Emerging sports journalist Chris Kourtis was recognised for his coverage of the Eastern Football Netball League, taking home the Clinton Grybas Media Award at the EFNL Chandler Medal Night.
Kourtis started covering the EFNL as an intern in 2023 as part of his sports journalism studies at Deakin University and has stayed on as a volunteer the last two seasons.
“It’s a massive honour, really nice to get recognition especially in a volunteer role and for it to be peer voted as well means a lot,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“It makes all of the work that goes into the season worth it and it’s also very encouraging to see that I’m moving in the right direction with what I’m doing.”
Like you see with an AFL broadcast Kourtis and co will deliver pregame coverage, commentate the game, conduct interviews and deliver post-match analysis.
There is also preview and review podcasts during the week.
“I’ve always wanted to do sport media, whether it was like commentating or photos… I just always wanted to do something with sports,” he said.
“I just figured I’m fairly good at writing – well I like to think so – I’ll give sport journalism a crack and yeah, it’s been great.”
Through uni Kourtis has reported on soccer, Australian soccer and the English Premier League, sailing, AFL and local footy like he does now.
A Hawthorn supporter in the AFL, Arsenal in the EPL, PAOK for the Greek Super League, Western United in the A-League, which he said leaves him in a tough spot now, as well as Heidelberg United in the NPL, Kourtis has loved watching Heidelberg’s success this year.
While soccer has always been his favourite, covering the EFNL has grown his fondness of Aussie rules footy.
“I always thought I’d eventually go and do soccer and do commentary for the NPL Victoria and all that stuff but the more I’ve done the footy and the EFNL, the more I like it,” he said.
“Although soccer is still my passion, it’s still my favourite sport, covering the footy I found it a lot more interesting just because it’s more like quicker pace, there’s more going on.
“(In the future) I’d love to do what I’m doing now, but really with any professional league whether that’s the AFL, whether it’s the A-League, could be the NBL, if it’s anything involved in sport like commentary, interviews, stats, print journalism… because that’s where my passion is.”
