26 Facts About Gifton Noel-Williams

Gifton Noel-Williams played as a striker for Watford, Stoke City and Burnley among other clubs.

Gifton Noel-Williams retired from professional football in 2010 and moved into coaching, briefly managing Burnham in 2016 and Codicote in 2017 and was the interim manager of Watford Women.

Gifton Noel-Williams had received his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad on the day of the game.

Gifton Noel-Williams joined Stoke City on a free transfer on 2 June 2003, playing 83 games and scoring 23 goals in two years.

On 14 June 2005, Gifton Noel-Williams joined Burnley on a free transfer.

Gifton Noel-Williams remained a Burnley player, despite being made available for a transfer throughout the close season, and, after an improvement in form was taken off the transfer list on 22 September 2006.

Gifton Noel-Williams played 56 times for the Clarets scoring 7 goals, the last against Leeds United in November 2006.

In 2008, Gifton Noel-Williams returned to England, signing a short-term contract with League One side Millwall.

Gifton Noel-Williams was loaned to another club in the division, Yeovil Town.

In January 2009, Gifton Noel-Williams moved to the United States to join American team Austin Aztex FC, signing a two-year contract.

Gifton Noel-Williams was released by the Aztex at the end of the 2009 season, having made 16 appearances and scored three goals for the Texas club.

Gifton Noel-Williams signed with the amateur DFW Tornados of the USL Premier Development League in 2010, but the club folded at the end of the 2010 season.

In February 2015, after nearly five years out of football, Gifton Noel-Williams came out of retirement to sign for Southern Football League side Daventry Town, who were managed by his former Watford teammate Allan Smart.

In 2011, while still living in the United States, Gifton Noel-Williams was an assistant soccer coach at Brentwood Christian School, a private academy in Austin.

On 26 September 2016, Gifton Noel-Williams was announced as the new manager of the non-league club Burnham.

Gifton Noel-Williams parted company with Burnham in November 2016, having struggled to combine the role with other coaching commitments.

In October 2019, Gifton Noel-Williams was appointed assistant manager at Billericay Town, a position he held until June 2020.

In January 2021, Gifton Noel-Williams became a striker coach at Portsmouth on a part-time basis, in addition to his work for the Professional Footballers' Association.

On 16 August 2022, Gifton Noel-Williams was appointed as a coach supporting the England youth teams as part of The Football Association and Professional Footballers' Association's joint England Elite Coach Programme.

Gifton Noel-Williams was later appointed technical director of the club.

Later in 2023, Gifton Noel-Williams became technical director of the Grenada Football Association, alongside Terry Connor.

Gifton Noel-Williams became a father himself at the age of 16.

Gifton Noel-Williams's son Dejon Noel-Williams is a professional footballer, and has represented the Grenada national football team.

Gifton Noel-Williams coached the team on 2023 BBC documentary Boot Dreams: Now or Never, about young footballers trying to gain a professional contract.

Gifton Noel-Williams began growing dreadlocks around 2008 in solidarity with a Rastafarian uncle who had lost his through chemotherapy.

Gifton Noel-Williams said that he had been advised to cut his hair in order to further his opportunities in media or management, but refused.