Aerial view of Singleton Campus with the beach in the background

Ms Júlia Belas Trindade

Lecturer in Sports Communication

Media

julia.belastrindade@swansea.ac.uk

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6551-4972

About

Júlia Belas Trindade is a Lecturer in Sports Communication at Swansea University and a PhD researcher at the School of Modern Languages at the University of Bristol. She is both a scholar and a practising sports journalist, specialising in women’s football, with over a decade of experience covering the game in Brazil and internationally.

She holds a BA in Social Communications and Journalism from the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), in Brazil, and an MA in Sports Journalism from St Mary's University, Twickenham. Her research sits at the intersections of sports media, sociology, and cultural studies, with a particular emphasis on gender, race and sexuality.

Her PhD project examines the media representation of women’s footballers in Brazil, focusing on how players from different backgrounds experience prejudice and bias in coverage. Central to her work are the voices of current and former Brazil women’s national team players. She has also published on issues of discrimination, activism, and equity in sport.

Beyond academia, Júlia has worked as a freelance journalist covering major tournaments including the 2024 Olympic Games, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros, editions of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, England’s Women’s Super League, and Brazilian national competitions. She writes for The Guardian’s women’s football newsletter Moving The Goalposts and contributes regularly to Brazilian, British and English-speaking media outlets about women's football.

Taught Modules

MS-114 Delivering and Decoding the News

This engaging and hands-on module opens the door to the world of journalism, blending critical insight with practical experience. In the first half, you¿ll dive into the foundational ideas that shape journalism ¿ tracing its evolution and examining how it both reflects and influences social, political, and technological change. Through thought-provoking discussions and real-world case studies, you¿ll explore what journalism is, what it could be, and why it matters more than ever in today¿s complex media landscape. The second half of the module shifts from theory to practice. You¿ll begin developing the essential skills of a journalist: spotting newsworthy stories, writing with clarity and impact, conducting effective interviews, and navigating the ethical challenges of reporting. You¿ll engage with current news events, critically analysing how stories are framed and the effects they have on public understanding. By the end of the module, you won¿t just understand journalism ¿ you¿ll be ready to start doing it. With a strong foundation in both theory and practice, you¿ll gain the confidence and tools to begin producing your own journalistic work.
MS-243 Pitch Perfect: Sports Commentary and Punditry

Whether spoken or written, describing the action of any sporting endeavour is a form of spontaneous composition. Much like the players, commentators and live-blog ticker writers have put in hundreds and probably thousands of hours of reporting boot camp before they find themselves as the authoritative narrator of any major sporting event. The ability to report at this level, in a manner which appears effortless, almost casual, is the direct result of deliberate practice. Through practice, commentators have learned to convey the action that is taking place on the pitch as it happens with accuracy, clarity and concision, three essential qualities of sports storytelling. Like the players, commentators understand their audiences' expectations. They know that they need to fulfil the key purpose of effortless sports commentary - to give an objective, fluent, accurate interpretation of what is happening on the track, pitch, court or field. By studying some key commentary theories, and through listening to the insights given by professional sports commentators, students will gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to embark on the art of sport interpretation and narration.
MS-344 Sports Public Relations

The Sports Public Relations module will offer an advanced level introduction to the role communications play within the sporting arena, and how public relations, advertising, marketing, branding and social media help shape our perceptions of its stars, teams and disciplines. Through a combination of theoretical analyses, practical assignments and dissection of recent and historical case studies, we will explore how communication ensures sport today is as much about business as it is about entertainment for fans. Over the course of the module, students will each develop and implement an authentic multi-media and cross-platform promotional campaign for one of Swansea University's many Sports Societies. A Sports Public Relations Symposium will be held during Week 4, where students will learn about the practical realities of sports public relations practitioners' professional lives. This will also form a part of the module's assessment methodology. In the event that a student cannot attend the symposium, for good reason, they will be directed to a recording of the symposium available via Canvas, and will not therefore be disadvantaged.

Ms Júlia Belas Trindade

Email address

Research Links

About

Taught Modules

MS-114 Delivering and Decoding the News

MS-243 Pitch Perfect: Sports Commentary and Punditry

MS-344 Sports Public Relations