U-Media Educational Platform Officially Launched

Learn, Practise, Shine – these three words encapsulate the core values of U-Media, an innovative new platform offering a wealth of educational materials and interactive activities for students aspiring to careers in sports media. Whether you're looking to deepen your knowledge of a particular sport, build up a specialised vocabulary for sports journalism, or publish your own news article with professional feedback – this is the place to start: umedia-education.org.

The development of the next generation of sports media professionals in Germany and across Europe is receiving a significant boost, thanks to a European Union decision to fund a pioneering initiative of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games through the Erasmus+ programme (PIC 878413862, Project 101184399 — UMA). Running from December to the end of September, the U-Media project provides young reporters, photographers, and commentators with expert-curated resources packed with practical advice, guidance, and best practices.

The initiative is built around four key pillars (U-Media Ambassadors, U-Media Expert Lectures, U-Media Student Newshub, U-Media Learning Hub), enthusiastically supported by a consortium of partner organisations: the University of Porto (Portugal), Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart (Germany), University of Tübingen (Germany), and AWO Südwest gGmbH (T_OHR) (Germany).

U-Media Ambassadors

Twelve U-Media Ambassadors – six from Germany and six from other EU countries – have been selected to join the broader Young Sports Media Talents team at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games. These ambassadors will contribute to media coverage from the mixed zones of the world’s largest multi-sport event for student-athletes. A full list of participants will be announced soon.

U-Media Expert Lectures

This lecture series offers students interested in sports media valuable insights into reporting, photography, and commentary. Open to all media-enthusiastic students, the sessions are also designed to support U-Media Ambassadors and selected young professionals as they prepare for their roles at the FISU Games, drawing on the experience of seasoned experts. Participation is free and voluntary. The schedule of lectures is available online.

U-Media Student Newshub

The Student Newshub is a dynamic platform enabling students to share their perspectives on university sports, FISU events, Rhine-Ruhr 2025, and NUSF activities. Students are invited to submit news articles and photographs that capture the excitement and importance of these topics. Selected content will be published on the project website. This initiative promotes student journalism and international collaboration, giving young storytellers the opportunity to showcase their work and reach a global audience. Submit your article here.

U-Media Learning Hub

The Learning Hub offers an in-depth educational resource across 18 sports, covering competition formats, rules, glossaries, athlete profiles (Hall of Fame), referee decisions (You Be the Judge), and sports equipment. Resources include downloadable materials, interactive quizzes, and videos. The hub also offers tailored advice for media professionals:

Start exploring the hub here.

Voices from the Project

Maxim Berdnikov, Manager of Media Services and Erasmus+ Project Coordinator at Rhine-Ruhr 2025, stated: “Building on the established FISU Young Reporters programme, the U-Media Erasmus+ project has allowed us to meet key objectives and create a meaningful legacy for student reporters. The platform provides ample time for training, organises materials in a structured, open-access format, and fosters international knowledge-sharing among students.”

Phil Humphreys, Publication Manager and Project Coordinator, added: “It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with students in developing the educational materials. With over a decade of experience in sports journalism, I approached this project from the perspective of a working journalist, identifying what would be most beneficial to students covering major sports events. I believe this will be a valuable resource for the next generation of sports media professionals.”

The project website is available via this link.