Whenever I mention that I want to be a football journalist, I always get the same shocked response. People seem to think that it will be hard for a young female like myself to enter sports journalism. What they are not aware of, however, is the number of opportunities available for young people today.

One such opportunity is the Young Journalists’ Academy (YJA), a chance for young people who want to enter journalism to get a taste of what a career in the media may involve. As a YJA alumni, I can appreciate the value of this opportunity. From my own experience, newspapers also seem willing to offer potential journalists the opportunity to work with them. This is vital for young, aspiring reporters as it gives them a platform for better success in the future.

However, I am under no illusions about how tough it will be for me to enter sports journalism, a field largely associated with men. The stereotypical view is that a female can’t have the same knowledge of sports as their male counterparts and that is something I wish to challenge.

I also worry about the way journalists are perceived by the public. Ironically, journalists are the people who are the source of news but they can get some of the worst coverage when it comes to their profession. Journalists have to make many moral decisions and can potentially be seen to make or break careers.

Although this is not as much of a threat in sports journalism, it is still something that sports journalists need to consider. Take the footballer Michael Owen for example, who believes that every time he is injured, journalists write him off as a lost cause almost immediately. While journalists say that they are informing the public, the people that they are writing about don’t necessarily agree.

But these days there are plenty of inspirational figures around for young people trying to get into journalism. Women like Gaby Logan and Sue Barker have paved the way for females wanting to pursue careers involving sports. Numerous opportunities are there for the taking and it is up to us young, aspiring journalists to overcome any challenges that may arise on the way.

Kelly Virdee has just finished her A Levels at Seven Kings High School. Her dream is to be a football journalist at a top newspaper.