Swindon Town have responded to uproar from fans after advertising voluntary media positions with high requirements.

The football club tweeted on Monday that new ‘media professional’ positions within the media team were available.

Within the actual criteria of the position, it was stated that although the role was unpaid, the applicant should bring their own equipment, such as cameras, laptop, or mobile phone, and have access to travel or have a driving license.

It led to a largely negative reaction from fans on Twitter.

Football journalist Amos Murphy : “You can’t be a volunteer and a professional at the same time. It doesn’t work like that.

“Pay your media staff properly, especially if you’re listing roles that require experience and/or a driving licence.

“It’s borderline exploitation in this context, especially considering the level of experience they’re demanding.”

The mood amongst fans remained similar on the matter, with many calling out the club for posting the position advert.

“You really need to stop advertising roles that require experience but then are voluntary and require own equipment and a driving license,” said one fan.

“Really thought you’d want to try and help young media people starting out.”

Another fan, Matt Stead, added: “I love my football club but you’ve got this really wrong. Football clubs and the working class have a long history.

"This feels like exploitation, is very cheap and is an embarrassing comms disaster.”

The League Two club have since responded to the negative reaction by issuing the Adver with a statement.

Dave Wrixton, Head of Media at the Robins, said: “As a football club, we are committed to providing opportunities for individuals to gain valuable insights across every area of the business, whether that’s through internships, work experience or volunteering.

“Like many League Two clubs, we rely on emerging talent and those who wish to pursue a career in football media to volunteer their services in any capacity they can, and this has huge benefits for both.

“The individual gets to bolster their CV by gaining experience in a professional football environment, enhance their skillset and bring creative ideas to life, while the club gets an extra pair of hands to continue improving their output.

“Here at Swindon Town, our media team is smaller than most, consisting of two full-time employees, managing everything from first-team and player PR, video content and graphic design, providing content across our platforms at all home and away fixtures, producing our matchday programme and much more besides.

“Although we already fulfil many requests for work experience placements, we can always benefit from volunteers who can give up their time on a more consistent basis.

“This opportunity was aimed at individuals aspiring to break into the media industry in the football sector, which can be incredibly challenging, and offering them an opportunity to utilise their skills.

“These are unpaid but with all expenses covered, and we only asked for the ability to travel or hold a valid driving license as applicants would be encouraged to attend away fixtures for academy and women’s games.

“When we refer to possessing their own equipment, we merely meant the ability to capture content on mobile phones, with a laptop to compose articles or edit video a bonus.

“We’re aware our web and social post has caused some negativity, and we’ll be reviewing this in due course to provide more clarity and avoid any further misinterpretation.”