Stephen Smith: I now have great pleasure in inviting Mr. Russ Langley, Chief Performance Officer, to give the commendation for the conferment of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University to Mr. Arlo White.
RUSS LANGLEY: Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff, Mayor of Derby, Honoured Guests and Graduates, it gives me great pleasure to be presenting today Arlo White for the award of Honorary Doctor of the University.
Arlo is from Leicester and studied at the University of Derby in the early 1990s. Once his studies had been concluded, he progressed in his career from humble beginnings as a volunteer at BBC Radio Derby to establish himself as one of the foremost sports broadcasters in the industry.
He worked for BBC Radio 5 Live for nine years before becoming the voice of the Premier League in the United States when he signed for NBC eight years ago. Arlo decided that he wanted to be a football commentator at the tender age of five. His first role in the industry came just after his time at the University of Derby. He walked into the offices at BBC Radio Derby, without organising a meeting, and asked to help in any way he could. They offered him a trial which landed him the job of Alfreton Town Reporter. Alfreton lost 13 out of 14 games that season and got relegated. Thankfully, Arlo performed much better and laid the foundations for a stellar career ahead.
After a spell of traveling and working in Australia, he applied for a job at BBC Radio 5 Live and to his astonishment, he got it. In his first fortnight he was thrown on air during the Chris Moyles Afternoon Show on Radio One and coped admirably as he always seemed to do.
Among his many roles for the BBC, Arlo commentated on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa. He travelled the globe to report and commentate on international cricket, for the BBC's venerable test match special. He covered the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and presented Sports Report, the BBC's flagship Sports Radio Show at five o'clock on a Saturday.
But his burning ambition was always to be a full-time football commentator. Arlo was also fascinated with the United States of America, and it was his move across the pond in 2010 which profoundly boosted his career. He became the voice of the Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer, a city that had fallen in love with the sport.
His reputation and popularity grew quickly, and when the National TV Giant NBC bought the rights to broadcast the lead in 2012, the lead Commissioner immediately advised him to recruit Arlo. He soon became a popular television figure and once NBC acquired the rights to the Premier League in 2014, he returned home to become the voice of the Premier League for viewers in the United States.
Now he is in his ninth season of commentating on the biggest games in the Premier League every weekend alongside former England internationals such as Lee Dixon and Graham Lasso. He's interviewed Raheem Sterling, Pep Guardiola, Mo Salah, Jurgen Klopp, Jamie Vardy and many more of the biggest names in world football.
Recently Arlo's profile and reputation led him to being offered a role in the Emmy Award-Winning Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis. Arlo plays himself in the show and commentates on the fictional team AFC Richmond.
Arlo still lives in Derbyshire with his partner Sarah, who's here with him today, and his daughters Amelie and Eva. He is a regular visitor to the University engaging with the football and sports journalism students and encouraging them to display the same endeavour he illustrated many years ago. He is an inspirational role model.
Vice-Chancellor, in recognition of his outstanding international career in Sports Journalism and his engagement with the students at the University, we are delighted to award Arlo White the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University.
ARLO WHITE: Good Afternoon. Have I gone red? I feel like I've gone really red, or is it just the reflection of the gown? Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff, Mayor of Derby, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, and of course, Graduates of 2021, it struck me as you're all confidently walking across the stage there, that it's some of the most strident walking I've ever seen in my career and believe me I've seen some people walk in my line of work and I started commentating in my mind: "Oh, Dave has stuttered at the top step, but he's got into his stride. He's had a cheeky look at the crowd as well! That's world-class. Well-done Dave!" Doing that 506 times could get a bit tiresome this afternoon.
Firstly, I must say that I've always wondered what it would be like to stand in a major sporting venue and speak into a microphone but here I am, and it appears to be going all right. This is an extraordinary honour for me and one that resonates very deeply. I attended the University in the very early years of its existence, and I look forward to working with Pete Lansley and Keith Perch and the football journalism students, the graduates are here today as well, for a long time to come.
Like some of you out there, I was the first member of my entire family to attend University. I know my dad, Mel, and my brother, Mark, are very proud today and that my late mum, Suzanne, would be bursting with pride as well. She dropped me outside of my student digs in Normanton in 1992. They played a massive part in my story, as have my daughters Eva and Amelie, their mum, Lizzie, and my partner, Sarah, who is here today.
My journey to this day and talking to you hasn't been a straight ascent. Success is very rarely linear. I knew I wanted to be a football commentator, as has been mentioned, since the age of five. I had absolutely no idea how to get there. In the end, I was faced with a very simple choice. Try, despite the frightening potential of failing, what next, or never try at all. So, in 1999, I walked into BBC Radio Derby unannounced. The then Head of Sports, Colin Gibson, believed in me. I was live on air, sat on a rock at Cleveland Services, a week later on route to an FA Vase game in the Northeast of England. I had to borrow my train fare to London in March 2001 so that I could attend the interview at BBC Radio Sport. Such was my complete lack of professional experience, I assumed I had absolutely no chance whatsoever of getting the job.
Turns out I gave my best interview ever and I was offered a six-month contract. I was 27 years old. Two weeks later, I was live on Radio One and on Radio 5 Live, shaking like a leaf. In fact, this experience has reminded me of those early days. Two months later, I was offered a permanent position.
Belief in yourself is absolutely vital even when the odds are stacked against you. In 2012, I was walking down a platform at Union Station in Washington DC about to catch a train to New York City. My boss at NBC pulled me to one side away from the group. We just commentated on a game and said "How would you like to go home and become America's voice of the Premier League?" I said 'yes' in less than half a second.
Dedication, desire, passion, sacrifice and a determination never to be out worked. Those qualities got me into the position to have that conversation. But we all require some good fortune along the way, and I need some right now. As we speak, the Premier League are weighing up various multi-billion-dollar bids from massive US media companies to broadcast the League from next season. I may find out tomorrow if I even have a job beyond July. It's completely out of my hands. I know though, that I've done absolutely everything within my power to ensure that I can continue. But, should my journey take yet another detour, I'm prepared for that outcome as well.
You have all achieved something truly wonderful. The smiles in the room are infectious. You've overcome one of the most challenging situations the world has faced in generations and you've succeeded. You should be very, very proud of yourselves and I'm sure your families here today are bursting with pride for you. You have the momentum now, so I hope you can ride that wave confidently into the wider world, where, and I'm sorry to break this to you, beer is a lot more expensive.
Finally, in my experience, to echo what the Vice-Chancellor mentioned earlier, achieving a successful career is fantastic, but so are lifelong friendships. I spent last weekend with 10 guys who all met here at the University in the 1990s. We've remained tight ever since and their friendship is one of the great joys of my life. The people next to you right now could be your friends for the rest of your lives, wherever your journey may take you. If you stay in touch nurture your relationships and support each other. Thank you again for this incredible honour. Congratulations to you all and I wish you the best of luck for the future.