Luke Staton on stage, smiling, a copy of Credo in his hand.

Speaker · Author · Coach

Who andwhat could wetruly become?

Keynotes, The Credo Experience and tour visits, for companies, schools and universities. Built on purpose, people and possibility.

Work with Luke Watch him speak

Touring the United States, Canada, Japan and Singapore, 2027 and 2028.Now booking

Blackburn Rovers · Bolton Wanderers · England youth

TEDx Speaker
Credo Author
Since 2015 Schools programme
England Youth international
250,000+ Young people reached

Work with Luke

Three ways to bring Luke into your room.

Choose the one that fits. Each has a short deck to download and forward to whoever signs it off.

One talk, one room

The keynote

For: Company events, conferences, universities and schools.
You get: A 45 to 60 minute talk, built around your room from one of four signature talks.
Proof: BDO’s graduates at Wembley Stadium. TEDxDoncaster.

Book a keynote See the talks

The signature programme · 12 months

The Credo Experience

For: Companies, for their own people. Schools, funded by a sponsor.
You get: A year built on the five CREDO pillars, not a single day.
Proof: Built on a schools programme that has run since 2015.

See the programme Enquire

On tour · 2027 and 2028

Tour visits

For: Hosts in Canada, the United States, Japan and Singapore.
You get: Luke in your city for up to five speaking days. Nearby hosts can share one visit.
Proof: Bates College, USA. ISR International School, Germany.

Plan a tour visit Enquire

Download a deck

For companies For schools and sponsors For tour hosts

Position

We don’t become more capable by being told what to think. We become more capable when we begin to see differently.

PurposePeoplePossibility

Luke was inside the professional game before he could vote. By twenty-one it was over, with no second plan. He knows what happens when the future you built your identity around disappears. What he built after that is the work: helping young people, teams and leaders rebuild belief, identity and direction. It lands because it was lived, not studied.

01 The story

Three acts, told straight.

The work comes from one life, and he tells it plainly. That is why young athletes, students and senior teams all hear themselves in it.

Luke Staton as a teenager in an England youth shirt. — **Then**England youth. The shirt, before the ending.

Luke Staton speaking on stage at Theatre Royal Wakefield. — **Now**Theatre Royal Wakefield. What came after.

Act one

The academy

Signed as a teenager by Blackburn Rovers in their Premier League years, then Bolton Wanderers, playing under Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce. England at youth level, on the Wembley pitch he had once watched from the stands on a ticket his teacher paid for.

Act two

The end

He never made the first team. It was over just as it got started, and this is where his life really began.

Act three

What came after

On the building site he kept thinking about an orphanage he had visited on a Blackburn Rovers trip to Eastern Europe. Children with nothing, who were happy. Twenty years of rebuilding followed: a book, a TEDx stage, a schools programme that has run for a decade, and a body of work about how a person does exactly that.

I fell massively short on my sporting career. Prouder of how I found the strength to start again. That was harder than any football match.Luke Staton

Act two, in his words

I went from playing with some of the greatest players in the country to laying bricks on a building site. Back at my mum’s place, in my old bedroom.Luke Staton

Where it comes from

At Wembley Stadium as a schoolboy, six words from his headmaster changed how he saw his future.

“That could be you one day.”

Luke has spent twenty years trying to be somebody else’s Mr Spencer. Mr Spencer is a character in Credo, and those same six words are what the boy in it is waiting for.

Luke Staton on stage, telling the story in front of a picture of the old Wembley Stadium.

Luke Staton standing alone outside Wembley Stadium.

Wembley is where it began. He first came on a school trip to watch England, and his headteacher told him, “That could be you one day.” In September 2025 he went back, this time to speak, giving an empowerment talk to BDO’s finance graduates in the Great Hall.

A full hall of graduates at the start of their careers. A powerful moment, in the place it all began.

Photography and film by Tenda Chiadzwa, @tenda.creative.

Luke Staton on stage in front of the BDO screen at Wembley Stadium.

BDO graduates on their feet, arms in the air, at Wembley.

Luke Staton talking with graduates after the session at Wembley.

Luke Staton standing in front of a graffiti wall.

Where we start isn’t a choice. Where we finish is.

02 Proof

A room doesn’t change because someone spoke. It changes because something landed.

Inspire Beyond, Theatre Royal Wakefield. Not an audience being talked at. A room responding.

The Inspire Beyond audience on their feet, hands in the air, at Theatre Royal Wakefield. — Photography by Roberta Thompson, @photographybyroberta.

250,000⁺

Young people reached. “From disengaged with school and low self esteem, to starting a project and absolutely nailing it.” Guy Ratcliffe, parent.

10⁺

Years of the schools programme, Inspiring The Next Generation, since 2015.

