The judging panel

The Barclays Aspiring Football Writer Competition judging panel is made up of:

Mark Bright, BBC pundit and columnist for The Metro

Mark Bright is a former footballer who now works in the media. ‘Brighty’, who played as a striker, enjoyed spells in the top flight with Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday, before helping Charlton Athletic reach the Premier League for the first time in their history in 1998. Since retiring in 1999, Mark has become a pundit for BBC Sport and is also a columnist for the Metro newspaper.

Steve Bates, Chairman of the Football Writers’ Association

Steve Bates is Chairman of the Football Writer’s Association, and a highly respected figure within football journalism. He currently writes for The People.

Mike Anstead, Sports Editor of the MailOnline

Mike Anstead is the sports editor of MailOnline, Britain’s leading newspaper website. Mike started out as a sports reporter at the Barking & Dagenham Post and went on to work at both the Guardian and the Sun before joining the Mail in 2009.

Dan Wass, Current Accounts Director at Barclays

Dan Wass has been with Barclays since 2001. As Current Accounts Director, he now leads the Current Accounts and Debit Cards business within the UK Retail Bank.

The judges will get together after the competition closes in February 2012 to choose the winning article, as well as three runners-up – check back here for all the latest news.