A-League Men: Perth Glory fan favourite David Williams bids farewell to club, but eager to continue career

Perth Glory fan favourite and former Socceroo David Williams is set to bid the club he has called home for the past three seasons farewell. But the last man remaining from the A-League’s inaugural season says the fire still burns to continue his career despite a torn anterior cruciate ligament ending his time at Glory prematurely. Williams scored 11 goals across 49 matches for Perth but has not played after suffering the knee injury against Macarthur in late December. The two-time Socceroo told The West Australian with the club in a transitional period, the time was right for him to step away and look to continue his career elsewhere as he continues his rehabilitation. “I was dwelling a little bit — to have my injury, still trying to get fit and do all that, but being at the moment with where I am at life, trying to also start a business but also to get back training to a level where potentially can I play professionally again,” he said. “Where Glory is at, where I’m at, it’s the point now where we’re separating.” But there is no bad blood between the parties; Williams admitted the thought of retirement had crossed his mind a couple of times over the past couple of year. He was thankful Perth extended his contract last season and said he was more than open to being involved with the club in some capacity. The 37-year-old said while the prospect of retirement lingered during his current rehabilitation, he was determined to return to the pitch in some capacity. “People question motivation, but it’s kind of been instilled in me for years to be a footballer, so to be injured and then to have time off, and then if I was to get back into it, it would be quite simple in that circumstance,” he said. “It’s a very special feeling that I can be 37 and still be in this bubble at the moment. There’s a lot of people who would tell me to give it up, I’ll be 38 next February.” Williams admitted he struggled adjusting in the aftermath of his season-ending injury. “It’s quite tough, not being in the dressing room anymore and watching your teammates play games and sitting in the stands,” he said. “Watching that back-end of the season was very frustrating, knowing I could not be a part physically. “I tried to help as much as I could off-field, talking to young players and whatnot. It was quite limited in what I was was doing there, but still trying to have a presence in the dressing room was what I was about, to keep those relationships up.” If a return to the field does not eventuate, Williams has plenty to keep himself busy. As one of the few active Indigenous A-League players, Williams serves on Football Australia’s National Indigenous Advisory Group and has recently taken over as coach of the WA Para Football State Team. And he is working with former teammate and Glory great Liam Reddy on Football For Everyone, a new inclusive football program. “I wanted to keep myself busy, keep myself and my head ticking over in that football sense,” Williams said. “Learning session-planning, communication and how to do things, it’s a really good learning curve if I take up coaching in the future, which I’d definitely love to be involved in football.” Williams will be honoured at the club’s double-header against Central Coast Mariners at HBF Park on Friday night and Perth chief executive Anthony Radich said Glory was proud to have played some part in Williams’ journey. “David has been an incredible ambassador for the game in Australia and we are fortunate to have him at the club,” Radich said. “As well as being a very gifted striker who always got fans off their seats, he has been and continues to be an excellent role model for young players and his invaluable work within the indigenous community is well-documented. “Obviously it is sad that we won’t get to see David wearing the purple shirt again, but it is fantastic to know that he is not being lost to the game or to our club.”