard.

This year’s winners have displayed an incredible level of professionalism throughout the project. Their knowledge was evident from the first pre-production meeting, and the final artefact they handed over speaks for itself. As a University of Portsmouth graduate, I know the importance of getting involved with local communities from first-hand experience -  I did the same when I was in their position, and I’d encourage all students to take part in those extra-curricular programmes to sharpen up their skills, make valuable connections, and ultimately stand out in what is a very competitive industry."