

Jason Robinson OBE is a revered English former dual-coded international rugby league and rugby union footballer, best known for winning 51 caps for England. Having developed a remarkable career in the sporting industry, he is admired for his outstanding try to assist the national team in the victory during the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final. A profound expert in achieving peak performance, Jason is a leading figure in the sporting community. When looking to hire a talented sportsman to attend your next event, look no further than Jason today.
Having developed a keen interest in rugby from a young age, Jason began playing for Hunslet Boys Club before joining the rugby league in 2001. Naturally gifted, he began his league career with Hunslet Hawks, and become a leading figure in the industry. Later signing for Wigan Warriors, Jason was a key member of the team whilst they dominated the British Rugby League. An inspiration to both fans and professionals of the sport, a career highlight of Jason’s has been becoming the first mixed-race player and first former rugby league footballer to captain the England national team. In his first appearance as captain, he was named Man of the Match in 2004 Six Nations and continued to develop a remarkable career in the industry for many years.
Now taking a step back from playing professional rugby, Jason has focused his professional skillset on becoming a coach. Beginning by teaching the under-8s team, he quickly developed his skills to become the Sales Sharks Head Coach in the 2009-10 season. Admired internationally for his distinguished career, Jason was awarded an OBE for his contributions to rugby and has also been the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lycamobile British Ethnic Diversity Sports Award. In recognition of his stand-out performance in the 2003 World Cup, Jason created the autobiography ‘Finding My Feet’ which covers a wide range of childhood issues that Jason faced for many years.
An inspirational sporting icon, Jason Robinson is now highly sought-after to attend speaking engagements internationally. The Founder of JR Talks, Jason uses his prominence as a legendary sportsman to inspire people from urban city underprivileged communities to achieve their life goals and improve confidence – sharing with audiences how he personally has overcome adversity. Having been witness to domestic violence during his childhood, growing up in a poor part of Leeds, being the first person to have a job in his family aged 16, playing rugby in his sister’s hand-me-down clothes and shoes, not meeting his father until he was 36 years old and being the only Black member of his family, Jason’s stories of overcoming adversity are both powerful and emotive. At the highest point of his career, whilst winning six-figure contracts and World Cups, Jason hit his lowest point in life, contemplating suicide and experiencing suicidal thoughts – a time in his life that has motivated him to speak openly on mental health and mental wellbeing. Voted as one of the world’s best social mobility speakers, don’t miss your opportunity to hire Jason Robinson to discover how he found his place in society, along with his passion for building resilience both on the field and in business and his advocacy on diversity, inclusion and equality.
“Jason was fantastic, his story and speech was so captivating, and it really had everyone so engaged and inspired. We had really good feedback from the guests and the client. He stuck around and sat with some teams when they was doing their breakout sessions which I thought was great of him to do”
“Jason Robinson OBE, the first black man to captain the England team and 2003 England Rugby World Cup winner, gave a powerful speech on his experiences as a black male and the importance of diversity and inclusion in all areas of life. He touched on the topic of social mobility, and the fact that everyone should have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background. Jason himself is a great example of someone who has achieved success through hard work and determination, despite facing significant challenges along the way. I was particularly moved by the stories he told of his upbringing, and inspired by how he uses his own experience to empower others. Overall, the evening was inspiring, informative, and thought-provoking. I feel incredibly grateful to have been a part of such an important conversation.”
“Jason was fantastic! His journey truly demonstrated the power of ‘breaking barriers,’ overcoming societal expectations, and pushing past limits. Jason resonated with our audience from different generations, especially younger attendees who really looked up to him. He kept everyone very engaged!”
“The event with Jason was amazing!
It has been one of our best-attended events with over 150 in-house and online.
The feedback has been incredible after the event; I don’t think anyone left the session not being impacted.”
“Jason went down an absolute storm, and his talk was so inspiring. We got so many amazing comments for him in the chat that I wanted to share them all, but I can’t copy them across (there are about 100!):
‘WOW – so inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Too many people don’t feel they can speak up about their mental health, concerns, or mental load. Consistently raising awareness pushes this forward and helps people get the support and focus they really need. No one ever needs to feel they are on their own.’
‘Thank you, Jason! I spent hours and hours after school side-stepping between cones pretending to be you. I’m sure that was replicated across the country and the world by millions. I hope you recognise how many people you have inspired!’
‘I’m Scottish and have no interest in rugby (sorry), but that didn’t stop me attending – and I’m glad I did. Eye-opening and inspirational.’
‘So inspiring, thank you. I’m going to buy your autobiography to give to my son-in-law, who is also a rugby player. Thank you so much for sharing your life story with us.’
‘So inspirational, thank you for sharing. I don’t think it’s about resilience; we use this word so much and people think they have to be resilient. You have shown strength, empathy, and motivation, and continually develop and look after yourself – and in doing so have looked after others. I know nothing about rugby, but it’s clear you know a lot about people. You put being the best kind of person, and the best version of yourself, first. We need you in schools.’
‘Coming from a Romanian background with four big brothers and a dad who never “believed” in mental illness, it’s so inspiring to see people like Jason be open and honest about what they’ve been through, no matter their background.’
‘Massive respect for opening up about your mental health and self-harm. It’s really influential when prominent men, especially those in “typically” masculine roles, do so. Opening up really can open people’s eyes to what they themselves may experience yet struggle to articulate or name. It also shows that mental health conditions show no discrimination in who they can impact – and the more we open up, the more others may do so around us.’
‘I used to watch you at Central Park for many years – inspirational rugby player! And thank you for being an ambassador for Joining Jack (AJ’s cousin).’”
The Diversity and Inclusion Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for inspirational figures of different races, genders, sexualities and abilities since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes athletes, psychologists, celebrities and more, to ensure that audiences of all industries receive tailored, impactful advice on diversity and inclusion.
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