Paul Lake
Club Support Manager,
The Premier League
Paul Lake was a born-and-bred
Manchester City fan, and was scouted at
the tender age of nine to play for the club’s
junior side. In 1987, at the age of 18, he
would become a regular in the first team,
capping off a successful season by being
voted City’s Young Player of the Year. Lake
was instrumental in the sky blues’
promotion back to the first division,
wearing every shirt number except the
goalkeeper’s and playing in a side
featuring six other home-grown players.
The 1989/90 season marked Lake’s first
campaign in football’s top flight. He also
caught the eye of England manager Bobby
Robson, representing England u21’s on six
occasions as well as being called up to the
provisional squad for the Italia ’90 World
Cup. Sadly, just three games into the
following season, playing against Aston
Villa (and while wearing the captain’s
armband) Lake suffered a serious cruciate
ligament injury. The talented all-rounder
would miss two years while undergoing
gruelling rehabilitation and, after two
unsuccessful comeback attempts, he
reluctantly announced his retirement in
1995.
With his playing days behind him, Paul
studied for A Levels in order to enroll onto a
physiotherapy degree course. Drawing
upon his experience as an ex-professional,
he then embarked upon a physio career,
working in all divisions with clubs that
included Altrincham, Macclesfield,
Oldham, Burnley and finally Bolton
Wanderers in the Premier League. In 2004,
Paul Lake was inducted into Manchester
City’s Hall of Fame. He became City’s
community ambassador four years later,
and subsequently took up the position of
Club Support Manager with the Premier
League.
Luke Sutton
Co-Founder of Activate
Group
Luke Sutton is a former English
professional cricketer, now enjoying great
success in the sports business after
co-founding the Activate Group in 2005,
which incorporates kids’ sport and activity
camps, sports management and sports
consultancy.
Sutton began his cricketing career at
Somerset County Cricket Club, moving to
Derbyshire in 2000. He made his mark
there as a strong middle-order batsman
and wicketkeeper and later captained the
side. When Warren Hegg retired as
wicketkeeper at Lancashire in 2006, Luke
moved to the Red Rose County and stayed
for 5 seasons, one of the many highlights
being his first century for Lancashire 151
not out against Yorkshire, a score which is
still a record for a wicketkeeper in a Roses