A Family Affair Introducing Our New Sports Editor

Scott Newby is our new Sports Editor. Here he chats over a pint with Group Editor Andrew Palmer.

The vibes are good. Sitting down in the Starling Independent Café and Bar in Harrogate with two pints of craft beer, our new sports editor oozes enthusiasm and a great knowledge of the subject he will be writing about for the p.ublished group of online newspapers.

Ever since he can remember, Newby has been a zealous and passionate fan of sport, a passion that has continued throughout his life as he has enjoyed football, tennis, golf, and other physical activities through playing, watching, and reading about them.

“I blame my older brother Leigh,” Newby says with a grin. “He’s five years older than me, but I have a lot to thank him for. Although football dominated my childhood, I remember watching Wimbledon as a kid as well as the Master's golf tournament.

“Leigh and I would always be outside playing sports every second of every day that we had available. We would play tennis without a net and chalk lines on the local road, and we also had a tiny snooker table at home.”

Despite being born in Scotland, Newby's parents divorced when he was a toddler. He, along with his mother and brothers, relocated to Skegness, where he became friends with the crime writer William Hussey, with whom he still maintains a close friendship. His grandad was head brewer for Bateman’s Brewery, based in Wainfleet, not far from the town, with a reputation for being 'so bracing’.

Newby describes sport as a wonderful outlet. He played football for school and youth teams whenever he could, injuries allowing. However, he didn't limit himself to football, telling me, "I would play any other sport given the opportunity."

The pull of Scotland saw Newby apply to Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University to study business management. In his first week, he joined the university football squad after competing along with hundreds of other students to play on the team. Unsurprisingly, Heriot-Watt selected him, and he immediately participated in an intervarsity tournament.

However, the second match of the competition saw Newby sprain his ankle. "It wasn't too bad, but it meant I couldn't play for about a month, which coincided with my first month of university," Newby said.

"I never got back into it, which was a loss because a couple of years later I played semi-pro for Gala Fairydean Football Club in Galashiels."

Injury was to strike Newby again. He really enjoyed playing semi-professionally but suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his knee and never returned to playing at that level. “I missed it, but I am now back to playing, and I also really enjoy padel tennis," he says.

It was during the COVID lockdowns that Newby and his younger brother, Tom, started a podcast, ‘Well done, Michael'. “The podcast needed to be unique, given the abundance of football-related content available. We interviewed lots of ex-professional players, different people working in the media, and a female referee. We even had a regular quiz, ‘Bro Classico,’ which was a big success. The format proved popular as we reached the top 10 in the UK Sports Charts.

“It exploded in a really positive way, and I enjoyed getting back to chatting and writing about football. We had time during COVID, but once we were readjusting to life post-pandemic, it died down, although Tom and I often joke about bringing it back.”

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on some individuals' mental health, another topic that Newby is deeply passionate about. He founded his own company with a focus on mental health in the workplace, assisting organisations in addressing colleague engagement related to wellbeing and providing proactive and reactive team support.

"I have a deep passion for mental health, which, along with sport, is one of my two biggest passions. Personally, I have had my own challenges; when I was 20, my mother passed away, and we were already a single-parent family, so that was huge. Like most men, we shied away from discussing our feelings 20 years ago due to the taboo nature of the topic. It wasn’t until later that I realised I hadn’t dealt with it.

"I received support, gained a comprehensive understanding, and developed a deep interest in human behaviour and how things impact us. I am fascinated by human behaviour and the impact it has on us. It's okay to talk. I want to change and influence that landscape.”

I agree with Newby that sport is a great leveller and a fantastic outlet, playing badminton twice a week helps me clear my mind and release tension.

As he immerses himself in the role, it's possible that we will come across articles about sports psychology.
Who knows? But one thing we are all glad about is that Newby’s passion for sport led him to take on the role as sports editor for our group of newspapers, and he already has plans to grow the readership.

I would always be outside playing sports every second of every day that we had available.

"I want to participate in something. I've always had a passion for sports. I enjoy the creativity of writing and being creative with the topic. It's really exciting for me to get involved.”

One of the initial regular features that Newby introduced is ‘Dad and Lad Around the Grounds’. In this feature, he takes his 8-year-old son Harrison to a match, and they both write about their experiences afterwards.

“Harrison absolutely loves it. We are season holders at Huddersfield Town, but we have often talked about touring local matches when Huddersfield are playing away. Like me, Harrison loves his football.

“He sits there with his notepad on his lap pad and pen in his hand, just jotting down things throughout the game. It's a really special time; just the two of us. Harrison gets very excited telling his friends at school.

“He might write about how the chips tasted as part of the whole experience, about how comfortable the seats were, and about the game itself.

"I strive to maintain authenticity by avoiding excessive editing. It’s all his own words.”

It's a really special time; just the two of us. Harrison gets very excited

Quite endearing, I comment.

Newby is putting together a team to help and wants to draw attention to underappreciated sports like ice hockey, particularly the Sheffield Steelers and Leeds Knights.

“Obviously there is a focus on football and mainstream sports, but it would be beneficial to shine a light on local sports."

As we sup the rest of our beer, I am a little stunned. I wasn't quite expecting him to say that Huddersfield Town was his team, but I'm not surprised that he is encouraging his son, given the importance of family connections and the fact that sport has been a family affair throughout his life.

If you would like to promote your club or get involved writing for the sports pages, contact Scott sports@p.ublished.com