Graham Poll

Who would be a referee? Graham Poll would for one and the stories this motivational speaker shares with audiences at conferences prove that his career has been packed with events that never fail to fascinate. The man in black – or in a whole variety of colours these days – gets the chance to meet some of the most colourful footballing characters the game has ever seen.

Book Graham Poll Today!

Sports

After Dinner Speakers

Biography:

He also gets to cross swords with some pretty outspoken managers and regularly has to face the wrath of fans who disagree with his decisions. Lastly, referees often have their work put under a microscope by TV pundits who make decisions after seeing a tackle or handball replayed over and over while the referee has to make his decision in a split second.

Graham Poll is thought by many to be the best English referee of the last quarter of a century. Over his career, the motivational speaker has been in charge of 1,544 matches, including the 2005 UEFA Cup Final and some matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Described as controversial, opinionated and “the most outspoken referee in the modern game”, Poll has authored the book Seeing Red which reveals what life is like for a referee before, during and after a football match.

This includes what happens in the tunnel before the teams go on to the pitch, what is really said to managers and players, and what goes on in the officials’ dressing room. The book also covers the World Cup incident that ended Graham’s refereeing career – when he booked a Croatian player three times before sending him off.

Book Graham Poll Today!

Videos:

Watch an interview with Graham, below:

Speaking Topics

Drive & Determination

Peak Performance

Performing Under Pressure

Leadership & Teamwork

Maximising Success

Testimonials

“Relevant to the business world, very relaxed and likeable.” - Aeolus

"Graham is a very nice man and has many great stories about football, refereeing and the off pitch antics to tell. We could have listened to him talk about his life and career all night!" - Faversham House Group

"Graham was perfect for this event providing an excellent balance between entertainment, hosting, script delivery and timing which kept the event flowing and exactly on schedule.The audience seemed to really enjoy Graham’s anecdotes and appreciated his humour during the event. He managed to keep the event entertaining and at times light hearted, yet also showed the award winners respect and provided authority." - Findlay Media

"Graham met all of our objectives. He kept his stories short, interesting and light hearted. Even those football novices amongst the crowd and the hard to please attendees enjoyed the after dinner speaker very much. There was silence and intent to listen, there was plenty of laughter and the attendees were left wanting to hear more. Graham has the ability to capture a crowd’s interest and not let it go. You did not have to be a footie fan to enjoy Graham’s after dinner speech at all. Even one of our hardest critic’s who does not like football at all enjoyed the after dinner speech. It was going to be a ‘hard to please’ crowd as last year we had a comedian who just did not work ) and they are not shy in voicing their opinions. Therefore, to get this right this year was very important and Graham fitted every aspect of what we wanted to achieve. We would certainly think of asking Graham to speak again for a different part of the business if the opportunity arose." - Zurich Financial Services UK

How to Hire Graham Poll

To book Graham Poll as the speaker for your corporate event, function or conference, contact The Motivational Speakers Agency using the contact details below:

Enquiry form 0207 0787 876 [email protected]

Please note we do not accept requests for autographs personal messages or video messages.

Back to 'Sports Speakers'