How to pitch your ideas to football.london

football.london are looking to tell the best stories about football in our city and the right people, in the right places, to tell them in the way that works best: through words, video, pictures, podcasts or whatever format is suited to bringing these tales to life and putting fans closer to the action.

We're not looking for '5 reasons why Eden Hazard is a really good footballer'. Neither do we want to hear about think pieces written on a whim without the leg work or first-hand reporting to actually tell the world something it doesn't already know.

Features, interviews and films that offer something a bit different to the norm are welcome, but before you rush off to fire 100 different pitches into our inbox please read the following guidelines to make sure that what you’re offering is what we’re looking for.

What should you send in to football.london

Pitches - please actually do pitch something that you want to write, film or make. Don't tell us what you can do, offer up a specific idea you want to do.
A synopsis - don't send in a pitch as long as the article you want to write. Be as concise as possible.
Something new - seriously, you'd be surprised how many times someone sends in an idea that's already been done and published on the site. Check!
A plan - how many words will you need, when can you get the first draft to us by and what else will be required to get the work done? Be honest. Let us know ahead of time. Make sure you're organised and thinking ahead. No one likes nasty (late) surprises.
A brief explanation as to why you’re the person to tell this story - it could be personal experience, a previous history reporting on the story, unique insight or access, or a serious passion that can be backed up in some way or other. We’re not interested in commissioning reheats and rewrites pulled together through Google searches and Wikipedia. Tell us why you’re the person to write it, film it or make it.
Ideas, not finished articles - we don't want unsolicited pieces of work that couldn't be placed elsewhere dropping into our inbox. If you find yourself with a feature or a video that you've already produced, pitch us the idea and explain the situation first. We don’t want to waste anyone's time by rejecting work that has already been done but that isn't right for us.
A subject line - make it clear that you’re sending us a pitch and what it’s about in your subject line. We get a lot of spam.

And finally…

Don’t be afraid of pitching something that sits well outside the Premier League bubble - so long as it relates back to London!

There's a whole city out there full of clubs, fans and stories that need telling, and as football.london expands we will be doing our best to cover as much as we can, as often as we can.

In the meantime, we want to hear about what’s going on in the Championship and the Football League; the Women’s Super League; the mud baths, playing fields and plastic pitches of Saturday and Sunday games, and don't forget the talent exists down the local cages and the Non-League scene too; there's youth football, academy teams and the next big thing; whatever is going on with fans and fan groups beyond the 90 minutes of a match day; local stories; global stories; stories that sit on the crossover points between football, culture, society and everything else that's out there in the wider world - we want to hear about whatever stories you want to tell, so long as they're about football, London and they're worth telling, of course.

And finally, don't forget the people at the heart of the article or video you want to pitch. Shine a light on them and give a platform to their experiences and personality. Giving a subject or story a human face where possible always helps.

Still got something you want to pitch? Email us at football.london@trinitymirror.com.