Beyond the Pitch: In Conversation with Gary Neville

It was nearing the end of the session that the news broke that Erik Ten Hag had been sacked as Manchester United manager and thus Gary gave the packed audience a world exclusive insight into his views. More impressively, it was a masterclass in how to remain composed when something “big” happens while on stage. While it was inevitable that this would happen, and his insight was no doubt well thought through, his calm reaction in what became an electric, excited atmosphere was worth watching and learning from.

The session had started with a discussion on football where Gary described his journey from the streets of Bury to the hallowed turf of Old Trafford, praising his sporty parents for their enthusiasm, encouragement and support for him as a young player and throughout his career.  It was their involvement with Bury FC which enabled him to experience first hand the demise of a club and the trail of devastation that it left behind.  This was his starting point for believing something had to be done, with further events such as the attempted super league, cementing his views.  He has never been shy in outlining his belief in the need for a regulator to ensure long term sustainability in football, but he was effusive in the need to ensure it also doesn’t impact the value of the Premier League.

Moving on from football to politics, Tracey asked Gary what triggered his interest in politics.  Like many, Gary’s family has split political views but for him he became more interested during Covid.  He accepts he expressed explicitly his views about the then Conservative Government during Covid and after but also recognised that there are many people in politics who do their best to act honourably and with integrity throughout their careers.  However, he did rule out entering politics either as an MP or Mayor! One comment that pricked up the ears of the PR pros in the room, was the discussion about people using their voice authentically – there is no point something being said that doesn’t sound like the person saying it.

Beyond the pitch and punditry, Gary has an enormous portfolio of business ventures.  His incredible work ethic is part of the reason for their success, with Gary describing his daily routine including a 5am alarm call.  Self-improvement during his playing career was one thing that he cited as standing him in good stead for post football life, including how he quietly sat on a Board and got under the skin of the building trade.

Members of the audience got to ask a couple of questions on women’s football and homophobia before the Ten Hag sacking interrupted, and we diverted into whether this is the opportunity for greater influence from Jim Ratcliffe, Dave Brailsford and Dan Ashworth but the hour flew by and the wide-ranging discussion kept the audience captivated throughout. 

To learn more or hear about future events in our Rewire Conversations Series, get in touch.