David Dein is the former vice chairman of Arsenal FC and the FA.

1. Interview: David Dein
David Dein is the former vice-chairman of Arsenal FC and the Football
Association. He came to deliver a talk to Y10 students this week. We got
to interview him afterwards to find out more about some of his
inspirations, opinions and motto.
Growing up, what and who were your inspirations?
I grew up not too far away from here. I grew up in north London and I went to
a grammar school. I always believed that I wanted to do something like I did. I
wanted to try to be a success at it and I was just saying to the youngsters in
the talk (Y10 assembly) that when I managed to get on the Arsenal board it
was a dream come true. Over the years, one of my best (inspirations), the guy
that I respected a lot is Arsene Wenger. I think he is a tremendous inspiration
and he’s highly intelligent and a very good communicator with people and
inspires people. But when I was younger, growing up it was my school
teachers and my French teacher Mr. Ufranin. Still remember his name 50
years later. He was a great inspiration.
What did you value the most about being the vice-chairman of both
Arsenal and the FA?
I liked the responsibility. I was never frightened to take and make a decision
and to drive the game forward. I always used to wake up in the morning and
think about what can I do today to make things better and always believed
that the cup was half full and half empty.
It was recently reported that you believe that Arsene Wenger “will be an
impossible act to follow.” Why do you think that?

2. Well what I said was...bearing in mind that he’s been in the club for 20 years
and every year we’ve been in the Champions League, that is a remarkable
achievement. I said that he won't be a difficult act to follow, he will be an
impossible act to follow because the next manager won’t last 20 years.
Naturally, he won't go into the Champions League all the time but I hope they
do but I can’t see it happening because it's just remarkable.
How do you think women’s football could be developed further?
Women’s football has come up...by leaps and bounds over the last 10 years.
When I started the Arsenal ladies team in the mid 1990s there was only one
team. Today on any weekend there are eight teams playing. Women’s football
is the fastest growing sport in the country. There are more women and girls
playing football now than ever before. I was with the referee’s recently and I
asked them when and how long will it be until we see the first female referee
in the Premier League and they said within 5 years. So you can see how the
game has changed.
How do you think goal line technology could have an impact on the
experience of footballers and supporters?
The fans today have access to immediate information. On Google you get the
information so *clicks* quickly and it's the same if a goal is scored or if it was
off side, they get on their phones and they can see it. You know, the only
person who can’t see it is the referee. He hasn’t got that luxury and it’s crazy
when there’s so much technology around. So it’s coming. We have already
introduced goal line technology and there will be an extension to that in the
years to come where you will have a lot more that is needed because he’s
(the referee) got to get the big decisions right.

3. Our school is currently going through a new building process. What was
it like transforming the Highbury Stadium and what impact did it have on
the club?
When we had the old stadium, it only held 38 thousand people but we had
hundreds of them...thousands of people who wanted to get in. We were
shutting them out on every game so we had to move. We moved to the
Emirates Stadium. Even now that’s too small with 60 thousand people
because we’ve got 60 thousand more people on our waiting list, so it was
quite a brave move because it was very expensive to do it, and at the time we
didn’t have the money. Don’t forget, we moved 10 years ago and that was a
struggle to find the cash to do it but we had to do it because we were turning
people away.
What made you get into public speaking, particularly in schools and in
prisons?
It’s a nice story this. When I became an investor for the Premier League, I
used to go around the world representing them because I was involved in
forming the Premier League, but I had a little bit of time on my hands and I
had lunch one day with a gentleman called Robert Peston. He is the BBC’s,
used to be ITV’s, economic correspondent and he said he was starting up a
charity called Speakers for Schools. With his contacts he had a lot of
successful people...and his idea was to get the successful people into the
schools where they can be role models. He asked if I would be interested and
I said that I would love to be interested.
I expected to do one or
two a year, I'm doing about
four a week! I enjoy it. I
feel at the stage of life
where I am giving
something back. I have
had thirty years at the top
of the game, you know
with Arsenal, the FA and
FIFA, and it’s my stage
now. I think I have a good
story to tell...and I can try
and motivate and maybe
inspire other people and
youngsters. You’ve got a
huge future ahead of you
hopefully.
Leave them (students) with just a few ideas and they just remember them. So
it's important that they are committed to the feedback forms. They will
remember some of the things I have said. So that gives me my job
satisfaction.

4. Along the way you must have
faced some difficulties. What
difficulties did you face and
how did you overcome them?
Yeah, head on is the answer. I've
never been too frightened to use
my own motto. The motto of the
turtle: “you’ll never get anywhere
unless you stick your neck out.”
You’ve got to stick your neck out
and I've done it many times.
Sometimes I have not been
successful but I’ve always come
back to what I believe in. And
there's something else, now you
can be in a minority of one but
that doesn’t make you wrong.
Stick with it. Stick with your belief.
Nobody thought Trump was going
to get in or that we’d be involved
in Brexit and we are. But you
know people fight their corners
and in the end they get support.
What have you learnt from the people you speak to?
You can never underestimate the fans, the fans are the paying public. They
are the heart and soul of the game. Without the fans there isn't a sport so it's
important that every club listens to their fans. So what I know with Arsenal is
that we always used to discuss what would the fans like. I was a fan so it was
easy for me, you know talking about ticket prices, facilities whatever it may be.
You’ve got to always have an open mind.
Interviewed by
Sneha (A4) and
Kanaiya (G2)