Former Oxford United player Scott Davies - now manager for Slough Town - said he was relishing his role as a ‘father figure’ as he vowed to prevent his players suffering the gambling addiction he battled for much of his playing career.

Mr Davies spent years in the professional game struggling with the problem that led to the former Reading midfielder losing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

He played for Oxford United in 2013-2014 and captained Oxford City in 2016.

READ AGAIN: Excess deaths have fallen from a two-year peak

The 34-year-old now works with EPIC Risk Management to improve education around problem gambling and, speaking at the launch of its Gambling Harm Prevention in Sport Review White Paper, emphasised the importance he is placing on helping his players as people now he is in the dugout.

 

Mr Davies, whose side currently sit 18th in the National League South, said: “For me it’s about not just managing them as players, but managing them through life.

“I am almost like a second father figure for some of these lads, especially the younger ones – we have got lads that are 18, 19 – I am 35 next month. I don’t just want them to be good footballers, I want them to be good people.

“Being a manager now, if I do see a problem with one of my players I will go and speak to them and ask the question rather than brush it under the carpet. You might be wrong, they might be completely fine, but at least you have asked.

“People don’t go to your teammates and say ‘I’m struggling, can I have a chat?’.

"It’s just not the done thing in football. It is that stigma attached to men not willing to speak, but I try and normalise it now as much as I can.

“My players would say that I am a person that delves deeper into the person because of what I have been through in my life.

Oxford Mail:

“I am very lucky that I have the opportunity and I want to be more than just a good football manager, I want to be a good person to these players.”

Davies was speaking alongside members of EPIC Risk Management’s Pro Sport Advisory Board, which has been launched as the world’s first panel to investigate and act upon the risk of gambling harm affecting professional sports stars or eSports players.

EPIC’s new White Paper advocates a greater emphasis on education at all levels of sport, including a commitment to education amongst those engaging with gambling operators as sponsors.

Education is exactly the message Mr Davies is working for, having experienced a rapid slide down the pyramid after breaking through at Reading before gambling got in the way of his time at the top.

READ AGAIN: Hat-trick of award nominations for Oxford Mail 

Lies to managers, friends and family around the thousands of pounds he was gambling soon saw him hit rock bottom and enter rehab, before he turned the corner and focused on educating others about the risks.

“I think through the power of talking and sharing my vulnerability around my gambling addiction, it allows people to come forward and ask for help which is a good thing,” he added.

Read more from this author

This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF