Robert Kidd

Freelance journalist in Valencia, Spain.

Spain

I’m an award-winning, multi-platform freelance journalist with a talent for uncovering and telling compelling stories.

I've reported news and feature articles for various international media including in Australia, the US and the UK on everything from travel and sport to beer, business and science. I've written for media including Forbes, The Guardian, BBC Sport, Lonely Planet, The Telegraph, ABC News, The Australian, Beer Advocate, SBS, The Saturday Paper, QWeekend magazine, New Scientist and Off The Pitch.

I am based in Valencia, Spain, and available for commissions in Europe. Contact me at: [email protected]

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Sport

Forbes
Robert Kidd articles

I am a Senior Contributor for Forbes Sportsmoney, focusing on football (soccer). My articles, including interviews with top players, club owners and investors, are available here.

Forbes
How Purpose-Led Sports Partnerships Can Drive Positive Change

It is easy to feel cynical when an international brand trumpets its latest partnership as something special that will spark positive action or drive change. After all, the goal of for-profit businesses is, ultimately, to make a profit. The point of sponsoring a sporting event or competition is, ultimately, to sell more sneakers or subscriptions or soft drink.

Forbes
Why Arsenal's Hector Bellerin Refuses To Be Put In A Box

If such a thing as a "typical" professional soccer player exists, Héctor Bellerín is not it. Few players are as comfortable on the pitch as they are addressing the prestigious Oxford Union. Few players speak out about mental health or their concern for the future of the planet.

Forbes
The Common Goal Inspiring U.S. Soccer Co-Captain Alex Morgan

Soccer has given a lot to U.S. Women's National Team co-captain Alex Morgan. She has represented her country against teams from all over the world. She is admired and adored by millions of fans. And she has twice reached the summit of her sport, as an Olympic gold medallist and World Cup winner.

Off The Pitch
12/16/2020
Ex Granada president wants to retake control of the club

Former Granada CF president Lizhang "John" Jiang wants to return to lead the LaLiga club in the coming months. In September, Granada made the surprise announcement that the Chinese marketing executive had been replaced as president by Renato Yi.

The Saturday Paper
05/03/2019
Soccer duo's World Cup dream

Aivi Luik and Alex Chidiac may be at opposite ends of their respective careers but they share a dream. The women, who consider each other surrogate sisters, are Australian footballers. Both are midfielders. Both play for clubs in Spain. And both are desperate to play for the Matildas in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

BBC Sport
03/20/2019
Euro 2020: Estonia's Mart Poom on Northern Ireland, almost replacing Schmeichel and that goal

Euro 2020: Northern Ireland v Estonia Venue: National Stadium at Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Thursday, 21 March Kick-off: 19:45 GMT Coverage: Live on Radio Ulster, text & audio commentary on BBC Sport website & BBC Sport App, highlights on BBC2 NI 19:00 GMT on Friday, 22 March When Northern Ireland open their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign on Thursday at home to Estonia, there will be a familiar face in the visiting dugout.

BBC Sport
11/20/2018
Somaliland: Starting a national team in a country that doesn't exist

Like most football-obsessed kids, those playing on the streets of Hargeisa dream of one day representing their country. The problem is their country, officially at least, doesn't exist. Somaliland has everything you expect from a country. Its people have Somaliland passports and pay with Somaliland shillings. The Somaliland flag flies in the Somaliland Parliament.

The Saturday Paper
06/29/2018
Keeping the faith: Dejen 'DJ' Gebreselassie, 25, runner

My mum and dad are from Gondar, a city from the Amhara region of Ethiopia. But I was born in a refugee camp called Amrakuba, in Sudan. Mum and Dad walked to Sudan from Ethiopia to escape the war. In Sudan it was very tough.

The Independent
03/12/2018
How British groundsmen are making a splash at Europe's biggest clubs

Amid the spending spree since Qatar Sports Investments bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, the signing of a 35-year-old Northern Irishman might not have made many headlines but he arrived to huge promises from the club's owners. Jonathan Calderwood arrived in Paris in June 2013, headhunted on the advice of former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier.