Continents. The United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and Dubai, where he spoke at two schools and two football academies in March 2025.

25,000

Students reached through one partnership, funded by the FatFace Foundation.

Schools, foundations, sport and business

Travelex

ISG

What a partnership looks like

FatFace Foundation funded twenty five schools.

Each school, chosen near a FatFace store, gets a live session from Luke, then a six module online programme that keeps running after he leaves.

25: Schools
25,000: Students
6: Modules
Free: To every school

Will Crumbie, the CEO of FatFace, now joins Luke on stage at his own event. Partnership runs both ways.

A full school hall at an Inspiring The Next Generation session funded by the FatFace Foundation.

More of the work

Schools · Wakefield

750 students, one theatre.

Need: A landmark day of inspiration for young people across the district.
Delivered: Inspire Beyond at Theatre Royal Wakefield.
Outcome: 750 students in one day, covered by the Dewsbury Reporter.

Read the coverage

International schools · Germany

Grades 5 to 11, one message.

Need: A speaker who could reach every age group at ISR International School on the Rhine.
Delivered: Talks across the school, from Grade 5 to Grade 11.
Outcome: “Both inspiring and eye-opening.” Grade 11 student.

Read ISR’s write-up

Business · XGrowth

Eight years, still in the room.

Need: A founder building a team from the ground up.
Delivered: Mentoring sessions in the office, then the annual events.
Outcome: “Today we are one of the largest HubSpot agencies in the world.” Mark Byrne, Founder.

More voices

Work with Luke Read the press

03 The Credo Experience

A year of belief, not a day of it.

Credo means “I believe”. The Credo Experience is Luke’s signature programme: twelve months with one group of people, so what starts in the room is still there a year later.

Character

Knowing who you are and what you stand for.

Resilience

Getting back up when the plan changes.

Entrepreneurship

Seeing what is possible and acting on it.

Drive

The effort and energy to keep going.

Opportunity

Spotting the open door and walking through it.

For companies

For your own people.

Leaders, teams, graduates and new joiners. One programme, shaped around your year.

A conversation first: your people, your year, the change you want to see.
A launch in the room, with Luke live and everyone together.
Sessions through the year for teams and leaders, in person and online.
A close: what changed, in your people’s own words.

“He has a unique way of breaking down barriers and bringing a room together. Choosing him three times is the strongest indication of how highly I value what he brings.”Chris Burnett, client across Zep, Cleenol and Bystronic

Start a conversation Company deck (PDF)

For schools

Funded by a sponsor, free to the school.

Built on Inspiring the Next Generation, the schools programme Luke has run since 2015.

A live talk or empowerment day in the school.
Six online modules that keep running after he leaves.
One partner funds it: roughly a thousand young people per school.
The school pays nothing.

“In all my time as Head of PE, I have never seen such an engaging programme.”James Offer, Head of Sport, Carre’s Grammar School

Sponsor a school Schools and sponsors deck (PDF)

Founding 10

10 founders. 10 companies. 10,000 young people.

Ten business leaders each fund The Credo Experience in one school for a year, around a thousand young people each, and sit at one table: introductions, shared ideas and new opportunities. Four of ten places taken.

Become a founder Founding 10 deck (PDF)

The book behind it

Credo

A shy boy. A football. A butterfly in his pocket.

Stan loves football and cannot find the confidence to join in. A butterfly becomes his pocket friend. It is a story about friendship, kindness, single parent families, and what happens when somebody says the right six words to you. The illustrations move from monochrome into colour as Stan’s confidence grows.

Whilst this is a children’s book, it is relevant to all ages. My heart broke at Stan’s observation from the sidelines of school lunchtime football games.Linda’s Book Bag

Format: Illustrated hardback, 94 pages, sized to fit a blazer pocket
Audience: Interest age 7 to 12, reading age 8 and up
Illustration: Shaun Clark
Published: 31 October 2023, Bookworm of Retford
North America: Distribution in progress. Luke took Credo to the London Book Fair in March 2026 to meet international publishers.

Discover Credo Amazon UK

The cover of Credo by Luke Staton: a butterfly, half monochrome and half colour, above a football on grass.

Luke Staton smiling at a wooden table, signing copies of Credo. — Signing Credo. The book goes where he goes.

The cover is where the colour arrives, and so does Stan.

★★★★★

My daughter, age ten, and I loved reading this together. A magical story about believing in yourself. Everyone needs a credo in their life.

Amazon UK · a parent and daughter

★★★★★

Many children remain hidden, unable to join in, and this is a story of inner strength and belief. I’m an adult reading this book and could relate to it.

M. Edwards · Verified purchase

★★★★★

A really lovely book, and one that should find a place in any home or school where a young person is struggling with shyness.

