Legendary Rugby Union Flanker & World Cup Winner; Former England & Leicester Tigers Star; Motivational Leadership Consultant
Neil Back Biography
Neil Back MBE is recognized as one of the leading open-side flankers in rugby union, known for challenging traditional expectations regarding size and physicality in the sport. Back was a pioneer of modern open-side play, demonstrating power, speed, and effectiveness at the breakdown, as well as proficiency at the back of the maul and as a tackler and link player. Despite not being selected regularly for England early in his career due to perceptions about his size—standing 1.78 meters and weighing 93 kilograms—Back persisted and established himself at the highest levels of international rugby.
Back began his senior playing career with Nottingham before joining Leicester Tigers, where he spent 18 years as both player and coach. He earned 339 caps and set a club record for a forward with 125 tries. Over a 17-year senior playing career, including 15 years with Leicester Tigers, Back won five Premiership Titles, four of which were consecutive, and two consecutive European Cup Titles. He scored a try in the Heineken Cup Final, contributing to Leicester's victory over Stade Français, and played a key role in the decisive moments of that match. His achievements at club level positioned him among the most complete forwards of his era.
Back became a vital member of Clive Woodward's England team, forming a renowned back-row partnership with Richard Hill and Lawrence Dallaglio. During the Rugby World Cup, Back was a standout performer, scoring two tries in the tournament, and concluded his England career with a World Cup Final win over Australia. He earned 66 England caps, scored 16 tries, and remains the only forward in a white shirt to score a drop goal in a Test match. On his third and final British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Back became the oldest Test Lion, earning his fifth test cap in the first Test. His accolades include being named RFU Player of the Year, PRA Players' Player of the Year, and receiving an MBE.
Back has been inducted into the Twickenham Wall of Fame, a recognition of significant achievement in international rugby. His coaching career began at Leicester Tigers, where he served as defensive coach while still playing, and later as head coach of Leicester Tigers Academy. He went on to become head coach at Leeds Carnegie, leading the team to promotion from the Championship to the Premiership.
Beyond rugby, Back has developed a career as a motivational speaker and leadership consultant, focusing on teamwork, resilience, and performance under pressure. He works with business and corporate clients, applying principles from elite sport to organizational challenges. Back participates in numerous personal appearances, including after-dinner engagements and leadership presentations, emphasizing the parallels between elite sport and business. His personal philosophy, "Never fail through lack of effort, it's OK to fail but it's not OK to fail through lack of effort," continues to resonate with audiences in sports and business leadership settings.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Neil Back and other top speakers and celebrities.
Neil Back Speaking Topics
-
Speaking Topics:
- Rugby Speaker
- Sports Speaker
- Teamwork
- Charity Work
- Peak Performance
- Drive & Determination
- Realising Ambitions
Neil Back Videos
-
How do I book Neil Back to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Neil Back for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Neil Back, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Neil Back or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Neil Back
Speaking fees for Neil Back, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Neil Back are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Neil Back, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Neil Back speak about?
Neil Back is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Athlete, Business Coaching, Business Leadership, Disruptive Thinking, Human Resources, Leadership, Peak Performance, Sports, Sports Coaching, Sports Motivation, Teamwork & Teambuilding, Thought Leadership -
Where does Neil Back travel from?
Neil Back generally travels from UK, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Neil Back’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Neil Back for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Neil Back for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Neil Back or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Neil Back is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Speaking Topics:. The estimated speaking fee range to book Neil Back for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Neil Back generally travels from UK and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Khadevis Robinson, Joe Dailey, Dr. Mark Kovacs, Ben Ryan and Charli Turner Thorne. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Neil Back for an upcoming live or virtual event.
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.








