Former professional footballer Niall Quinn has received an honorary degree from The Open University for his notable contribution to public services, education and culture in North East of England.
Niall was presented with the award at the Manchester degree ceremony in October 2012 by Rajay Naik, Director of Government and External Affairs at The Open University.
Rajay spoke to Niall about his experiences of the day and what getting the award means to him:
As a footballer Niall received 92 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team and played in the English Premier League for Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland during a career which spanned over 20 years.
Niall has raised millions for charity. H also oversees the operation of the Sunderland AFC Foundation - a registered charity which uses the power of football to educate and motivate young people from Sunderland and the surrounding area. Last year the Foundation helped over 30,000 children through innovative projects in the areas of literacy & numeracy, addressing health issues, family learning programmes, raising awareness of citizenship and community cohesion issues and improving employability skills.
Whilst Chairman at Sunderland AFC, under his chairmanship, he brought millions of pounds of investment to the club, which has benefitted the city's economy, whilst at the same time reducing prices to make football affordable to local people - in contrast to the prevailing ethos of football generally.