Linda’s Book Bag

Every review on Amazon UK is five stars. Read them.

Luke Staton with Anne, 84, who holds a copy of Credo.

Between rooms

“Life is a school of learning. The lessons don’t stop till you pop.”Anne, 84, still volunteering

Anne walked over while Luke was working and asked if she could say hello. They talked for over thirty minutes, and he went to his car to fetch her a copy of Credo. The more open we are to a conversation, the more connection we feel.

Read Luke’s post

Luke Staton walking the stage at Theatre Royal Wakefield.

04 Speaking

One talk, built around your room.

Keynotes, workshops and assemblies for universities, schools, teams and organisations. Every one is built around the room, not taken off a shelf.

Formats

Keynote	45 to 60 min · 100 to 1,000+	Orientation, welcome week, athletics banquets, whole cohort events.
Workshop	90 min · 20 to 40	Varsity teams, student leaders, residence advisors, coaching staff.
Assembly	30 to 45 min · a whole grade	Middle and high schools, ages 11 to 18.
Online	15 min · on demand	A recorded session for students at 14, 16 and 18, hosted by LiNCHigher on The Future Focus.
Staff development	Half day · a staff room	For the people who spend their lives encouraging everyone else. Most recently the whole staff team at Winchelsea Primary, to start the new term.

Book a keynote See him in the room

Higher education · USA

Student athletes carrying the weight of performance and identity at the same time.

Elite sport · London

Young players in a system where almost none will make it. Delivered alongside Jody Morris.

Schools · Aberdeen

The first programme in Scotland, backed by local entrepreneur Jordan Ferguson.

Corporate · Wembley Stadium

An empowerment talk for BDO’s finance graduates, at the start of their careers.

Signature talks

Four talks. Each one built around the room.

Every talk starts from the same place: what happens when the future you planned changes, and how you rebuild belief and direction from there.

Leadership, sport, career transition

After the dream ends

How to rebuild direction when the future you planned disappears.

Separate who you are from what you do
Name what the setback is teaching you
Take the next small, purposeful step

Schools, colleges, young people

Become your own inspiration

Self-belief, resilience and the courage to imagine a different future.

Where you start does not decide where you finish
Choices and responsibility, in their own words
One adult’s belief can change a life

Teams and organisations

The 3 E’s: Effort, Energy, Enthusiasm

Turn effort, energy and enthusiasm into performance and connection.

A shared language for how the team shows up
Ownership over what each person controls
Energy that lasts past the event

Education leaders, conferences

Belief, potential, possibility

Build environments where people act on their potential.

How adults shape self-belief
Why potential needs an environment
From intention to meaningful action

05 Tours

On tour, 2027 and 2028.

Luke is based in the United Kingdom and tours four countries. Host a visit, share one with a neighbour, or bring him into your company while he is in town.

Dates open

Canada

Universities, colleges, schools and companies. Tell us your city and your audience.

Dates open

United States

Luke has already worked with student athletes at Bates College in Maine.

Dates open

Japan

Tell us your city and your audience, and we will plan the visit around you.

Dates open

Singapore

Tell us your audience, and we will plan the visit around you.

Universities and colleges

For universities and colleges in the United States and Canada.

Luke tours North America in 2027 and 2028. He has already worked with student athletes at Bates College in Maine. These are the rooms he is built for.

Orientation and welcome week

A keynote that sets the tone for a new class: identity, belonging, and what to do when the plan changes.

Athletics departments

For student athletes carrying performance and identity at the same time, from someone who lived the end of a career.

Student affairs and wellbeing

Workshops for student leaders, residence advisors and the staff who support them.

Leadership and careers

For students deciding who they want to become, not only what they want to do.

Tell us your dates and audience. No brief needed at this stage.

We plan the trip. Visits run five speaking days or fewer, and nearby campuses can share one visit.

Partners can fund it. A sponsor can fund a programme outright, so the host pays nothing.

Plan a tour visit Download the tour deck (PDF) Speaker one-sheet (PDF)

06 Film

See Luke in the room.

Moving through the audience, sharing the stage, giving other people space. Seventy seven seconds from Theatre Royal Wakefield.

Inspire Beyond highlight film by Callum Kettlewell, @blindman.media.

TEDxDoncaster · TalkThe Child within, could they be our Inspiration?

ShortFrom shy to confident, the power of belief

ShortYou control your energy

More films

In conversation

Interview · Mr Bedford PEBetter Players, Better People

Podcast · Fit DadsLuke Staton is back, and he’s here to inspire

More short films on TikTok The FNTS podcast on Spotify

Luke Staton laughing with a guest on stage.

07 About

He isn’t performing a persona.

Luke Staton is a speaker, author and former Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers footballer who played for England at youth level. The career ended before it began. He rebuilt from there.

He has run his schools programme, Inspiring The Next Generation, since 2015. He is a TEDx speaker, the author of Credo and the host of the From Nowhere to Somewhere (FNTS) podcast. In March 2025 he took his empowerment talks to two schools and two football academies in Dubai. He is based in the United Kingdom and tours the United States, Canada, Japan and Singapore in 2027 and 2028.

I now dedicate my life to inspiring others to achieve their greatness, to help people go from where they are now to where they want to be.

08 In their words

He came to our office three times to mentor and inspire our team. Today we are one of the largest HubSpot agencies in the world. He still leads our annual events.

Mark ByrneFounder, XGrowth · client of eight years

In all my time as Head of PE, I have never seen such an engaging programme. The programme doesn’t just help students to ‘dream big’, it inspires them to take action and provides them with the tools to do so.

James OfferHead of Sport, Carre’s Grammar School

Luke has infectious enthusiasm and energy and inspired even the most reluctant students to participate fully. Today, Year 12 students fondly talk about their workshops with Luke, who made them believe they could achieve their goals.

Jenny Anne SharpAssistant Principal, Walton Girls High School

It’s not like normal lessons because you feel like you’re learning stuff that will help you in life. The biggest thing I have taken from the programme is trying, because that is the only way you are going to get there.

StudentElizabethan Academy

I have worked with Luke across three different businesses, Zep, Cleenol and Bystronic. He has a unique way of breaking down barriers and bringing a room together. Choosing him three times is the strongest indication of how highly I value what he brings.

Chris BurnettGlobal commercial and business leader

I broke down on a busy roundabout, late and dark. Luke turned round and came back, used his car to shield us, then sat with me until the RAC arrived. He still had presentations to prepare. I think that gives you an idea about his character.

Vernon HattonFinance Director, Ireland, learnd

He posed reflective questions, created a safe and respectful environment, and gave our group meaningful and tangible action points. His enthusiasm to push for better is contagious.

Sam DownerOperations Manager, Vita Health Group

He empowered everyone in the room, a group who were all strangers before the session, to stand up and present, speaking about their goals and aspirations.

Megan YoungProgramme Lead, EY Foundation

After session one I could already see a difference. After session three others started to see a transformation. From disengaged with school and low self esteem, to starting a project and absolutely nailing it.

Guy RatcliffeParent

Listening to Luke share his journey and the valuable life lessons he’s learned throughout his career was both inspiring and eye-opening.

Grade 11 studentISR International School on the Rhine, Germany

Luke attended the UK Universities Sales Competition as a motivational speaker. He did a phenomenal job of inspiring all of us students, and the judges.

Louise McClearyStudent, UK Universities Sales Competition 2024

What a legend you are Luke. What an amazing event yesterday. What you bring to this world is so wonderful, please never stop.

Richie O’BrienInspire Beyond audience

Just wow, I have no words, it was absolutely incredible. Coming into my life was incredibly worthwhile and I have taken away loads.

ShabeenaInspire Beyond audience

I still can’t quite believe I was there. There were so many inspiring stories and such remarkable people, and I was honoured to be among them.

Milla MykolayivnaInspire Beyond audience

Twenty four recommendations on LinkedIn, from 2012 to 2025. Read them all.

09 Enquire

Bring Luke into the room.

Start a conversation

Tell us about your room.

Two minutes. It comes straight to Luke. If you prefer email, write to luke@lukestaton.com.

Planning questions

Can the talk be tailored to our audience?

Yes. Every talk starts from a short call about your audience, your theme and the change you want to see. Luke builds the session around the room.

What formats and lengths are available?

Keynotes of 45 to 60 minutes, 90 minute workshops, school assemblies, half-day staff development and a recorded online session. Several formats can be combined in one visit.

Can schools take part without paying?

Often, yes. A partner or sponsor can fund Inspiring the Next Generation for a school, so the school pays nothing. We can help you find one.

Does Luke travel?

Yes. He is based in the United Kingdom and has spoken across Europe, the Gulf and the United States. He tours the United States, Canada, Japan and Singapore in 2027 and 2028.

Can he speak online?

Yes. Live online sessions are available, and a recorded 15 minute session for students is hosted on The Future Focus.

What does he need on the day?

A microphone, a screen for slides or film, and a short sound check. A full technical sheet is sent on booking.

Can we get copies of Credo for our audience?

Yes. Ask about copies of Credo and a signing when you enquire.

What does it cost?

Fees depend on the format, the audience and travel. Send a few details and you will get a clear quote.

For your committee: the speaker one-sheet, or a deck for companies, schools and sponsors or tour hosts (PDF). No brief needed. Tell us the audience, the room and the change you want to create. Journalists: the media kit.