Bolton School old boy proved to a be a real sport when he came back to the town.
Roger Draper, the former former CEO of Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association spoke to A-level PE and business studies students in the boys’ division and also took the time to join in with a badminton session.
He said: "It’s actually been quite emotional. It has been 36 years since I was last here.
"I was a pupil from eight to 16 years of age and I have a lot of happy memories from that time - of playing football in the cloisters and the quad.
"I also have happy memories of the tuck shop and the Undercroft.
"I enjoyed lots of participation in sports, particularly tennis, football, cricket and swimming, playing for the school team and also for Greater Manchester."
After Bolton School, Roger graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc (Hons) in PE, sports science and recreation management and was their first ever student to graduate with international honours in two sports – rugby league and tennis.
During his career, he has been involved in the global business of sport and became one of the youngest CEOs in the UK business world when he took over as chief executive of the English Sports Council - Sport England - in 2002, aged 32.
As CEO of the government’s agency for sport, he oversaw the half a billion pounds annual investment into sport and was accounting officer for major projects such as the London 2012 Olympic bid and the turnaround of Wembley National Stadium.
Later, Roger became chief executive of British Tennis and Wimbledon, where he grew the turnover of the business by 45 per cent as a result of major new global TV and commercial deals.
When he started the job in 2006, the GB’s men’s tennis team were ranked 53rd in the world and when he left the role, eight years later, GB was top of the rankings, had become Davis Cup champions, and Andy Murray had become the first men’s British Wimbledon champion for 77 years.
After a recent spell acting as Super League executive director, he is now working as a global business adviser for Boston Consulting Group, advising governments around the world on transformational change.
Roger will be the Boys’ Division’s Prizegiving speaker in the summer of 2023.
If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at lewis.finney@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @lewisfinney18
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel