Last year’s winner of the Unheard Voices category in the FWA Student Football Writer of the Year awards tells Jon Holmes of the FWA National Committee about his experience.
This article first appeared on Sports Media LGBT+
by Jon Holmes
Time is running out for those in full-time tertiary education to enter the Football Writers’ Association’s annual Student Football Writer of the Year Awards; Keane Handley won the ‘Unheard Voices’ category last year, and with it, £1,000 in prize money; in a Q&A, he tells Jon Holmes why the competition is worth checking out…
Keane Handley’s first-ever article for his student newspaper proved to be a very profitable piece of writing.
In February last year, the University of Cambridge’s online newspaper Varsity published his personal column, titled ‘Football’s fight against homophobia: a straight man’s game?’
Three months later, he was at the Landmark Hotel in London, picking up a trophy in front of the country’s leading football journalists.
Keane, who is studying Human, Social and Political Science, had entered his article into the Football Writers’ Association’s annual Student Football Writer of the Year Awards.
The competition, which is for those in full-time tertiary education, has been running since 2021. Previous winners include The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell and The Guardian’s Yara El-Shaboury.
Connecting with Sports Media LGBT+, which is a partner organisation of the FWA, had helped to alert Keane to the ‘Unheard Voices’ Award, which is run in conjunction with Kick It Out.
Entries for this category are encouraged from under-represented sections of society, including the LGBTQ community.
The winners of the Student Football Writer Awards are invited to the FWA’s prestigious Footballer of the Year gala dinner, where they receive their trophies.
The deadline to enter this year’s competition is Friday 24 April, 2026.
We invited Keane to tell us more about his success…
Hi Keane! Let’s start with your football background – who do you support and how did you get into writing?
Keane: Thanks for the Q&A! I’m a Dagenham & Redbridge season ticket holder but also a big Manchester United fan, named after Roy Keane!
I started writing weekly columns about the Daggers for my local paper when I was 14 and also developed a fanzine, alongside a blog full of articles and match reports.
At university, I’ve been a sports writer and am now sports editor for the student newspaper Varsity, covering a wide range of sports.
In the future, I hope to build my portfolio further and hopefully become a journalist, in sports or politics.
How did you learn about the FWA Student Football Writer Awards, and what inspired you to enter last year?
I learned about the Awards after sharing an article I’d written for Varsity on homophobia in football.
I saw Sports Media LGBT+ recommending to followers on social media that those eligible should consider entering the ‘Unheard Voices’ category, and it sounded like a great opportunity.
Tell us about your entry – what made you want to cover this topic?
I’ve always seen writing as a release and an important way to express opinions and an opportunity to tell stories.
I wrote about homophobia in football, having come out as gay and wanting to express the desire for greater action to tackle the issue.
I wanted to capture the feeling that many have in struggling to integrate the identities of being a member of both the LGBTQ and football communities.
However, equally, I didn’t want to reach for simple solutions or scapegoats, which I feel has happened too often, where working-class people are blamed.
Ultimately, I like my writing to have purpose as well, and so I saw it as an opportunity to share my story and my concerns in a call to action to tackle homophobia in football.
What are your reflections on your win and the event in London?
I was delighted and didn’t expect it at all!
The event was amazing – getting to sit on the same table as Mo Salah and Alessia Russo, meeting Ian Rush and football journalists like Monday Night Football’s Dave Jones!
Keane Handley (centre) poses with his FWA Student Football Writer award alongside fellow winners Carly Lyes (left) and Dylan McLaren (right) (Pic: John Walton/PA Wire)
What would you say to someone who is eligible to enter, and is still considering it?
Do it!
I didn’t enter until very late because I wasn’t sure if my piece was what they were looking for, if it was too niche or personal.
It’s a great opportunity to share your work, experience and story.
Why is it important to have an Unheard Voices category?
The Unheard Voices category is so important, giving those of us who perhaps don’t see a natural home in football journalism the opportunity to tell our stories and share our passion – the same as everyone else.
I think the very existence of the category shows an important commitment to inclusion and a diversity of voices that enriches the footballing world.
Thanks so much to Keane for taking part in our latest Q&A – you can find more of these chats in our ‘My Stories in Sport’ archive.
Learn more about the FWA Student Football Writer Awards here.Entry deadline: Friday 24 April, 2026.
If you’re also LGBTQ+ with a sports media role, get in touch with us (in confidence) to start a conversation and learn more about our industry network and wider community.
