Available to book
Dave Kitson
Team Building
High Performance
Mental Health
Transform team performance with Dave Kitson, team bonding strategist and bestselling author. Dave equips organisations with proven strategies for building psychological safety, developing resilience during change, and creating high-trust teams through his InAMinute© technique. Former Premier League footballer whose insights are studied in UK A-Level classrooms nationwide.
Sports Leadership
Sport
Author
International Mens Day
Football
Mental Health Awareness
Motivational
Athlete
Dave Kitson is a former Premier League footballer who transformed his elite sporting career into a multifaceted role as an influential author, speaker, and coach with unique insights into performance psychology and team dynamics.
As the revealed identity behind The Secret Footballer, Dave authored seven Sunday Times bestselling books, including the global number one I Am The Secret Footballer, now studied in A-Level classrooms across the UK. His professional playing career spanned over a decade at Reading FC, Stoke City, and Portsmouth, where he set multiple club records and achieved remarkable milestones.
Today Dave helps organisations tackle their most pressing challenges by applying proven principles from elite sports to business environments. His expertise in rapidly building trust within high-pressure teams addresses the critical issues facing today's leaders: creating cohesion during restructures, fostering genuine connection in hybrid workplaces, and transforming groups of talented individuals into high-performing teams with shared purpose.
Dave is also a passionate advocate for breaking the stigma around mental health having shared his honest reflections and personal struggles as The Secret footballer. Dave’s discussion on mental health and elite sporting culture influenced reforms in the PFA and drove millions in investment for mental health, anti-racism, and grassroots football. Dave now brings his extraordinary experiences to life using stories, memorabilia, and personal anecdotes involving some of the game’s greatest players—Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Luka Modrić, Wayne Rooney and more.
Audiences leave Dave's presentations with practical strategies for building psychological safety in newly formed teams and actionable frameworks for creating deep trust and alignment when time is limited. His real-world stories involving football's biggest names make complex concepts accessible and open up important conversations around mental health and resilience.
Topics, sessions and talks
Dave Kitson introduces InAMinute©, a rapid team-bonding technique designed to foster trust and connection in fast-paced workplaces. This method, utilised by leaders in sports, government, and business, encourages team members to share personal stories for just one minute, promoting authenticity and psychological safety. As teams face challenges like restructuring and hybrid work, InAMinute© provides an efficient solution to unite them quickly. You can book this session as a keynote or interactive workshop for your people.
Drawing from his remarkable journey as a Premier League footballer and Sunday Times bestselling author, Dave Kitson delivers transformative insights on building psychological safety, resilience, and trust within teams facing today's most pressing workplace challenges. Book Dave to give your organisation the competitive advantage that comes from applying elite sports psychology to your business environment.
Testimonials
Featured Projects
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Dave Alred
High Performance
Effective Leadership
Leadership Development
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email dave.kitson@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Dave's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Dave Kitson delivers sessions built around InAMinute©, a structured team-bonding method in which participants share personal stories for one minute to build trust and psychological safety. He presents this through keynote or interactive workshop formats, drawing on real-world examples from his Premier League career and encounters with players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard to illustrate concepts around team cohesion and performance.
Dave Kitson speaks on rapid team bonding, psychological safety, and mental health in high-performance environments, drawing on his career in elite sport and his work developing the InAMinute© team-connection technique. He is the revealed identity behind The Secret Footballer, author of seven Sunday Times bestselling books including the global number one I Am The Secret Footballer, whose advocacy on mental health influenced reforms at the PFA and directed millions in investment into mental health, anti-racism, and grassroots football.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
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Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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