Ex-Swans boss Williams earning 'honest buck' at airport

For a portion astatine least, Luke Williams has swapped the managerial merry-go-round for the airdrome carousel.

He expects to instrumentality to much acquainted terrain soon, however, with high-vis overgarment removed and shot boots backmost connected his feet.

And erstwhile that clip comes, Williams believes helium volition beryllium a amended manager acknowledgment to a spell moving astatine Bristol Airport, wherever helium has been a lawsuit attraction adjunct since past month.

"I americium retired of my comfortableness zone," the erstwhile Swansea City and Notts County brag tells BBC Sport Wales.

"I americium trying to propulsion myself to bash thing wholly different.

"Football is challenging but I cognize shot - it's what I do. But this occupation has been truly eye-opening for maine and I anticipation it's going to assistance maine successful my adjacent relation successful football."

Williams was the speech of societal media past play having been photographed portion connected airdrome duty.

The 44-year-old has been a shot manager for 2 decades, but has been retired of enactment since leaving Swansea successful February.

Given that helium signed a three-and-a-half-year woody erstwhile helium took complaint astatine Swansea successful January 2024, it is tenable to presume that helium is inactive being paid by the Championship club.

Williams could person spent his clip connected gardening permission twiddling his thumbs, but that is not his style.

Having seen hopes of a playing vocation ruined by wounded - and having coached mostly successful the little divisions - Williams is not idiosyncratic who has made millions from football.

Nevertheless, helium is not astatine Bristol Airport for the salary.

"I wanted to spell and enactment and bash thing meaningful with my time," Williams explains.

"I americium successful a precise fortunate presumption wherever I person immoderate time. I spoke to a feline moving successful recruitment and helium said look, the airdrome this twelvemonth is going to beryllium brainsick busy, a batch of energy, and that it's a wholly antithetic manufacture that is going to person galore issues that are going to beryllium relatable to the rigours of managing a shot club.

"And truthful I said OK, fto maine spot if I tin bash this and it's been brilliant."

Williams, who lives successful Newport, catches a autobus from the metropolis centre soon earlier 5 o'clock successful the greeting to get to work.

He does shifts of betwixt 9 and 12 hours for 5 consecutive days, past has 3 days off.

"I americium earning an honorable subordinate and I americium grafting hard for it," Williams says.

A National League play-off last victor astatine Notts County and a erstwhile brag astatine Swindon Town, Williams is known for his quality to lead.

At the airport, however, helium is guided by "my caller pal" Sergio, an Italian who has been successful the occupation for a fig of years.

"He is incredible," Williams says. "He has taken maine nether his helping and shown maine the ropes.

"Sergio is simply a Napoli fan. He is precise blessed due to the fact that they won the Scudetto [in May] and they person conscionable signed Kevin De Bruyne.

"We are going astir the airdrome together, trying to assistance the passengers and trying to person immoderate amusive portion we are doing it."

Initially, Sergio had nary thought astir his caller colleague's footballing background, but started asking questions erstwhile a rider asked Williams asked for a selfie.

The ever humble Williams – whose aged mate Bobby Zamora says "couldn't attraction little astir fame and fortune" – says helium has been recognised "a fewer times" successful the past fewer weeks.

"Many radical person stopped maine and said hullo and that's lovely," helium adds.

"It's bully to spot radical alternatively than beryllium astatine home."

Williams' occupation is to assistance passengers successful request of assistance, whether owed to mobility issues or, helium explains, due to the fact that the airdrome situation "can beryllium truly large and precise engaged and precise confusing".

"It tin beryllium a truly stressful spot truthful we effort to assistance them person a bully experience," Williams says.

"If you person a mobility issue, you whitethorn request a assistance to get you up to the level oregon assistance getting retired connected to the tarmac. You person to effort to get radical done to marque definite they don't miss their flight.

"There are immoderate large examples of absorption – prioritising the close rider astatine the close time, making definite they person the close equipment. I person been truthful fortunate due to the fact that Sergio is the master."

It came arsenic thing of a astonishment to Williams that the photograph taken of him astatine enactment and past published connected societal media tract X prompted truthful overmuch interest.

There were galore likes and shares followed by assorted headlines arsenic an antithetic communicative was picked up.

"I genuinely didn't deliberation it would beryllium that absorbing to radical but, if it is, that's good and we tin person a chat astir it," Williams says.

"For me, this [interview] is simply a bully accidental to explicate that I similar moving and I deliberation this is simply a bully mode to adhd thing to my existent trade, if you like.

"It's been a superb experience, but I deliberation I americium astir apt much chopped retired to beryllium a shot manager oregon a manager."

Had things been a small different, Williams mightiness inactive beryllium astatine Swansea and preparing for pre-season.

Having steered the nine wide of relegation information successful the 2nd fractional of 2023-24, Williams had Swansea wrong show of the Championship play-offs - and playing bully shot - astatine the crook of this year.

Progress had been made contempt upheaval down the scenes and immoderate questionable enactment successful the transportation market.

But aft a slump successful signifier that cipher saw coming – and which coincided with a dispiriting January model – Williams lost his job amid concerns that Swansea whitethorn beryllium dragged into a combat to enactment up.

"There was tons of question and changes and antithetic things going on, a batch of turmoil during my clip which was understandable," Williams says.

"But I look backmost precise fondly. I loved my clip astatine Swansea and learned truthful galore things which I volition instrumentality with maine for my adjacent job."

So erstwhile mightiness Williams instrumentality to the touchline?

He is "ready to spell astatine immoderate time", whether it beryllium arsenic a caput manager oregon assistant, but is adamant the nine indispensable beryllium right.

"The things I person learned and the things that are invaluable to maine mean moving determination that's successful a bully spot and wherever radical are pulling successful the aforesaid direction," Williams says.

"Then I deliberation I tin assistance a shot nine to beryllium successful. That's what's important to me."