Following the first round of matches after the resumption of English football, The British Press Photographers Association are delighted with the working relationship that they have created following the Premier League’s launch of Operation Restart.
The BPPA board have been instrumental in securing positions for the smaller agencies and freelancers across the UK proportionate to access given to the newswires and publication positions.
Before we undertook the project there was no Pool C – which meant no access for those outside of the national and international agencies and newspapers.
The goal we set out in gaining positions was achieved and in continuance with fairness for all and to be representative of the whole industry. Members took a vote on a random draw system with the majority voting in favour of the draw.
The board undertook a huge juggling act adhering to the Premier League and individual club requests, whilst supporting sports photographers at their time of need during a global pandemic which brought much of our industry to its knees.
New relationships have been forged as a result of this process and the BPPA are now in constant communication with the Premier League, Data Co Ltd, the English Football League as well as press officers at the majority of the member clubs.
This is a positive step forward for our association. We welcome the new relationships that we have formed as a result of our involvement with Operation Restart with the clubs and league now approaching and involving us is a huge leap forward for the BPPA.
This temporary ‘working solution’, albeit not ideal for everyone, is as fair as it can be and ensures that the match access opportunities for the smaller agencies are distributed on an rota basis. We have worked hard with the individual clubs to find a common ground which means that access is offered to all license holders.
The BPPA are happy to continue operating this draw system on behalf of photographers and the individual clubs and we would ask that all Data Co Ltd licence holders applying for games respect the process in place.
Positive feedback from club press officers has been very encouraging for the BPPA and we request that anyone who has any concerns with the accreditation process speak to us directly rather than the clubs as they have been inundated with calls from photographers.
Covid-19 has placed a massive amount of pressure on everyone in the industry and we are happy to work with you all to make as positive an outcome as possible for everyone in our industry.
The BPPA is an organisation that prides itself on ethics, professionalism and camaraderie for every one of our colleagues.
