The Pearl Street Post arrives on CounterPress to deliver "high-quality, independent coverage" of Rochdale

Another exciting journalist-founded site is set to launch on CounterPress, with The Pearl Street Post the new home for dedicated coverage of Rochdale AFC.

The Pearl Street Post will fully launch in August and provide high-quality, independent coverage of The Dale in the club's first season back in the Football League.

The site is fronted by Matt Turner, who has more than a decade of experience in sports journalism but is first and foremost a Dale season ticket holder. Matt is currently a sports reporter with the Warrington Guardian newspaper and covers rugby league big-hitters Warrington Wolves as well as local non-league football sides Warrington Town and Warrington Rylands, but his first role in sports journalism was voluntarily covering The Dale for the town's local title, The Rochdale Observer.

Now, he is turning his focus back to his first love – Rochdale AFC – and aims to provide coverage of the club that combines the passion of a lifelong supporter with the precision of an experienced sports writer.

With in-depth coverage of the club sparse even at a local level, The Pearl Street Post will seek to fill the void with a different style of reporting as opposed to simply churning out the usual news and match reports.

Among other things, members can expect in-depth features that scratch way beneath the surface, detailed analysis around matches and interviews that go beyond the usual "we're looking forward to the next game."

Matt said: "I'm so excited to be launching The Pearl Street Post – it is something I have been thinking about for a while and with the help of CounterPress, I'm delighted to finally be making it happen.

"As a passionate Dale fan and an experienced local sports journalist, it has often frustrated me that, through no fault of anybody locally, our club does not get the kind of coverage it deserves.

"The industry is changing. People no longer just want to know what happened in any given match, what the manager and players have said about it and who they're playing next week.

"As journalists, we have a responsibility to dig much deeper and that is what The Pearl Street Post will do in service of this great club's supporters."

The Pearl Street Post's early interest waiting list is now open, ahead of a full launch next month.

Rochdale fans keen to explore the platform can secure an exclusive discount on membership by adding their details to the mailing list today.

The site is the latest in a succession of outlets covering the Premier League, EFL and National League to make CounterPress their home. It joins the likes of The Moonraker (Swindon Town), From Bromley With Love (Bromley), For Fox Sake (Leicester City), The Brighton Base (Brighton & Hove Albion), The Quartermen (Wycombe Wanderers), Leyton Orientear (Leyton Orient), The Monkey's Uncle (Hartlepool United), The Biscuit (Reading), The Phoenix (Coventry City), Full Throstle (West Bromwich Albion), Saturday White Fever (Fulham), The 1878 (Manchester United), The Wanderers Post (Wolves) and The Sunderland Stories (Sunderland).

CounterPress offers the technical infrastructure and industry knowledge and support that journalists and creators need to build their own media brand.

Co-founder Sam Morshead said: "Matt has the knowledge, energy and ideas to make The Pearl Street Post a success, and I urge the Rochdale community to get behind him.

"As local sports news deserts spread across the country, the best way for journalists to fight back is by using their skills and experience to fill the gaps.

"Matt has everything needed to do just that in Rochdale. It promises to be an excellent addition to the media landscape covering a side on the up."