In the week that Greg Dyke announced the second instalment of plans from his Football Commission, the Football Association Chairman spared time out of his busy schedule to elaborate on his vision for English football with UCFB students.
Dyke gave a thorough assessment of the needs of English football at both a club and international football level and gave an insight into the plan for improving the game in the future. It was a unique opportunity for UCFB students to hear an insight from one of the top business professionals in global sports, an inspirational experience for those aspiring to work within the industry. With a career that spans many facets of the football business and sports industries, there is arguably no finer guest speaker to learn from.
Starting his career as a newspaper journalist before moving into politics, Dyke moved into television in the 1970s. Greg’s prowess and leadership was quickly noticed and he took on various Programme Director roles at different broadcasting organisations. His meteoric rise to the top continued through his involvement in the consortium that launched Channel 5 in 1995. He took over the helm of the BBC as Director-General in 2000, where he led the company into 21st Century broadcasting with the successful launch of the Freeview platform and six new channels before moving on in 2004.
Throughout his career, Greg Dyke has maintained a firm involvement in the football business, serving as a non-executive director at Manchester United from 1997 to 1999 and at Brentford FC from 2006 to 2013. He replaced David Bernstein as Chairman of The Football Association in July 2013.
An instant favourite with UCFB students due to his open and honest manner, Dyke answered questions from the aspiring sports management professionals and provided them with invaluable advice and insight.
