Gills 365: The new home of independent, professional Gillingham FC coverage

Back in the dim and distant past, Gills 365 used to be the go-to site for independent Gillingham FC news and reports, as well as the Gills 365 Forum. Now, after more than 10 years, Gills 365 is officially back to offer fans a brand new way to follow the Gills online.

Much has happened since the days of the old site, but one thing that has stayed the same is the dearth of quality coverage of the club we all love. With only one local newspaper and our local BBC radio station providing any sort of professional coverage, there’s plenty of room for something a bit different – a dedicated site run specifically for Gillingham FC fans.

I’ve worked in the sports media industry since 1999, and have seen first-hand how the industry has changed for the worse. SEO-driven business models led to the onset of a “clicks over coverage” approach, with journalists left to write stories and headlines to appease search engine algorithms, not human beings. The importance of documenting sport got lost along the way, with proper sports coverage increasingly being replaced by a relentless pursuit of the next “snackable” viral story.

I’ve teamed up with CounterPress to relaunch Gills 365 as a brand new way for fans to follow Gillingham Football Club. I'll bring you the match-to-match coverage you’d expect, but that’s only the start. I'll also look to bring you features, considered opinion, and feature interviews with key figures, past and present. 

I'll also be launching two new podcasts, with the first, Blood, Sweat & Gills, seeing me team up with one of the most respected fan vloggers in the EFL, Gills In The Blood TV's Matt Boosey, as we discuss the big Gillingham FC-related talking points of the week.

Back in the day, the original Gills 365 Podcast was one of the very first fan-driven podcasts in the Football League. That was so long ago, we had to type out the podcast feed by hand. Thankfully, technology has moved on a little since then!

What we won’t have to do is hit article-count or pageview targets, and we certainly won’t need to spread our coverage across other sports or teams in the region. What you’ll get here is Gillingham FC coverage, written by a lifelong Gillingham FC fan, 365 days of the year – hence the site’s name.

You won’t get popups, autoplay videos or pages packed with annoying, intrusive adverts. And as for those frustrating surveys you have to complete to read the rest of an article, they’re nowhere to be seen. 

As for me, I won’t be in the press box at Priestfield. I’ll be in the same seat where I’ve had a season ticket for more than a decade. As things progress, I hope to work with the club to help bring you the best coverage I can, but the coverage itself will remain independent, as it should be. 

Also, unlike previous iterations of the site from years past, Gills 365 is now a fully-fledged part of my day job as a freelance sports writer. This site is not a side project or a hobby – it’s my work.

For £5 per month, or £50 a year, I’ll bring you top-to-tail coverage of Gillingham FC, delivered with the professionalism of a veteran sportswriter, and the authenticity and passion that you can only get from a lifelong Gillingham FC fan, all for less than the price of a pint per month. 

You can be a part of the coverage, too. Our second podcast, Gills 365 Voice Notes, is a special fan-driven show where our members can directly share their instant reaction and help tell the story of Gillingham's season, via their own opinions, thoughts and reactions, throughout the campaign.

As I mentioned above, this is all now part of my day job. In return for supporting my work and becoming a Gills 365 member, I'll do my best to give you the Gillingham coverage you deserve.

I hope you enjoy the site. It’s good to be back!