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Real Football Man Is 2 Years Old And Making A Big Move

Happy Birthday to Me (well not my actual birthday) but that of the website, as it has got to the grand old age of 2 years old!. Yes celebratory scenes here at RFM HQ as a project that just started as a small hobby has now become all the more encompassing and it has turned into something pretty big.

Perhaps not quite as big as I would like to be, but considering this is something being worked alongside the day to day 9-5 job then I would like to think I’ve made big progress and in the two years I’ve achieved the following:

Picked up paid writing opportunities elsewhere
Seen income from the website itself
Been on TV as a Spanish Football Expert
Guested on many podcasts and now host my own
The website has picked up over 170k views in 2 years
Over 3,500 articles are on the website (I’d say 98% of those are from me)
Increased my Twitter following considerably (over 7,500 now) and you can follow me here

The website has opened many avenues for me and there are some that I would still like to explore but here is the big decision, as of next month I will be leaving the day job behind and going fully freelance.

It’s not a decision that means I will solely be focusing on this project but this website has certainly helped me in my next career move. I am now going to move into the world of Freelance Football Statistics work and my first paid gig is for none other than UEFA!

That in itself is only part time to start with but it is the world of work that I have always wanted to move into and therefore am delighted to have been given the opportunity in which to do so. The fact that I have been a Data Analyst for the past 10 years meant that it made some sense to try and get a job which fuses the two loves together and this is the ideal job.

It does however mean that I’m not quite working a full week but ultimately I have to be prepared to take the punt and see where this all ends up. Working on the website is getting more and more challenging with each month and that in itself is not going to make me rich (at least not in the short term) therefore it is the right time in which to expand my working options.

Where does the website go from here you are probably wondering – well it certainly continues but I do feel it could do with a slight revamp in the Summer/next season. I do feel that the constant raft of Match Previews is looking a tad tiresome and perhaps more unique pieces would suit better.

Ultimately the decision to mimic the BBC Sport site for Match Previews is futile due to the reach they have and the time I spend having to create them each weekend. Let’s not forget that I am pretty much a one man band and as the writing style has improved it actually means the pieces are longer so in a sense I have made the job harder for myself.

For the amount of content on this website and pretty much a one man band, I would love to see a website that has more content than this in such a short space of time. I’m arguably one of if not the hardest working football blogger out there.

But at the same time without that hard work I would have not been able to get the opportunities that have been presented to me, so there is a sense of achievement for slogging through so much content over the past two years.

And most importantly I’m incredibly proud of the work I have done in the past two years, I’ve not only found a passion but I’ve flourished at it also. Do I get the credit the website deserves perhaps not but at the same time nothing comes quickly.

That is the advice I would give to any up and coming blogger that you really have to keep at it, unfortunately just being a good blogger is not enough. You also need good knowledge of SEO also and perhaps that is where I could be better.

At the same time I don’t really want to work with a team – because I work my work to shine through, is that to my detriment perhaps but then again at the same time it means what credit I do get is truly deserved.

So in two years I’ve got to this point, the question now is where can I get in the next 12 months. This next year really is a make or break one to be honest as now I’m rolling the dice and seeing what I can make of this and myself.

The time and energy put into this blog is incredibly consuming albeit rewarding but I need to somehow spend less time with greater rewards. Whether this stays as the side project while I go on to greater things with football statistics work remains to be seen

But there are exciting if not incredibly nervy times ahead, exciting because I’m looking forward to the work ahead, nervy because I still need to find more to make sure I can do important things like pay the rent in a few months time.

So if anyone reading this has any serious offers of work on a freelance basis (2-3 days a week) then please e-mail me at realfootballmanwordpress@gmail.com to discuss any possible options that you may have. That can be either Analyst or Writing work I will consider all enquiries

If you are a prospective employee then I hope you can see the passion that comes into all of this from simply reading this blog entry and this has piqued your interest. To everyone else I hope you wish me luck as we move into a third year of Real Football Man and the first year of working freelance.

I really hope there is cause to celebrate in 12 months time.

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