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Jack Rutter

Jack Rutter

Premier League hopeful, to Paralympian and England Football Captain

Jack was 18 years old when he was signed to Birmingham City FC. He had been at the club for 8 years and was just about to play in the FA Youth Cup semi-final v Liverpool and sign his professional contract. However, this all changed in March 2009, when Jack was the victim of an unprovoked assault that ended his career in the professional game. He was hit in the back of the head and suffered a double fracture to the skull, serious brain damage and was left completely deaf in his right ear.

Jack was frustrated and started suffering from mental illness. However, 4 years after the attack, he got in touch with the charity Headway, and they introduced him to Cerebral Palsy Football. He discovered he could play for the ENG & GB 7-a-side Paralympic football team and leapt at the chance to get back into the game.

Jack has now played in 5 major tournaments: the Intercontinental Cup, European Championships, 2 World Championships and the Paralympics Games in Rio where he captained the GB team. Rio, in particular, was incredible and Jack got the opportunity to play against some of the best footballers in the world on the global stage in the second biggest sporting event in the world.

Jack promotes his messages throughout his talk and connects with the audience by making it relevant to them. He aims to empower people from all walks of life by engaging with them through the power of sport and what he has learnt through both triumph and adversity. His life experinces show what can be achieved if you look after your health and wellbeing, remain focused, be resilient, believe in yourself and have a positive attitude.

Testimonials from Teachers

"The feedback regarding Jack was very positive. He shared his story in a very personal, articulate way and was very engaging. He stayed to the brief and spoke for the 20 mins we had agreed and stayed at the end to speak to guests. Overall a great choice!"

– Vicki Poole, Business Manager, Summerhill School

"Jack is a highly engaging and inspirational speaker. His story helped our students realise just what is achievable through hard work and determination. I would highly recommend Jack for any school looking to inspire their students. The kids still speak about his talk and visit to this day".

– Chris Clyne, Deputy Headteacher, Northwood School​

"We had the pleasure at Archway School to welcome Jack for a day of activities working with a number of groups within the school. Jack provided a number of practical sessions to help students discover success through numerous tasks and how best to overcome barriers to enable them to progress, develop and increase confidence.

He also delivered a Sixth Form assembly and his manor througout was brilliant, he engaged the group, tapped into their interests and passed on important messages on how to get positive outcomes in life."

– James Jeffery, Sports Development Officer, Archway School​

"Jack recently returned to Newent to deliver an emotional and heart felt talk to our students. He spoke passionately about the pain he suffered during the dark times after the assault and the strength he now feels having conquered adversity he faced. Through a series of workshops his story was a source of support and inspiration to our students, especially those who face hardship and challenge in their lives".

– Alan Johnson, Principle, Newent Community School​

Speaker File

Location

Gloucestershire

Topics

  • Primary
  • Sports
  • PHSCE
  • Lifestyle
  • Assemblies and Celebrations Events
  • Well-being
  • Disability

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