From running social for Juventus in Turin to telling global football stories with DAZN and reporting from pitchside at the Club World Cup, Charlie Rowing’s journey through sports media is anything but conventional. Now a freelance reporter and social media manager, he’s carved out a career driven by passion, curiosity, and a readiness to say yes to whatever the industry throws at him. In this Industry Insider Q&A, Charlie talks about landing dream roles, the myth of a “normal week” in sport, and why believing in yourself can take you further than you think.
Tell us about yourself, what do you do in your current role and what roles have you done previously?
I’m Charlie Rowing and I’m a freelance sports reporter and social media manager. Undoubtedly my most interesting role to date was spending five-and-a-half years at Juventus as a social media manager, living in Turin, Italy. After that I spent one year at one of Juve’s commercial partners, Socios.com, running their social media from Madrid, Spain. One of my current clients is DAZN and I was very privileged to have been part of telling the story of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and even going out to the United States to capture content and report on the tournament.
created by photogridWhat three words would you use to describe your role?
Exciting. Challenging. Unpredictable.
“Normal” isn’t a thing in sport so what does an “average” week look like for you?
That’s an understatement! There really is no average week for me. One week it could be fairly monotonous just keep an eye on the breaking stories in football and reacting to them with posts on Instagram, the next it could be reporting on a Champions League game from the sidelines, to shaking hands with a former WWF champion through one of my other clients, Inside The Ropes!
How did you end up where you are right now? When did you know you wanted to work in sport?
Luck! Honestly, I fell into this role. It all started with an interest in video games, I was good at writing from a young age and thought wouldn’t it be great to get paid to write about them!? So I set my sights on becoming a gaming journalist, then my passion for football outgrew gaming so I switched focus to becoming a football journalist. By the time I left university, journalism as I knew it was already on a step decline. I fell into digital marketing and as an offshoot of that and being deeply interested in Italian football I ended up as a social media manager for Juventus, just at the right time when social media wasn’t quite the juggernaut that it is today and at a time when more brands were starting to pay more attention to it for their marketing
What is your number one focus when it comes to your work?
Attention to detail. I always want to tell a story in the most exciting way possible, so I like to leave no stone unturned.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Embrace the unpredictability!
What are you excited about in your industry at the moment?
The continued growth of football and how it’s always reaching new and bigger audiences.
If you could change one thing about your Industry, what would you change?
More respect for roles. Too often I see positions for social media managers being listed that not only require them to do the duties of a social media manager but also fulfil the tasks of a graphic designer, a videographer an analyst and more! Also I see a lot of influencers skipping the queue ahead of reporters for presenting, where for some it’s more of a case of “how many followers have you got?” rather than “how good are you at telling the story?”
Sport is a hectic industry, what do you do to switch off?
Gym, gym and more gym! I’m really into my fitness and nutrition, it’s as big a passion for me as is football. I train six days a week and my outlook is that I don’t care if I’m working until 9pm at night, just as long as I get my daily session in. Besides pumping iron I also enjoy socialising, gaming and watching films.
If you were to give a piece of advice to someone wanting to do your role, what would you say?
Believe in yourself. Honestly, anything is possible in life. If a kid from South East London can end up on the other side of the world with Juventus in Singapore, sign autographs and pose for selfies with fans in the United States who mistook him for a player and shake hands with Cristiano Ronaldo, then you can too!
How to follow Charlie Rowing…
Follow my latest work on Instagram – @charlierowing
Charlie’s story is a perfect example of where self-belief and adaptability can take you in the fast-moving world of sport. For more behind-the-scenes insight from creatives and professionals shaping the industry, explore more from our Industry Insider series. You can also join nearly 2,600 sport professionals who receive our weekly newsletter here.
