Matt Connellan: From Football NSW to the FIFA Men’s World Cup
SBS World News’ National Editor Matt Connellan has come a long way since his early media beginnings working at Football NSW in 2012 as the NPL NSW Men’s 20’s reporter.
The 31-year-old is set to embark on a huge opportunity following the announcement that Connellan will be SBS’ reporter on location in Doha for the channel’s coverage of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Getting to SBS was by no means an easy feat for the budding reporter.
It was at Football NSW where the aspiring media personality first cut his teeth working in the world game.
“My first job in football media was as the NPL NSW 20s reporter in 2012 – the first time anyone had been assigned to cover the 20s competition every week.
“I had emailed Football NSW Media Manager Mark Stavroulakis asking if I could do work experience, and he went one better by giving me my chance to show what I could do at this level.
“I then went on to replace Joe Carlucci as the Editor for the top tier Men’s competition in 2014.
“I’m a firm believer there’s no substitute for experience and you simply cannot beat boots on the ground reporting. Stories do not fall into your lap at a desk, they come from speaking to people, being interested in what they have to say, and knowing what to ask them.
“Without that experience in the NPL, I have no doubt I would not be where I am today.”
Connellan, who is currently in charge of commissioning daily national news stories for the SBS World News Bulletin, stated that it was the “all access” he was given with the NPL that made covering that competition so special.
“The full access was what made this job so enjoyable.
“The NPL was at a level where there were no media minders trying to curate the message or players who were unapproachable. You could simply ring them or walk up to them and ask to chat.
“It’s old school, but it works.
“This is how you deal with people at any level, whether it be the global megastars, or federal politicians, but doing it at NPL level was the best training ground a reporter could ask for.”
After spending a few quality seasons with Football NSW, Connellan used his experiences at state level and applied to be part of the SBS crew, after a cadetship at News Corp. He’s been at SBS now for six years where, before becoming SBS World News National Editor, he worked as a news and sports reporter and presenter.
Throughout his time working in the NPL, Connellan naturally fell in love with not just the competition but also one of the clubs, APIA Leichhardt.
“When I first started following and reporting on the NPL I was living in Summer Hill, not far from Lambert Park, and so naturally I covered a lot of games there.
“I got to know the players and staff there very well, and once I stopped reporting on the NPL I was able to follow the club properly where I still watch matches to this day.”
In what’s been an amazing journey thus far for Connellan who is set to report on the world’s largest footballing event, Connellan had a couple of key influences to thank in getting him to where he is today.
“Les Murray and Martin Tyler were my heroes growing up, which is surreal as I’ll be working alongside Martin for SBS in Qatar.
“I was lucky enough to be mentored by Les, who watched out for me and guided me as I set my sights on a career in journalism and football.
“Closer to home, I will always be grateful to Mark Stavroulakis for giving me that first opportunity a decade ago, the first gig can often be the hardest to get, but once you get a foot in the door, you’re well on the way.”
Not bad for a young man who braved the cold winters covering the NPL NSW Men’s competition and is now preparing for the complete opposite – shining sun and warm weather, and the chance to report on Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and the rest of world football’s biggest names.
Every match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast live, free and in HD on SBS, starting with the first match between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20.
