Perth Glory defender Scott Wootton has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a 16-year career in top-flight football.
The 34-year-old joined Glory in 2025 from fellow Isuzu UTE A-League side Wellington Phoenix and went on to play every single game for Perth last season.
Whilst Wootton’s sudden announcement will come as a blow to the Glory ahead of the new campaign, the former Manchester United academy graduate won’t be lost to the club, with Wootton now set to take up the role of Technical Director of the Perth Glory Senior Academy.
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“It probably hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” Wootton said, in an address to the Perth Glory supporters.
“But looking back on my career, I can safely say that I gave everything I could and got the maximum out of what I had.
“I represented some big clubs and experienced some real highs and some tough lows as well.
“Making the decision to come over to the A-League was one of the best I made in my career because I’ve met some of the best lads that I’ve played with here and I’ve loved every minute.
“I’d like to thank every player and coach that played a part in shaping my career, but in particular, I want to thank my family for the love, support and sacrifices they made to allow me to live out my football dream since I was a young kid.”
Having come through the Manchester United academy Wootton played for the likes of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Plymouth Argyle and Wigan Athletic in the English football pyramid before moving overseas to New Zealand.
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A fan favourite in the Kiwi capital, Wootton joined Wellington in 2022 and went on to play 100 games for the club before moving to Western Australia, where he was immediately appointed co-captain for the 2025/26 season.
“Overall, I’m content to go out having been relatively successful from a personal point of view.
“Even though it was only for one season, I’d like to think the Glory Members and fans saw me give everything for the club and I’m proud to go out having played every game and skippered the team on occasion as well.
“I’m extremely grateful to [Vice Chairman] Jason Bontempo, [Football Director] Stan Lazaridis, [CEO] Ben Leaver, [Head Coach] Adam Griffiths and everyone at the club for trusting me with this new role.
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“Player development is something I’ve always been extremely passionate about and I felt that it was simply too good an opportunity for me to turn down at this stage of my career.
“Having gained my UEFA ‘B’ Licence, I’m ready now to fully focus on the next chapter of my career, to pass on my knowledge and experience and help provide a platform for as many young Western Australian players as possible to fulfil their potential.
“This is an exciting role which I will be taking very seriously and I can’t wait to get started.”
Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis said Wootton was the ideal person to help develop the club’s next generation of players.
“Scott has decided that this is the direction that he wants to go in as his playing days come to an end,” Lazaridis said.
“He has enjoyed a fantastic playing career both in England and in the A-League and is now ready to step into a new, exciting and vital role here at Glory.
“Scott is the perfect figure to help bring our talented youngsters through.
“He has first-hand experience of two of the best youth set-ups in world football at Liverpool and Manchester United, along with a deep knowledge of the game and the respect of all the players, coaches and staff at Glory.
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“His values also very much align with the culture we are building here and he will be a huge asset for us as we look to further improve our player development pathway.
“Scott is very appreciative of the opportunity and we’re looking forward to helping him grow into the role and begin nurturing future generations of local WA players via a fully connected and holistic Academy system.”
Perth Glory have already added two central defenders to their ranks this off-season, with former Melbourne Victory defender Lachlan Jackson and Lions FC defender Cher Deng joining from NPL QLD side Lions FC.
Glory kick off their 2026/27 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign with an away trip to Macarthur Bulls on the opening weekend of the season.
