The Herald on Sunday's Michael Burgess has been named Football Writer of the Year.
Burgess is a first-time winner of the award, among seven announced on Friday by the New Zealand Football Media Association.
Category judge Bob Pearce said: "The standard was uniformly high and an indication of the rise in quality of football writing in the past 10 years. The top award goes to Michael Burgess for a portfolio which ranges from news breaks to a fascinating reminder of Kosta Barbarouses and his strange existence in a remote Russian City. He writes in an easy-to-read style that sustains interest."
His winning portfolio also included an exclusive report on teenager Tim Payne being signed by Blackburn Rovers, an in-depth examination of the 'Horror in Honiara', including revelations about the New Zealand Football review into the Oceania Nations Cup debacle, and a piece on how relegation to the Championship with West Ham was the making of All Whites captain Winston Reid.
Burgess continues the football writing success of the Herald on Sunday. Former HoS sports journalist Michael Brown won the award a record five times from 2005 to 2010, and was highly commended the past two years.
