Boardroom beckons for ex-Dons defender on course for PFA qualification
The ex-Dons defender is keen to continue in football in a different capacity after his playing days are over
The pathway from the pitch to the board is something ex-MK Dons defender George Williams is eager to tread when he hangs up his boots.
The 33-year-old currently plies his trade for Hednesford Town and recently helped them to promotion to the National League North, penning a deal to remain at the midlands club next season.
Williams though has an eye on the future too beyond his playing days. No stranger to life outside the football sphere, he was released by MK Dons as a teenager, having come through the academy at Stadium MK.
Going to university, he thrived at Loughborough and was snapped up by non-league side Worcester before signing for Barnsley to make his return to the professional game, then returning to Dons where he went on to make 174 appearances.
Having spent a lot of last season on the sidelines though following his release from Mansfield Town, Williams began another route to get back into the game, this time with the PFS Business School, where he was studying for his diploma in Global Football Directorship.
The course aims to provide aspiring sporting directors with specialised training in the most complex and technical subjects that have never been covered in any training programme previously. Its ultimate goal is to prepare future sporting directors for the challenges that the football industry presents on a global scale.
“I'm definitely looking to transition into the boardroom,” said Williams. “I'm on a Sporting Directorship course and I'm really finding it interesting.
“To get an inside perspective on areas of football management you're not used to seeing as a player has been really interesting.I've been helped throughout the whole process, and it was easy to transition into the course.
“It's structured well, with lectures every other week, and days like today are great when you get to meet other players within the programme. I can't recommend it enough.”
He is not the only one setting his sights on becoming a sporting director though, with another former Dons defender, Nathan Thompson, having completed his masters degree in Sports Directorship.