Your Zone Friday: A load of balls
Things we’ve done and things we like this week
This week Zone are thinking about a load of balls. (Except our Channel 4 Food team, that is. They’re thinking about cake.) We’re talking, of course, about the start of the football season. Here, then, is our heavily sport-themed round-up of the week…
Three things we've done
Met a footballing enigma
This week our BT Life’s A Pitch team had the pleasure of an exclusive interview with umbrella-touting football manager Steve McClaren, now back in English football and no longer sporting his Dutch accent. Steve knows a lot about football – as he didn’t prove as England manager – and if you think you do too, why not join us in our BT Life’s A Pitch fantasy football league?
Done some press-ups
Our Coca-Cola team recently had the pleasure of meeting Toni Minichiello. No, not a character from The Sopranos, but elite coach to UK athletics’ pin-up girl Jessica Ennis. Put your leotard on and watch this video we shot. What’s that, you don’t have a leotard? Well instead get your hands on some Team GB training kit on this page we made for Powerade.
Smelled something fishy
Not everyone in the country is excited about the new football season. Some people are excited by fish, like our Channel 4 Food team. They’ve created a load of exciting stuff around Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Big Fish Fight such as this handy guide to buying sustainable fish and this collection of mackerel recipes. They’ve been carping on about it all week. (Sorry.)
Beardstrokable infogram
This week’s data makeover
The start of the football season has got us in more of a frenzy than Joey Barton on Twitter. Here's our percentage breakdown of who supports who in the Zone office.
Zone hero of the week
Before our new recruit Gabby Golding turned her hand to digital account management, she was a cheerleader for West Ham United - a Hammerette! (That's her second from the right.)
Tea or coffee? Neither! Gabby's body is a temple.
Geek of the Week speaks
Our tech team are on a mission to shed their nerdy reputation. We chart their progress…
Idea from junior developer Lydia Nicholas: "To show the tech team can be both human and funny, I’ve started a career in stand-up comedy." This isn't even a joke, for Lydia is actually appearing at the Edinburgh Festival with her crew Fat Kitten Improv, presumably with a whole range of World Of Warcraft gags.
‘I made this’
Zone staff share their creative moments
This week: Senior writer Mike Grady blogs about the tale of two Frenchmen: Thierry Henry’s emotional return to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Arsène Wenger’s continued defensive problems.
NEWSFLASH!
As if working at Zone wasn't an adrenalin-fuelled rush enough, account director Joanna Martin, account manager Hannah Robinson (pictured) and account executive Matt Brown flung themselves out of a plane. For actual fun. "It was nothing compared to producing a Gant chart," quipped Hannah.
Three things we like
The blogzine
The Seventy Two Unfortunates Football League Preview
Two of our favourite football blogs The Seventy Two and The Two Unfortunates joined forces to create this nifty guide to the Football League season, with contributions sourced from key social influencers from each club.
The Tweeter
twitter.com/TheBig_Sam
Not actually West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, but rather one of Twitter's most consistently hilarious - and highly offensive - spoof accounts.
The podcast
The Red, White and Blue Podcast
Three lads who prove that combining football and humour isn't strictly confined to Arsenal's defence. Their weekly podcasts are a breath of fresh footballing air.
