Perth Glory veteran and Isuzu UTE A-League great David Williams has announced he will not be returning to the club in a playing capacity this season.
The 37-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear while playing for Glory in December 2024, and as he continues his recovery from the injury that ended his 2024-25 season, the veteran striker has confirmed he won’t be returning to the pitch in Glory colours.
Williams has scored 51 goals in 228 appearances in the Isuzu UTE A-League across stints at Glory, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne City (formerly Heart), Brisbane Roar and North Queensland Fury.
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Last season, Williams was the last-remaining player from season one of the Isuzu UTE A-League, having debuted for Brisbane as a 17-year-old in 2006. He hasn’t ruled out a return to the league in the future as he switches focus to off-field projects.
“From my point of view, I had to make a decision about leaving Perth Glory officially as a player,” Williams told aleagues.com.au.
“I was injured in December, and my contract ended in June, so there were ongoing discussions with the club. At some point, being an older player coming off an injury, not being offered a new contract, is simply part of the game. It was a realisation that I needed to start thinking about the next step.
“After being in the same environment for three years, motivation can dip, and things can start to feel repetitive. I needed to focus on progressing in my career and finding new motivation elsewhere.
“This is really just an announcement that I’m leaving Perth Glory as a player. I never made that announcement properly, although I probably should have. During off-seasons, discussions can always go in different directions, so I didn’t make anything official at the time.
“I want to thank the fans for their incredible support throughout my time as a player. They’ve always shown support not only for me but also for my family. There are some truly great fans in Perth, people I’ve genuinely enjoyed speaking with over the years. Whether we won, lost, or drew, they continued to show up. I think one of the club’s strengths is being a one-city team, which creates a real sense of unity.
“I’ve loved my time in Perth as a Glory player. I’ll still be around the club, helping out in a few areas and attending some games to support the team. So this isn’t a permanent goodbye. I’ll still see plenty of familiar faces and be involved in certain things. But as a player, you eventually have to accept when it’s time to move on, and I’m completely at peace with that.
“My ambition is to still to play football and get back after this, because I also want to be fit and healthy for my kids. I’ve got two beautiful boys who are very active and play a lot of sport, and I want to beat them in running races for the next few years and keep that competitiveness with my son.
“It’s something I’ll look back on and appreciate, everything that’s happened throughout my time at Glory and beyond. I’m not sad about it. I’m grateful and just looking forward to what’s ahead and what’s next.”
Williams suffered the dreaded ACL tear just minutes into Glory’s home clash with Macarthur Bulls in Round 10 of the 2024-25 campaign. Just six days prior, in the injured Adam Taggart’s absence, Williams captained Glory against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. He played 90 minutes and scored the winning goal in a 1-0 triumph.
Eighteen years earlier, Williams made his Isuzu UTE A-League debut at the same venue, for Brisbane Roar, as a 17-year-old in 2006.
To have scored his final goal for Glory in his last full game for the club at the scene of his debut was a special moment for the one-cap Socceroo.
“I started my career at Suncorp Stadium in 2006 in front of my friends and family,” he said. “I had my schoolmates there, all my friends and family outside as well. So my last game there in 2024 was a big full-circle moment.
I was the captain, we hadn’t won in Brisbane for a long time, I scored, and we won. I think, in terms of how the world works, it can be a bit strange, but I look at that and think, if that was my last (full) game of football with Glory, then I can be content with that.”
Away from football, Williams is channelling his love for the game into several coaching ventures.
Williams is head coach of the Western Australian Para Football State Team and, in July, took charge of the Charles Perkins XI – Football Australia’s First Nations youth football program – at the 2025 Emerging Socceroos Championship.
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Together with fellow ex-Glory and Isuzu UTE A-League veteran Liam Reddy, Williams has also launched Football For Everyone, an inclusive football initiative for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
“I want to stay in youth development and help kids progress,” he said. “Part of my passion is to keep being a role model for them, on the field or as a coach.
“At this stage, I just need a bit of stability. I want my football life to settle down a little so I’m not always travelling. My wife understands; she’s been a great supporter of my career and my boys are too. They’re a bit sad that I’m not walking out at HBF Park as a player anymore. They loved going to school on Monday or Tuesday and telling their friends their dad played on TV.
“It’s been a journey, an enjoyable one. I’ve gone through a lot and played in some great games: a few with the national team, some A-League All Stars matches when it first started, including a few of the inaugural games, which were quite special. But you can’t have it forever. It’s just one of those things that eventually has to finish. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”
