Ed Williams

Ed studied FdSc Sport Performance and Coaching at Hartpury and has gone on to achieve great things.

"After being released as a first-year professional at Cheltenham Town FC, my dreams of being a professional footballer were cut short. While dealing with the setback, Marc Richards (Assistant Director of Elite Sport) reached out to me and introduced me to Hartpury and the courses that were available to study, as well as the full-time football programme, which was a massive attraction to me.

I decided to enrol on the Sport Performance course that fulfilled my interest in everything performance-related within sport. The course increased my understanding of different performance details and elements which I applied to my own game.

I believe Hartpury is unrivalled. The facilities and support that’s available at Hartpury are far more exceptional than other professional environments I have been a part of. I was lucky enough to work with top coaches that helped to develop physically as a player, to not only play better, but consistently too.

It was also important to balance academic and my sport commitments, especially as I was playing externally for Gloucester City AFC part-time alongside my degree. This was made easier by classroom sessions where we would focus on scheduling and making sure we got the right recovery in to be able to perform and learn at our best.

After graduating, I signed for Kidderminster Harriers where I had two successful seasons in National League North. In August 2020, I signed a two-deal at Doncaster Rovers where I made my return to the Football League, six years after being released as a 19-year-old.

I believe the tools I was given throughout my time at Hartpury played a huge part in enabling me to achieve my ambitions. I feel extremely lucky to play the sport I love and to have studied with people I now consider friends for life. I will always be grateful to Hartpury and I owe a lot to the Hartpury family."