End of an another season!

25 years ago, I produced my first end-of-season football video. Just typing that feels surreal.

I’d just finished university and somehow landed what felt like a dream job putting together the end-of-season tape for Chelsea FC. I remember walking through the gates at Stamford Bridge and spending time at the old Harlington training ground, armed with notebooks, VHS tapes, and a lot of nervous energy.

Back then, the job meant watching through hours and hours of footage every goal, every interview, every big match. I’d order in match tapes from the broadcasters, take notes late into the night, and prep everything for the editor. There was no digital archive to search, no shared cloud folder it was you, a stack of tapes, and a lot of rewinding.

The tech has changed, of course. Massively. No one’s watching VHS tapes anymore in their living room they’re watching YouTube highlight reels on their phones or scrolling through TikTok edits at half-time. But funnily enough, some parts of the job haven’t changed at all.

Even then, I wrote a rough script before we filmed anything a framework for the story, key moments to hit, the emotion we wanted to build. That structure still matters today. Whether it's a 30-minute season recap or a 10 second Instagram Reel, you need a story.

We pre-booked all the interviews and lined up the crew and presenter just like any shoot today. Some of the players needed nudging to show up (not much has changed there either). We’d make sure we had the right kit, and yes, someone always forgot a cable.

Reviewing and selecting the best moments was something we did before the edit back then now we’re often doing it in real time with the client sat behind you, but the instinct remains the same: find the moments that matter.

And then, the all-nighters. Those have never gone out of fashion. Deadlines are still deadlines. That frantic push to get something out in time for the fans or these days, the social media team is timeless.

What I’ve learned over the years is that while formats, platforms, and tools evolve, some things are constant:

• The need for structure.

• The importance of emotion.

• The value of teamwork.

• And the thrill of seeing something you’ve worked on land with an audience.

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Back then, it was fans watching a tape at home. Now it’s global engagement in minutes. But the core of what we do telling stories that connect with people hasn’t changed.

It’s a funny industry. One week you’re telling the story of a historic season. The next, you’re trying to make a mascara launch feel like a Champions League final. But the mission is the same find the emotion, shape the story, and make people feel something.

I sometimes wonder what this job will look like in another 25 years. Will we be editing in VR? Will the audience be an AI generated focus group? Will I be retired while my AI agent posts content on my behalf?

Whatever the future looks like, I’m grateful I’ve been on this journey from VHS tapes to YouTube Shorts, from long nights in the edit to watching fans react in real time.

Here’s to the next season and Champions League.