David Dein is sat in the study of his north London home, showing FFT one of his proudest possessions. Framed on the wall is a letter featuring a parade of club crests and a short message: “To David Dein, a founding architect of the Premier League. With thanks, from 45 eternally grateful clubs, on the 20th anniversary.”
The 79-year-old received that gift a decade ago. Now, in the league’s 30th anniversary season, the list has grown to 50 clubs, all beneficiaries of the actions of a select few, back in the early 1990s. Dein was the driving force of the breakaway league. The former sugar trader joined the Arsenal board in 1983 and became one of football’s most influential figures over the next 24 years, taking in roles with the FA, UEFA, FIFA and even a World Cup bid.
The Premier League wasn’t his only innovation – he also advanced the case for investment in women’s football, goal-line technology, VAR and, significantly for Arsenal, overseas managers. It was Dein who brought Arsene Wenger to England [right] in 1996, the Frenchman adding three more league titles to the two secured by George Graham earlier in the vice-chairman’s tenure.
Dein was ousted in 2007 amid boardroom tensions about the club’s priorities following Arsenal’s move to the Emirates Stadium. Now, as he launches his book, Calling The Shots: How To Win In Football And Life, he’s ready to talk about his long career…
What was your first step into the football industry?
Ethan Raaf, via Twitter
My first step was probably when I was nine and went to my very first Arsenal game – I’ve still got the programme, from Arsenal against Burnley in 1953. As a fan, I’d stand on the old North Bank at Highbury, which held 15,000 at the time, then I managed to get a season ticket in the lower East Stand, then I graduated to the upper East.
Then I managed to buy one single share in the club. Really it was just a certificate I stuck on the wall, but it gave me the opportunity to get the club accounts every year. The club’s turnover then was £1.5m; today, it’s £450m. I also noticed that 15 per cent of the shares were unissued, and I had the temerity to write a hand-written letter to the board in 1983, saying I’d like to subscribe for those shares. I also did something really unusual: I sent a blank cheque, because I wanted them to realise I was serious. They
