Hi I started by taking pictures of Latchford Albion and Woolston Rovers and progressed from there.
You will need a DSLR costing about £500 new and a 200 or 300mm lens which would cost about another £500 second hand from ebay.
You also need Third Party Liability insurance.

I would say get a new DSLR from warehouse express and a Sigma 300mm lens from ebay and get down to one of the local amateur sides, you will enjoy it and get just as good shots as you would at the HJ. Then if you find out if you like it and if its not for you then you could stick your Sigma 300 back on ebay (second hand lens do appreciate much in value so you would probably get the same money that you paid) and keep your DSLR and buy a standard lens with which you could do 'regular' photography.

The very difficult bit is getting accreditation from the RFL to take photos at games without this you won't get any further.

In terms of enjoyment I got just as much fun at Crosfields, Woolston or Latchford as I do at the HJ plus at the HJ you dont' see the the game the same way as you do from the terraces.

PM me if you want any other info.

Come September get down to your nearest amateur team and ask them if you can take photos for their website. Believe me, the amateur players love seeing photos of themselves! I take photos down at Woolston and you would be more than welcome to come down and take some from our touchline!

(If you are willing to submit to a CRB check we have some junior teams who would love to see more of themselves on the website too! I tend to follow our U12s so the others don't get photographed very much.)

I agree with Milly, go along, you will enjoy the photography and see some really good games of RL.
I can remember seeing a cup game (I think) between Woolston and Latchford a few years back and I saw a great game.

Then stick the photos on here for us all to enjoy

Thanks a lot guys. I'm borrowing by bro-in laws for the time being until i get myself sorted, for some practice and to determine whether i think its going to be worth investing in for the future. Thanks for the offer and a crb check is of course fine and understood and i'll be in touch nearer the time to arrange something. Thanks again.

What he said!

As previously advised, use amateur games for a while. If you take to it and like it, you will soon realise that this 'hobby' can become very very expensive . Full Pro bodies cost from 2k upwards, and a set of decent fast lenses not far behind(each), but look on fleabay and dont jump in at the deep end immediately. If you decide to buy Pro gear, consider last years bodies for starters, they will be much cheaper and will do all you need. However, a decent body will show up the shortfalls of cheap glass, so its a catch 22 situation, and IMO theres no substitute for good fast glass.

Dont be put off by your results if they are not as good as you hoped for at first, practice, followed by good kit will make massive improvements. Post any shots on here, good or bad, and see what people think, there are enough folk on here who will give you advice on how to improve or what went wrong with a particular shot. I assume you have a basic knowledge of shutter speeds and aperture etc and how it effects your pics, if not, maybe get a book on sports photography, or check out the many internet sites re this.

If you get in with a club, whether it be amateur or pro, ask them for help in getting accreditation from the RL, its always better coming from a club rather than an individual.

Good luck anyways, and hope to see you on the touchline at a game near me soon,

THE HOOF

One piece of advice I would offer when you take the plunge would be to stick to either Nikon or Canon. Nothing against the alternatives, I'm sure that the Sony, Pentax, etc equivalents are just as good (having 'played' with a top of the range Sony - it is absolutely fantastic), but you will find there is far more used gear available, and as a result at better prices, for Nikon/Canon than any other brand.