Former Arsenal chairman visits charity chair’s old school

It’s not often that Andrew Law the chair of Speakers for Schools goes back to school, but he did exactly that when he returned to Cheadle Hulme High School (CHHS) in April to co-host a talk with one of British football’s most influential figures David Dein.

Part of The Laurus Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) which includes schools and colleges from across the northwest, CHHS invited 300 students from the MAT to attend David’s talk and welcome back their former alumni, who grew up only a short distance from CHHS.

An excited audience of Year 11 and 12 pupils gathered in the packed auditorium to welcome Andrew and hear David talk about his extensive career in football and his many professional accomplishments both on and off the pitch. Over the course of an hour, David wowed the crowd – skilfully weaving insights into his life’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming chairman at Arsenal vice-chairman of the Football Association and sharing nugget after nugget of hard-won wisdom.

Widely credited as being instrumental in the formation of the Premier League, there was no shortage of impressive career highlights for David to draw on, and at every turn, he encouraged his audience to follow his example by working hard, having a vision, and being bold, telling them:

“Throughout my career, successful people I have worked with all have three qualities in common which are: work hard, have a vision of where you want to go and be courageous in taking the steps to get there. I also think it’s important for young people to understand the value of networking and building acquaintances across the world, as this will open up many doors.”

As well as using himself as a role model, David also found occasion to champion the role of teachers; impressing on his audience how the support he had received to learn French at school had helped him to hold conversations with the likes of Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera, and Emmanuel Petit.

Toward the end of the event, David opened the floor to questions from the audience which he answered deftly and earnestly. A seasoned speaker for Speakers for Schools with over 450 talks under his belt, he ended the session by sharing his motto for success: “You don’t get anywhere unless you stick your neck out.”

Students and staff who attended the talk all found it hugely inspiring and, speaking afterwards, Cameron a sixth-form student said:

“I think it’s great to hear from someone who’s obviously been successful in all aspects of life and to hear about his motivation and what he’s done to get to where he is today… He talked a lot about building relationships with people and networking. His business comes from his relationships and building foundations and connecting, and I think that a huge part of business is getting to know people.”

Our special thanks to both Andrew Law and David Dein for making the event possible and encouraging more young people to pursue their dreams! If you would like to find out more about the work of Speakers for Schools – including our Inspirational Talks programme which combines in-person talks as well as online broadcasts – please visit our website.