FourFourTwo
Long Distance Coach Trips

From armed guards at training and presidents on the pitch, to unbeaten runs in Uzbekistan and leading the European champions - FourFourTwo tracked down the Australians (and a few Kiwis) making their mark overseas, wherever they can.

Cycling
02/23/2016
Don't look down: the Aussie and the world's most eccentric bike race

"I hope it doesn't rain," he says. "If it rains it just won't happen, it's too dangerous." Another rider staying at the same hostel, Bernardo Cruz, from Brazil, smiles: "even if it's dry it's too dangerous." The pair are among 50 international riders competing one of the most unusual and extreme sporting events in the world.

Cycling
04/05/2016
Scenery, spills and a dust-up in Patagonia

It is only 19km from the picturesque town of San Carlos de Bariloche, strung out along the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi and in the foothills of the Andes, and famous for its Swiss-style architecture and ubiquitous chocolate shops. One of the most popular holiday spots in the country, Bariloche is bustling year-round with backpackers and holidaying Argentinians.

Travel and Culture

The Saturday Paper
05/24/2019
In search of the northern lights

The pilot announces it without emotion, as if he is reporting the lightest of breezes: "The current temperature is minus 25 degrees." To reach Kittilä Airport, in Finnish Lapland, we have flown almost the entire length of the frosty country.

The Saturday Paper
04/03/2020
Life on the inside in Valencia, Spain

The "ice palace", an ice rink in Madrid, is the chilling symbol of the Covid-19 crisis in Spain. Housed inside a shopping centre, the rink is usually a place filled with life and the laughter of skaters sliding and gliding on the ice. Today, it is a place of death.

The Telegraph
03/20/2019
The eccentric Spanish fire festival that puts Guy Fawkes Night to shame

Even as the castle crumbles beneath her, the witch keeps smiling. The fire catches quickly, unleashing 20-foot flames that glow against the night sky. They impatiently engulf the castle, the orange dragon, the confused moon and the winged beast with horns and sharp teeth. Even on her broomstick, the witch can't escape.

The Saturday Paper
10/26/2018
Catalonia's Concurs de Castells

The young girl wraps her arms around her mother's neck then coils her legs around the woman's waist. She receives last-minute instructions, words of encouragement, a kiss on the cheek. She tilts her helmeted head back. Eight people standing on top of one another looks pretty high from here.

Jetstar Magazine
08/01/2017
Capital of Cool

Article on Canggu, Bali's capital of cool, for Jetstar Airlines August 2017 magazine.

Lonely Planet
10/03/2018
The best spots for brunch in Valencia

While in Spain breakfast typically means a hair-raising coffee and sugary pastry, brunch is when the day's eating really begins. In Valencia almuerzo is especially sacred - a cherished mid-morning meal that is about more than just satisfying hunger.

QWeekend Magazine
02/20/2016
War Paint

In a colourful tale of two cities, the lines are sharply drawn between Brisbane’s crackdown on street art and its contrasting elevation to pride of place in Chile’s cultural capital, Valparaiso.

NewsComAu
08/31/2016
Is La Tomatina worth the squish?

MY beard is encrusted with flakes of tomato skin. My hair is slick with juice. The sweet scent of tomatoes clings to my nostrils and there is puree in my ears and passata in my shoes. Tomato seeds are buried under my fingernails, knotted in my hair and streaked across my body.

Qantas
The 10 Things You Must Do in Buenos Aires

Frenetic but alluring, Argentina's capital charms first-time visitors with its stunning architecture, sinuous tango and a clandestine restaurant scene. Robert Kidd covers the top spots. This exclusive suburb of the dead is one of the most spectacular cemeteries in the world.

