Former Wigan Athletic defender Scott Wootton has retired from playing at the age of 34.
Wootton, who was part of the Latics team that pulled off the greatest of Great Escapes during administration in 2020/21, had most recently been playing out in Australia with Perth Glory.
Scott Wootton celebrates his winning goal for Latics at Bristol Rovers in February 2021placeholder image
Scott Wootton celebrates his winning goal for Latics at Bristol Rovers in February 2021
He will remain with the club as technical director of the Perth Glory Senior Academy.
“It probably hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” said Wootton, who came through the ranks at Manchester United, and also played for Leeds United, Tranmere Rovers, Peterborough United, Rotherham United, MK Dons, Nottingham Forest, Plymouth Argyle, Morecambe, Western Sydney and Wellington Phoenix during a 16-year playing career.
“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.
“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 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.
“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.
“This is an exciting role which I will be taking very seriously and I can’t wait to get started.”
Wootton scored one of the most important goals in recent Latics history during his solitary season at the club.
His stoppage-time winner at Bristol Rovers in February 2021 secured a much-needed away win, which helped them to avoid relegation by a single point.
Glory football director Stan Lazaridis said: “Scott has decided that this is the direction that he wants to go in as his playing days come to an end.
“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.
“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.”