From Sports Section Fan to VfB Expert: Jürgen Frey's Path into Journalism

Jürgen Frey's path into sports journalism began early—and for decades has remained closely connected to regional sports around Stuttgart. Since starting as a trainee at the Stuttgarter Nachrichten in 1996, he has accompanied sports in the region with clear focal points. Today, he works in the topic team "VfB and regional top-level sports" at Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten.

Early Enthusiasm for the Sports Section

Born in November 1965 in Göppingen, Jürgen Frey grew up in his hometown. His proximity to sports journalism was evident even as a child: At the age of eight, he was so intensely engaged with the sports section of the newspaper that he cut out articles, copied tables, and systematically sorted his collection into folders. This concrete, persistent engagement with results, classifications, and sporting contexts acted as early training for what would later become his profession: sticking with it, comparing, documenting.

The Start Begins Before the Traineeship

Before Frey permanently joined an editorial team, he was already working journalistically. During his training as a bank clerk and later while studying economics in Stuttgart-Hohenheim, he reported as a freelancer for Sonntag Aktuell and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten. In 1996, he then took the step into a traineeship at the Stuttgarter Nachrichten—in many editorial offices the classic transition from talent to professional routine, because there, research, writing, and publishing in everyday editorial work are done under guidance.

Clear Focus on Regional Sports

Even today, Frey is firmly anchored in the sports department. He works in the topic team "VfB and regional top-level sports" at Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten.

In terms of content, his profile remains clearly regional: He is responsible for regional sports, particularly for:

• Handball
• Stuttgarter Kickers

For topics where proximity to the scene, reliable contacts, and a precise eye for structures and developments are often more decisive than big headlines.

In addition to his journalistic work, Frey regularly does sports himself and occasionally runs a half marathon.

Jürgen Frey's profile is thus characterized by early enthusiasm for sports, journalistic continuity, and clear professional responsibility—a combination that explains his firm place in regional sports journalism.