Amex Essentials
03/29/2018
24 Hours In... Valletta - Amex Essentials

Valletta is proof that size can be deceiving. From ancient history to Hollywood filming locations, we explore the ways this tiny capital packs a big punch

SilverKris
07/21/2017
Top 10 things to do and see in Valencia, Spain - SilverKris

The endlessly sunny Mediterranean port is the home of paella (rice cooked with seafood), architecture ranging from Moorish to ultra-modern, and lively beaches. 1. Taste fresh produce at Mercado Central A post shared by Rosana Enguix (@rosana.enguix) on Jun 17, 2017 at 1:44am PDT One of the largest covered markets in Europe with almost 300 ...

Business

Boom magazine (The Courier-Mail)
Mackay hotspot

SLEEPY, simple and sun-drenched, the centre of Mackay does not exactly scream economic powerhouse.

Queensland Top 150 Rich List
High Flyer Still Soaring

Profile on Graham 'Skroo' Turner for the Queensland Top 150 Rich List.

The Sunday Mail Rich List
Island Digs

A COUPLE of grey nomads, two of the few who bother making the day trip to Dunk Island since it was smashed by Cyclone Yasi, notice Peter Bond on the beach.

Beer and Food

How American Brewers Helped to Fuel Berlin's Craft Beer Renaissance
How American Brewers Helped to Fuel Berlin's Craft Beer Renaissance

More than 500 years ago, the Duke of the German region Bavaria was worried about beer. Duke Wilhelm IV needed to save wheat for making bread and at the same time stop brewers adding dubious ingredients to beer. He issued the Reinheitsgebot, or "German beer purity law," naming barley, hops, and water as the only ingredients permitted for making beer.

BeerAdvocate
Where to Drink in Brisbane, Australia

The sudden popularity of craft brewing in Brisbane reflects the national trend. In 2018, the Australian beer industry had 420 independent brewers, up from 30 in 2006.

BeerAdvocate
Not (Just) for Tourists: Patagonia's Beer Boom

Article for Beer Advocate magazine on beer in Bariloche, Argentina. This article received an award in the best beer and travel writing category at the 2017 North American Guild of Beer Writers awards.

SBS Food
10/11/2018
Best paella outside of Spain is awarded to this Australian restaurant

Rice was first introduced to Spain by the Moors more than 1200 years ago and, ever since, the grains have been ingrained in Spain's culinary identity. Most of us have tried paella - or at least what many think is paella. But the question is: what makes a truly authentic version and what is actually a paella pretender?

The West Australian
07/02/2018
WA brewer gives Spain taste of Aussie ale craft

Brewer Robert Craig is giving Spain a taste of Australia. Mr Craig, who grew up in Swanbourne, is the sole Australian craft beer brewer in the country better known for tapas and flamenco. His Ophidian Brewing Company is one of a new breed of microbreweries in Spain, which increased in number from just 21 in 2008 to 361 in 2016.

Growler Magazine
02/01/2017
Craft beer wears the crown in Brisbane's clash of beer cultures

Two types of beer were historically acceptable in Australia-cold and very cold. Given more than one-third of the world's sixth largest country by area is effectively desert, it's unsurprising light and easy lager was most common to quench the nation's thirst.

SBS Food
10/09/2018
This secret cookie business is run completely by nuns

Houses of worship are not typically renowned for their food, but in Spain, cloistered cookies made by nuns are a divine delicacy. So what are they exactly? Just like their name suggests, they are sweet cookies and cakes made by nuns who are cloistered, meaning they stay within their convent and have little or no interaction with the outside world.

SBS Food
10/11/2018
Shhh... Why some Spanish diners want to 'eat without noise'

The Spanish have long had a reputation as a boisterous people with a directness that extends into the country's eating culture. Packed pintxos bars, bustling tapas eateries and rowdy rice restaurants - in Spain, food is often served with a side of noise and this is a place where it's perfectly acceptable to march into a bar and shout a polite but clear "Oye!"

Science and Research