Team Talk

Tony Clarke, owner of after-dinner speaker bureau Soccer Speaker, talks to H&E North about working with sporting legends.

What is Soccer Speaker?

I set up Soccer Speaker eight years ago. I’d worked with professional footballers in the past and they enquired about becoming part of the after-dinner circuit. I then built the company using my sports contacts and the agency has grown from there. Now we represent big names from football, cricket, rugby and boxing. We can provide speakers, comedians and comperes.

 

What type of events do you typically provide speakers for?

There are two main kinds of events that people get in touch with us about: sporting dinners, where local teams bring in a relevant speaker to help them raise money for their club, and also more generic fundraisers and corporate events.

 

Who are among your most popular speakers?

Whoever happens to be in the spotlight at any given time will always be popular. Sky Sports regulars Matt Le Tissier, Chris Kamara and Paul Merson are in regular demand, while legends like Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Lawrence Dallaglio still have a massive following and will draw the crowds.

 

 

What impact has the economic situation had on your business?

In the thick of the recession, there was a definite impact as clubs and communities sometimes might have thought they couldn’t afford to hire a speaker. By now though we’re at a point where we’ve never had more fundraising dinners, simply because so many people are still hugely desperate to raise money for their cause, whatever it may be. I think some people assume the services of speakers will be hugely expensive, but in fact often when the speakers on our books believe in the cause themselves, they attend events for very little return, if anything at all.

 

Given the profile and the salary of modern-day sports stars, is it a challenge to bring new speakers to the circuit?

As well-known sportspeople such as Ryan Giggs are retiring now, we have to consider whether these players are going to want to travel around the country, attending small corporate events and fundraisers. Some of them may want to, but they don’t have to do it. However, a lot of our speakers get involved because it fills their diaries. They have been professional sportspeople, so speaking at events gives them something to keep them busy. I think we’ll still see a lot of current professionals moving into the business.