Ask the experts: Breaking into sports journalism

"Wish I had a pound for everyone who comes to see me saying 'I'd like a job in sports journalism'", says training adviser at the Sports Journalists' Association Keith Elliott.

Judging by the amount of aspiring sports journos I've trained and worked aside, I reckon he'd have at least enough for a season ticket at Old Trafford...for the next 20 years or so.

Joking aside though, the thing is, according to Keith, many of the people who want a job rarely have the qualifications to match their ambitions.

If you want to work on a sports desk, you'll need to learn core journalistic skills - knowing the first names of the Liverpool team isn't enough, says Keith, who is also chairman of specialist journalism training company PMA Media Training.

In a blog on the Sport Journalists' Association website, he wrote: "You are very unlikely to start as a sports journalist …What you need to do is to become a journalist first.

He adds: "Editors want people who are immediately useful, rather than enthusiastic amateurs. The latter are a liability: they work too slowly, miss out key facts, can't spell or punctuate and make too many mistakes."

Now, not everyone is going to agree with his final point, but there's one thing it's hard to deny; you may also want to invest in a good coat. Sports journalist Denise Watson told the BBC how the downside of her job can be shivering in the rain and snow while watching a game in the winter.

If you're keen on knowing more about what it takes to make a living in sports journalism, and what skills and experience you'll need - and where to pick them up - we're running a live Q&A to offer you advice. Whatever sports desk position, broadcasting role or type of sports coverage you've got your eye on, join a panel of experts on Friday 19 August from 1pm until 4pm - advance questions are welcome.

To keep up-to-date with our regular Q&A sessions, you can now sign-up for our newsletter here.

Our panel:

Steven Downes has been the honorary secretary of the Sports Journalists' Association (SJA) since 2005. The SJA has more than 800 members including reporters, editors, photographers and broadcasters. Steven has been a sports journalist for 25 years, working for a range of national newspapers and broadcasters.

Keith Elliott is a committee member of the Sports Journalists' association, specialising in careers advice. He has worked on several national papers, and been a sports columnist for the Independent, The Guardian and the Sunday Mirror. As chairman of PMA Media Training, he has delivered journalism training in countries as varied as Vietnam, the US, Pakistan, Russia and Finland.

Jed Novick is a senior lecturer at the University of Brighton. Jed has worked for most of the national papers, set up three national magazines and written 10 books, including two football books.

Mitch Pryce is currently head of sports journalism at Staffordshire University and a freelance member of BBC's Match of the Day production team. He is a former sports editor at ITV and has worked on World Cups, Champions League and the Olympics. Mitch has won several prizes for producing sports documentaries including two Royal Television Society awards.

Ashley Broadley worked at the Telegraph & Argus in Bradford before joining the Press Association in 1999 as a general news reporter in the north of England. He moved to London in 2003 as night editor on the news desk, before returning up north to head up the sports team in Howden as sports editor in 2007.

Rob Smyth is a freelance journalist who writes for the Guardian. He'll be online between 2pm and 3pm.

Simon Haydon is international sports editor in charge of all non-US coverage at The Associated Press. Simon has been a journalist for 32 years and has worked as a foreign correspondent in many countries.

Stuart Fraser is a freelance sports journalist who has worked for a number of different media outlets including Sky Sports News, BBC Radio Scotland, the Sun and the Herald. He mainly covers tennis and football, although he has covered a wide variety of sports.