Footballing icon David Beckham to speak at JW3

Footballing icon David Beckham is to speak at JW3 next month, Jewish News can reveal.

The former Manchester United and England star’s first appearance at a Jewish community event will see him discuss his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and a 20-year footballing career during which he won titles in four countries including six Premiership crowns.

Beckham – who has described his grandfather Joseph West as his footballing “inspiration” – will be the most high-profile figure yet to appear at JW3. He will be interviewed on 14 June by broadcaster and UNICEF president Kirsty Young as part of the Alan Howard Foundation-JW3 Speaker Series that has already brought the likes of PayPal founder Peter Thiel, Nigella Lawton and Garry Kasparov to the Finchley Road venue.

The series was the brainchild of Alan Howard, whose foundation has been planning, running and funding all the events in partnership with JW3 since the end of 2014. The event has been organised in top secret in partnership with UNICEF.

According to the JW3 website, free tickets will be available through a ballot to members only though those interested can still join to stand a chance. “We know that demand for them will exceed the number of tickets available,” it said.

In his tenth year as a goodwill ambassador, Beckham established a fund to help children in danger across the world, working with the charity to press world leaders for “new development goals to help prevent violence, preventable death and poverty”.

You can view the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1597652317218966/