Former FA Chairman Greg Dyke Joins St Mary's

The former Chairman of the Football Association, Greg Dyke, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Mr Dyke, whose three year term as FA Chairman came to an end last month, will work with students and staff from St Mary’s Schools of Sport, Health and Applied Science (SHAS) and the School of Arts and Humanities. Head of the School of Sport, Health and Applied Science (SHAS), Prof John Brewer said, “I am delighted that Greg Dyke has been appointed as he brings a wealth of high level experience in the fields of sport, journalism and business, that impact on many of our students and programmes. Greg has already inspired our Sports Journalism students when he visited the University earlier in the year. I am certain that many more of our students will benefit from his vast range of experiences and knowledge now that he is a Visiting Professor.” Greg Dyke said, "I have long been involved in both media and sport – two of the major subject areas covered at the University. I recently visited and met a group of media students there and had a stimulating discussion with them. As I live nearby I have known of St Mary’s for a long time and seen it expand over the years so I am very pleased to have been asked to be involved more directly in its future." Greg Dyke was formerly Chairman of The Football Association and is the current Chairman of ATG, Britain’s largest theatre Group. In January 2000 he became Director-General of the BBC and in his four years at the BBC he started four new digital television channels, five new digital radio channels, opened two new BBC regions, launched the BBC’s interactive television services and helped create Freeview, a new free to air digital platform. He also made major commitments to expand the BBC’s education services and to improve the cultural diversity of the workforce. After leaving the BBC in January 2004 Greg Dyke was made Chancellor of the University of York in December 2004. He was Chairman of HiT, a large international television production company specialising in programmes for the under-fives from 2005 to 2012. From 2006-2013, Greg Dyke was Chairman of Brentford Football Club and was Chairman of the British Film Institute from 2008-2016, from which he received the BFI Fellowship for his outstanding contribution to television and film. He runs several businesses of his own including golf clubs and hotels. His autobiography entitled Greg Dyke: Inside Story was published in September 2004 by Harper Collins.