Freelance lifestyle: Martiene Bruggink on life in editorial and production for ESPN, UEFA and the KNVB International Womens Day 2021 focus By Heather McLean, Editor
Monday, March 8, 2021 - 10:40
Print This Story
Martiene Bruggink on site working for UEFA with her twin sister, Hilde, working as floor manager. Guess who's who?
When her brother, Dutch former football player Arnold Bruggink, was interviewed at home by the press when she was in her early 20s, Martiene Bruggink got her first taste of journalism in action and saw her career path spreading out before her.
Bruggink, who is now a freelancer in editorial and production working for ESPN, UEFA, and the Netherlands Football Association, KNVB, comments on that fateful day: My brother was a professional football player, and a journalist [from Canal+] visited our home for a video about him.
I love live sports, and always have loved it. For myself, I love working on events. Something that has a beginning and an end. The red light goes on and as of that time you have to be focussed and sharp. And when the lights go off, it is done
At that time we started to talk, and after a few months he phoned me (and my twin sister Hilde,) to see if we were interested in a job at Canal+. It felt great as of the first moment; exactly what I have always wanted.
Sports obsession
She goes on: I have loved sports since I was a kid, being sporting myself, playing volleyball and tennis, but also watching it. Football, tennis, Olympics, speed skating; all live sports. I can't remember what the exact moment was, but I once saw a behind the scenes video and as of that moment I thought I would love to work behind the scenes in TV and sports.
Martiene Bruggink on site with the Dutch national team
At the time Bruggink joined Canal+ as an editor, the broadcaster had just acquired rights for live Dutch football from KNVB. She progressed onto working as a producer and production manager, but it has always been a combination between editorial and production work that I loved, she notes.
At the beginning I started as a floor manager for Eredivisie matches. I loved and still love that job. You are part of a production, have to act and react, and never know what is going to happen.
Since 2008 my twin sister and I started our own company, Bruggink & Bruggink. In 2009 the KNVB asked me to be one of the media officers of the Netherlands team. As of today I still have that role, she continues.
It is difficult to mention highlights of my career, though, Bruggink says. I have worked on World Cups and Euro's, although both the World Cup 2010 and especially 2014 were amazing to be part of. In 2010, it was my first tournament; the Netherlands team lost the final against Spain. And in 2014 the Netherlands team was not favourite for the tournament, but they won the third place.
Since 2009 she has also worked as a venue operations and broadcast manager (VOBM) for UEFA, which has enabled her to travel throughout Europe and meet a wide range of people, which she has enjoyed.
Martiene Bruggink working for the Dutch national team: I love every part of it. As a freelancer it fits, because the Netherlands team is never playing when the Eredivisie, UEFA Champions League or Europa League is going on. And I love the different roles and responsibilities. It is never boring and always different
Freelance life
She comments on the freelance life in sports broadcasting: I love every part of it. As a freelancer it fits, because the Netherlands team is never playing when the Eredivisie, UEFA Champions League or Europa League is going on. And I love the different roles and responsibilities. It is never boring and always different.
I love live sports, and always have loved it. For myself, I love working on events. Something that has a beginning and an end. The red light goes on and as of that time you have to be focussed and sharp. And when the lights go off, it is done.
Bruggink says sometimes she has to take a step back from being in the midst of the excitement of an event to look around and realise just how much she appreciates her career.
She explains: Before the final of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was there. I found it amazing to be there as well. At that moment I realised I was a lucky person, working, doing something I love and being a (small) part of the big event that was going on. And when Nelson Mandela was there, I realised how big it was.
However, she adds: Sometimes it is hard to work during weekends and holidays. But on the other hand that is also what I love about it.
Martiene Bruggink working on site in Holland on a match with the Dutch national team versus Indonesia
Adjusting to her varied roles takes time, she notes: As always when you start a job, you have to get to know it and make it your own. You can't copy it because you have to do it your way. Maybe that is the most challenging part of it. Making it yours and getting your best skills to the front.
Her top tip for others looking to move into sports broadcasting is simply, if you really want it, go for it .
She concludes: Enjoy it and work hard. Don't complain and be part of the team. It doesn't matter you are a woman; if you are good in what you do, you will be respected. Don't act differently because you are a woman, be yourself. It will be great if it is what you love.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
Freelance lifestyle: Martiene Bruggink on life in editorial and production for ESPN, UEFA and the KNVB International Womens Day 2021 focus By Heather McLean, Editor 
