Rory Smith Is Joining The Athletic

Hi all,

I'm so pleased to announce that Rory Smith is joining our newsroom at The Athletic to cover football/soccer.

Many of us have followed Rory's work over the years, as he's covered stories from every corner of the world as global sports correspondent most recently and chief soccer correspondent at The New York Times for eight years before that. His coverage is both holistic and penetrating - looking at the game from every possible angle, including the role soccer plays in culture and fashion, how fans consume the sport in an era of digital media proliferation and the many challenges the sport faces.

Before joining The Times, Rory spent portions of his career at the Times of London, ESPN, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph. He's also the author of two books: "Mister" and "Expected Goals."

With the experience of covering six World Cups and five European Championships - in addition to taking in deep interviews and groundbreaking profiles - we're excited for the extensive global insights Rory will deliver to our increasingly worldwide base of readers.

Rory will be collaborating closely with our UK team, in addition to the vast global operation we've been setting up to own every significant story in soccer for fans wherever they are in the world. Please join me in welcoming him as he officially starts with us on November 18.

Laura