Everton winger Andros Townsend hasn’t ruled out an acting career when his playing days come to an end.
Townsend, 31, has been sidelined for the Toffees for 12 months after rupturing his ACL in March 2022 and is currently in the latter stages of his rehabilitation as he targets a return to action.
Whether he gets to see game time again in an Everton shirt remains to be seen, with the former England international’s contract at Goodison Park expiring at the end of June.
But the former Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United man already has an eye on what comes after his playing career, with a coaching career (he is working towards his UEFA A Licence), a new role as a TV pundit or even a place on the stage among the options he is considering.
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Speaking to FC Business Magazine, Townsend said: “When you hit 28 or 29 years old, it is probably something that is on your mind almost every day. Before that when you are young, you think your career will last forever. You don’t worry about your coaching badges and that side of it. But then in your late 20s when you have kids, honestly it is all you think about! So it is something I have been planning for the last two or three years.
“I have dabbled in the football media as well to get experience there. Consequently when that day comes when I do retire, it won’t be a culture shock. It won’t be a case of: 'What am I going to do for the rest of my life now?' Hopefully I will be at the stage where I have experience in the media, I’ve got experience in coaching and I’ve got my coaching badges, so it will be a case of which path do I want to take?
Townsend, who expressed his desire to one day try his hand at football management, has dabbled with football punditry already, working as a pundit for ITV during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a tournament he missed out on through injury.
He has also featured on BBC Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT and, in 2021, as a pundit for an overseas broadcaster for the European Championships, held a year later that planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as a co-commentator.
But most surprising is Townsend’s passion for acting, something that he has not ruled out pursuing once his professional career comes to an end.
He said: “Well I am currently thinking: ‘Right, what else is there? What else can I do?’ Maybe it could be football agent work or setting up football training academies. Or even I’ve been thinking something ridiculous about getting acting lessons! I am very fortunate in that I have done a lot so young so now I can examine other things that interest me for when I retire. Whereas if I had started all this later, I would suddenly be thinking now: 'Oh I’ve got to get my ‘B’ Licence, I’ve got to get my ‘A’ Licence, I’ve got to get media work.'
"But actually I can now concentrate on other stuff that I may want to do in the future. Other avenues I can learn while I am still playing and especially while I am injured.
"I really enjoyed drama when I was a kid. I was very good at it and I was in a couple of school plays. Then it popped into my head again just recently. So I Googled to see if there are acting schools, online courses or private lessons available. I haven’t looked into it fully yet but it is just something that I may wish to pursue if I have the time and I get everything else sorted beforehand. Therefore I might try acting and have it in my back pocket in case I need it."
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