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Andros Townsend: Future Game Plan

At the age of 31, Premier League star Andros Townsend is recovering from a period of injury and hopes to continue playing football for as long as possible. However, the Everton wide man is also starting to prepare for life when he eventually hangs up his boots. Townsend has a range of varied options lined up in coaching and sports media. In addition, he might even make a leap of faith into the world of acting. fcbusiness spoke to Andros to discover his forthcoming plans…

Words: Tony Incenzo

 

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How important is it for you to plan for your life after football?

When you hit 28 or 29 years old, it is probably something that is on your mind almost every day. Before that when you are young, you think your career will last forever. You don’t worry about your coaching badges and that side of it. But then in your late 20’s when you have kids, honestly it is all you think about! So it is something I have been planning for the last two or three years. I started my coaching badges two years ago. I am now on to my ‘A’ Licence. I have dabbled in the football media as well to get experience there. Consequently when that day comes when I do retire, it won’t be a culture shock. It won’t be a case of: “What am I going to do for the rest of my life now?” Hopefully I will be at the stage where I have experience in the media, I’ve got experience in coaching and I’ve got my coaching badges, so it will be a case of which path do I want to take? Thankfully I was able to realise about life after football before I was 30 so I feel in a very good position when I eventually retire to decide what I want to do.

 

How did you start your coaching involvement?

I was playing for Crystal Palace at the time and they were fantastic in sorting me out and connecting me with the relevant people. It was during Covid so I found the (English) FA weren’t able to take many people on coaching courses. Thankfully though, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) were able to include me in their programme. So I thank Crystal Palace and the FAW. It has been good to learn another way of playing. The FAW have their own philosophy in how they want to teach their coaches and teach their young footballers. It has been great learning that while implementing my own style as well and kind of merging the two.

 

How much coaching have you undertaken so far?

For my ‘B’ Licence, I had to complete some sessions. So I did those with young kids. It was amazing to give back a little bit in passing on some of my knowledge. I have obviously been in that position myself at 14, 15, 16 years old with my whole career ahead of me. So now I can help teenage footballers. Not by giving them shortcuts, but explaining to them what to expect by outlining what I have been through – what I did right and what I did wrong. Up next for my ‘A’ Licence, I have to fulfil 16 coaching sessions so I am planning on doing those with the academy lads at Everton. I am really looking forward to getting out on the training pitch more so that I can assist young kids.

 

“Overall it would be so rewarding to help youngsters who are starting their journey and don’t really know what is to come. I can give them a kick-start and guide them in the early stages which, for me, I found were the toughest”

 

It sounds as if you really enjoy this coaching aspect?

Yes of course because football has given me a lot. It would be incredible if I retired and then the next day I got a manager’s job with a first team somewhere. But if it is at academy level where I have to start out, then I’ve got so much knowledge. I am well-travelled, I have played for 13 clubs, I have got 250 Premier League appearances under my belt and I have played for my country England. I have had the ups and downs. I have had bad loan spells. I have had good loans. I have had good and bad periods in my career. So I have literally done it all. Overall it would be so rewarding to help youngsters who are starting their journey and don’t really know what is to come. I can give them a kick-start and guide them in the early stages which, for me, I found were the toughest.

 

You also mention football media opportunities. What have you been doing so far in the media?

When I was 22, I was unfortunate in that I was injured when England appeared at the 2014 World Cup Finals out in Brazil. But I was also fortunate that ITV gave me the opportunity to go to the tournament as a pundit. So I have always had a head start on other pundits because I did it so young at the age of 22 where I forged those links myself. Then after that, I decided to focus on my playing career as the media side will come when it comes. But I was very lucky during Covid that we were able to do a lot of media work from home on the laptop via Zoom. It all fell into place and I already had the contacts. So I was able to go on stations like talkSPORT and BBC Radio 5 Live and not take anything away from my football career. Because if I had been travelling a long way to visit radio studios, then the next day in training maybe I would have been tired and not perform well. So to be able to do it from my home was a real blessing and I built up a lot of experience just sitting in front of my laptop. It led to me covering the Euros tournament in 2021 with ITV and a foreign broadcaster. Then I went to the World Cup Finals in Qatar last year as a co-commentator. For a current player at my age to be a co-commentator is something that I have not seen anyone else do before – especially at a World Cup. The knowledge I have gained had been marvellous for me and hopefully it will stand me in good stead further down the line when I do retire. If I come up against other ex-footballers who have also retired, I will already have an advantage with the resume and experience of nearly 10 years in the media.

 

Do you have any other interests that you wish to pursue?

Well I am currently thinking: “Right, what else is there? What else can I do?” Maybe it could be football agent work or setting up football training academies. Or even I’ve been thinking something ridiculous about getting acting lessons! I am very fortunate in that I have done a lot so young so now I can examine other things that interest me for when I retire. Whereas if I had started all this later, I would suddenly be thinking now: “Oh I’ve got to get my ‘B’ Licence, I’ve got to get my ‘A’ Licence, I’ve got to get media work.” But actually I can now concentrate on other stuff that I may want to do in the future. Other avenues I can learn while I am still playing and especially while I am injured.

 

The acting ambition sounds really exciting. Do you see a future starring role in EastEnders perhaps?

Ha ha! You know what, I really enjoyed drama when I was a kid. I was very good at it and I was in a couple of school plays. Then it popped into my head again just recently. So I Googled to see if there are acting schools, online courses or private lessons available. I haven’t looked into it fully yet but it is just something that I may wish to pursue if I have the time and I get everything else sorted beforehand. Therefore I might try acting and have it in my back pocket in case I need it.

 

Have you got any investments?

Yes although I have tried to keep things as safe as possible. My mum has been great and she has handled my portfolio. I don’t want to take risks so we have kept it simple by buying houses and flats. In the long-run, you can’t go wrong or lose money with this. As a result, I have acquired quite a few properties which can generate rental income.

 

Images: Imago Images


 

 

 

 

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