Ever wonder what it’s like to watch an MLS match from the press box?

Got smart opinions or analysis to share?

Want to contribute to the Philly soccer community?

The Philly Soccer Page is looking for volunteer writers and editors for the upcoming season.

If you’re interested, please email pandrews@phillysoccerpage.com and dwalsh@phillysoccerpage.com. Please send 1-3 writing/photography samples, tell us about your soccer and writing/photography backgrounds, and let us know what interests you at PSP. As PSP is run fully by volunteers, we ask only as much time of you as you have to give.

PSP is a volunteer publication, of course, but we strive to put out high-quality, professional work. Many of our writers and photographers have turned their PSP experience into new opportunities, including full-time and freelance jobs in journalism and professional sports. For example, two PSP contributors left PSP for full-time jobs with Philadelphia Union, and one of them is one of the best writers in American soccer today.

Here are some of the topics we know we want covered, but there is plenty more than this. Basically, if it’s soccer and linked to the Philadelphia media market — which stretches from Delaware and Cape May on north to Trenton and the Poconos and west to Harrisburg — then we’re interested. And just because you start with us writing about one thing, it doesn’t mean you’ll always do that. All our top Union writers started off writing about other things.

Here’s what we need right now, but please note that we’re open to more than just this.

• Daily editors

Our articles don’t post themselves. Instead, a team of editors — one assigned to each weekday — works with our writers and photographers to edit and schedule a day’s worth of posts. PSP is looking for 1-2 individuals to join our group of daily editors. Editors should be available one morning per week to handle duties for that day. Attention to detail, organizational skills, and excellent sense of grammar and style are important characteristics for this role. Familiarity with WordPress is helpful but not essential.

• Daily roundups

PSP is looking for 2-3 people to help write our daily news roundups, the first post published each day of the week during the season. Roundup writers are assigned to one day per week (or more, if the writer wants) and compile the day’s news by 9 a.m. each morning. The goal is to make the roundups fun for both the writer and readers, so a light humorous touch is absolutely welcome.

• Writers & columnists

We’re looking for writers on a variety of topics, including Philadelphia Union and Union II, Reading United, Ocean City Nor’easters, and other local soccer clubs and events such as the U.S. Open Cup. It also means handling other regular features, local grassroots soccer coverage, and U.S. and other national team matches played in the Philadelphia area. We generally start writers on the local soccer and/or Union II beat and mix in Union opportunities once you have some experience. We’ve been at this for years and can train you so that, by the time you do your first home game alone, you’ve already taken some test runs alongside one of our veteran writers. Location in the Philadelphia area and the ability to attend training and midweek press conferences is a plus, but not required.

If this kind of coverage doesn’t sound like your speed, don’t fear.  We’d also like to add a few columnists to write weekly or biweekly columns about MLS, Philadelphia Union, and other soccer topics tied to the Philadelphia region. By “column,” we mean pieces that are commentary, analysis, and/or opinion. This can include writing our regular post-match analysis feature that runs after every Union match. Columns generally run about 500-800 words. We’re looking for smart, independent-minded writing. One post per week on average.

• Videographers

We’re looking for one or two folks to anchor PSP’s video coverage. PSP videographers attend Union home matches and shoot the post-game press conference, interviews with the players, and the post-game show with PSP writers and guests. In the past, videographers have also conducted pre- and post-match interviews with fans down at Subaru Park and covered other area soccer events. Videographers also manage video editing and uploading the finished product to YouTube. The role is very much what you make of it.

Prospective videographers should have their own equipment and some proficiency with video editing software.

• Other

Got an idea that you’d like to see added to PSP? Pitch us! (That’s where, for example, the SEBA feature that ran for several years on the site came from.) If it’s soccer-related and Philly-related, we’d love to hear what you have in mind.