Tom Ritchie Bio

Tom Ritchie

News writer

📝 Bio: I'm a freelance sports journalist and feature writer working in football and American football. After moving to Berlin on a whim four years ago, I have been writing about the culture of the German game for my self-published newsletter and numerous outlets. From covering grassroots games to visiting some of the Bundesliga's biggest stadiums, learning more about German football has reignited my passion for writing about football. My work has been published by GOAL, When Saturday Comes and MUNDIAL. 

My Football Story: It all started at The Valley. My dad took me to see my first game in the last few weeks of the 1997-98 season; a campaign that finished with Charlton beating Sunderland in the best playoff-final of all-time. I was there, and from that moment on, I was hooked. A season ticket holder during the club's glory years, weekly trips to The Valley primed me for years of active football fandom. After finishing university, me and a group of mates spent a month in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 World Cup. Since moving to Berlin, I've become a member at Union Berlin. Again, I got in at the right time, watching this small community-based club punch well above its weight in the Europa League and Champions League. After a decade of writing about business for trade publications and national newspapers, I decided to follow my life's passion to pursue a career in sports writing. 

🎯 Areas of Expertise: 

  • Feature writing 
  • German football and its associated history/culture
  • Expert football opinion and analysis 
  • News writing

🌟 Favourite Footballing Memory: Standing on the Copacabana Beach with some of my best mates, waiting for England to take on Italy in the opening game of the 2014 World Cup. It felt like we were a part of something truly special. When Raheem Sterling scored that 'ghost goal', the ensuing dog pile of England supporters celebrating was one of the biggest outpourings of joy I have ever been a part of. It took us a solid three minutes to realise the ball actually had not found the back of the Italian net because we were celebrating so much.

Articles by Tom Ritchie
  1. Mid-flight mayhem for Guimaraes, Joelinton

    Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton have been delayed in reporting for Brazil international duty, as the plane carrying the two Newcastle team-mates was forced to turn around due to a broken window. Both players are part of Carlo Ancelotti's squad to face South Korea and Japan and were expected to report in time for a training session this afternoon in Seoul.

  2. FIFA: Trump cannot change location of World Cup games

    A FIFA vice president said that U.S. President Donald Trump cannot decide which cities host games in the 2026 World Cup. Victor Montagliani, who is also president of CONCACAF, was speaking at a conference in London after Trump suggested he could move games away from cities he thought might be "even a little dangerous for the World Cup.”

  3. Electric Magpies thump Union SG as superb Gordon scores brace

    Newcastle put forward a dominant display in their 4-0 win away win over Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise. Eddie Howe's side were ruthless in attack, with Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Gordon linking well in their first start together as a trio. Woltemade opened the scoring with a clever flick, before Gordon twice bagged from the spot with substitute Harvey Barnes adding the fourth.

  4. Pogba's birthday antics! Chef to Premier League stars reveals all

    Private chef Johnny Marsh has revealed his secrets in cooking for a host of current and former Premier League stars including Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen and Paul Pogba. Ahead of the release of his debut cookbook, the 28-year-old lifted the lid on a number of anecdotes from his career, including catering Pogba's birthday party that shook the walls of a Manchester hotel.

  5. Nuno Espirito Santo

    Nuno is back: West Ham confirm ex-Forest boss

    West Ham have confirmed the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as the club's new head coach, replacing Graham Potter just hours after the latter was sacked on Saturday. Nuno has agreed to personal terms with the east London club, and is expected to be officially unveiled as the Hammers new boss ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton on Monday. Potter was sacked after winning just six of his 25 games in charge.

  6. Howe's plans to get Newcastle scoring again

    Eddie Howe is putting his Newcastle players through post-game training sessions to bolster their attacking output, as the Magpies seek to replace the goalscoring prowess of Alexander Isak. With record-signing Nick Woltemade bagging just once in his first three appearances, and Yoanne Wissa out through injury, Newcastle's manager is hoping to get his whole team firing to kickstart their season.

  1. Man Utd to scrap new stadium's controversial canopy design

    Manchester United have drawn up alternative plans of the 'new' Old Trafford, due to problems in purchasing the required land for the controversial re-design. Those plans, originally released in March, would see a three-pronged canopy envelop the stadium. However, reports suggest the purchase of land required for the stadium's increased footprint could be eight times more expensive than expected.

  2. Foden and Doku dazzle as Haaland scores again

    Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli on Thursday. Despite dominating the ball in the early stages, the visitors quickly became content to sit in a low block, soaking up City pressure before looking to hit on the counter. After a long range effort from Tijani Reijnders stung the gloves of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action to stop a Sam Beukema header from a Napoli corner.

  3. Palmer and Caicedo's heroics not enough in derby draw

    Chelsea looked to have stolen all three points over local rivals Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, before a last-minute tap-in by Fabio Carvalho earned the Bees a 2-2 draw. The Blues had taken the lead thanks to second half goals by Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo. The Blues had fallen behind to Kevin Schade's opener in the 29th minute.