An Interview with Ben Donovan - Swansea City AFC

Ben Donovan, the editor of the 'Jack Magazine' and the press officer for Wales' first Premier League football club, Swansea City FC, took some time out of his busy lifestyle to share with us how he landed his dream job.



Ben Donovan

"Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win," is a motto Ben takes very seriously in life and it has got him to where he is today. Ben grew up in the large coastal town of Poole, in the county of Dorset. Ben has always been a keen sports fan and played football for his local side until he left for University in 2007. He continued playing when he arrived at Swansea, playing for the Welsh League side Pontardawe Town, but unfortunately due to work commitments he's had to stop. When I asked Ben who his sporting heroes were growing up, he gave me this answer.

Ben growing up playing for his local side.

 "I was never someone who had posters on their wall of footballers but if I had to choose someone then it would have to be Marian Pahars, who used to play for Southampton. The things he used to do in a game were magic, and he was something of a cult hero down the south coast."

Marian Pahars

Football has always been an 'overriding passion' in Ben's life. If he wasn't playing or watching the beautiful game, he was reading books or watching videos about it. So when the offer of a job came from Swansea FC Ben jumped at the opportunity. I asked Ben if working for a Premier League club was his dream job. His reply was the answer I expected.

"Most definitely..........to start working for a Premier League club at the age of 22 was a dream come true really."

Ben has two important roles at the club, but both are equally as important and enjoyable. His first job is being the editor of the clubs magazine, 'Jack Magazine'.



Swansea 'Jack' Magazine

 He went on to say, "Being the editor of a publication like 'Jack Magazine' brings its own pressures, as I have to make sure my writers are meeting strict deadlines and make the content of the magazine fresh, interesting and engaging for our loyal fan base."

His other job for the Swans is being the club's press officer. This means he is often dealing with national newspapers and broadcasters such as Sky Sports, ESPN and the BBC. Ben described each day as being different with new challenges and unsurprisingly, he wouldn't change it for the world!

I then asked Ben about his decision to come to Swansea University. He replied, "I knew as soon as I attended the interview and open day at Swansea, that this was the place for me."

"There isn't anywhere else in the world where you can step out of a lecture theatre and almost be on the beach!"

"You can live a millionaire's lifestyle in without a penny in your pocket!"

Ben graduated from Swansea University with a degree in history but from an early age the media had always been an interest to him, with football being his highest priority. When Ben was 15 he undertook work experience at his local newspaper. He also wrote his own blog.

"Writing about the game was the perfect scenario."

During his second year at Swansea University he joined 'The Waterfront', Swansea Universities student newspaper, as a sports reporter before going on to become the sports editor in his third and final year.

"Writing on a regular basis helped me improve an awful lot and I also had a side project, another blog, which was co-written with a colleague and got a fair bit of recognition in South Wales."

When I asked Ben was he planning a career elsewhere before the offer came from the Swans he answered,

"I would have probably pursued a course in newspaper journalism to become fully qualified and then, once that was complete, look for a job at a local paper."

Ben works for the Swans in such a prestigious and exciting role I had to ask him if he ever gets to interview any of the team or the manager. He confirmed he works closely with the players and the manager Brendan Rogers. "Every week I have the pleasure of interviewing a couple of players for each match day magazine."

Ben went on to say, "The likes of Gary Monk, Alan Tate and Leon Britton all have fascinating stories to tell having been with the club for years and they will always give you a good line to lead with."

From the left: Alan Tate, Gary Monk and Leon Britton

Swansea City have done remarkably well this season and have proved all the doubters wrong by staying up and giving the fans another year in top flight football. I asked Ben was he at all worried about the speculation linking the Swans' manager Brendan Rogers to a move away from Swansea to coach one of the top teams in the country.

He believes, "There will come a time when Brendan moves on from Swansea, and in my opinion he is destined for one of the top jobs in England at some point.

Swansea Manager: Brendan Rogers

But for now, the Swans are a good fit for him and he is good for the club. He'll want to build on the success he has already achieved in the two years he has been in South Wales."

The Swans have pulled off some magnificent results this season not only at the Liberty Stadium but also away from home. For example, the 1-0 victory over big money spenders Manchester City This is Ben's most memorable occasion to date since joining the club.

Luke Moore scoring the decisive goal against Manchester City

'The overriding joy that was apparent in the wake of that victory was something that will stay with me forever'.




But there were also other results that also stood out for Ben, occasions such as the first Premiere League win over West Brom and the win over Arsenal in January to name but two.

Ben is coming to the end of his first season with Swansea with profits from the 'Jack Magazine' this season eclipsing profit from the previous two seasons combined.

"The magazine is improving all the time and after just one year in the job, I'm thoroughly looking forward to pushing on next season and making it into the product that I envisioned when I arrived at the club."

He went on to say, "Nobody expected the Swans to stay up and we’ve done it in a style that has never been seen before from a club that has been promoted from the Championship."

The Swans celebrating their play-off final win over Reading



He went on, "It has been a success for the club, the city and for Wales as a whole and Swansea has been put firmly on the football map, hopefully for many years to come."



I'm sure my readers will be interested to know Swansea's remaining Premier League fixtures of the season:

Tomorrow: Bolton away. 3pm kick off.

Saturday 28th: Wolves home. 3pm kick off.

Sunday 6th May: Manchester United away. 4pm kick off.
Sunday 13th: Liverpool home. 3pm kick off.