Former arsenal chairman and ambassador, David Dein joined students for an ‘Engaging minds’ talk on the future of Football
David Dein, 73, was Vice-Chairman of Premier League giants Arsenal FC from 1983 to 2007, during which time they won several titles and championships. Mr Dein was a very influential figure in the Gunner’s ‘Invincible’ campaign of 2003.
In addition to his role at Arsenal, Dein was the Vice Chairman of the FA and President for England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid; a rejection he puts down to corruption at FIFA. He is also an innovator in of women's football and was the key campaigner for goal line technology.
Today, David travels around the country, doing talks and lectures to students and prisoners on a daily basis.
“I like doing talks,” said Dien. “I feel that if they get something out of it, then I feel like I have done my job.”
The speech comes during a dark time for English football, with England’s shockingly poor performance at Euro 2016 and the resignation of Sam Allardyce as new England boss after breaking third party rules in a Telegraph exclusive. However, Dein took a positive spin on this story, saying that “we must all carry on.”
The talk by Mr Dein was on the topic of the rise of the English Premier League and how it has become arguably the best league in the world. English football was changed dramatically in the 1990s, after the banning of English clubs in Europe and the Hillsborough disaster.
Mr Dein, alongside four other club owner from ‘The Big 5’, decided that more was needed to be done in order to create a larger appeal to the rest of the world, looking at American Football as a benchmark. Dein was vital to the TV deal with BSkyB and improvements in match safety. Today, the EPL is one of the most exciting and wealthiest leagues in the world. It brings in some of the world's best players and has the largest global audience for domestic football.
Former Chairman of the FA, Greg Dyke, said that Mr Dien, “was the most inspirational man he had ever met" and that the Premier football "revolution was his idea.”
The talk was not focused however just on the league. Dein told Year 12s about traits in footballers and how those qualities can be used in the future. He thought that “behaviour and attitude" are key to every success. The best footballers have vision, courage and were hardworking. “At the end of the day, you don’t get anywhere if you don’t stick your head out,” he concluded.
Mr Dein was left by a loud ovation from students. From my perspective, I thought that his talk was incredibly engaging and relevant, whether you followed football or not.
Dein was delighted by the student reception, calling the students, “Incredibly intelligent and engaging people.”
Thank you very much to Mrs Brando for organizing this inspiring encounter.