David Platt is a football professional with over two decades of experience across some of the sport’s most competitive environments. His career spans roles at Manchester United, Liverpool FC Academy, Qatar FA, Aspire Academy, Al Ain FC, and the British Olympic system, where he has worked in scouting, coaching, player/athlete/staff development, sports science/sports psychology, sporting directorship and executive leadership.
He began his career in player development and coaching, contributing to the development of players who would go on to play in the Premier League and on the international stage. At Liverpool FC Academy, David worked closely with the 2006 and 2007 FA Youth Cup-winning teams and helped lead player development programs that shaped the careers of many top talents. His academic background, comprising a BSc in Sports Science, MSc in Sports Psychology, an Advanced Certificate in Science and Football, and an MBA with distinction, provided a strong foundation for both technical and leadership roles.
David served as a first team scout at Manchester United during the final years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure, contributing to the Premier League-winning season of 2012–2013 with tactical and player analysis. His reports helped inform decision-making at one of the most demanding clubs in world football.
From 2009 to 2014, he worked within the British Olympic system, supporting medal-winning teams such as GB Boxing, GB Triathlon, and GB Paralympic Swimming. He also collaborated with other high-performance teams such as GB Cycling, Sailing, and Hockey. David’s insights into world class systems, performance environments, and culture-building were sharpened during this period and continue to inform his work today.
His international experience expanded further during his time with Qatar FA and Aspire Academy. There, he helped build a new scouting department as part of the country’s long-term 2022 World Cup vision. The project contributed to Qatar’s breakthrough as AFC champions in 2019 and again in 2023. In 2020, he became Sporting Director / CEO at Al Ain FC, the most successful football club in the UAE. His leadership contributed to the club winning the domestic league and cup double in 2022 and going on to become champions of Asia in 2024.
Today, David runs his own consultancy, advising football clubs, federations, and investors worldwide. His services cover areas such as club acquisitions, football strategy and operations, player and staff recruitment, and sporting director leadership. He also provides advisory solutions to organizations that lack in-house sporting directors and supports ongoing projects in people development through mentoring, coaching, and speaking engagements.
David’s approach is defined by a deep understanding of both the technical and business sides of football. He combines his football knowledge with financial literacy, operational awareness, and a global network built through years of collaboration with professionals across the globe, including living and working in Europe and the Middle East. His clients will value his people skills, professionalism, and ability to improve sporting outcomes through practical, evidence-based advice.
Whether helping investors prepare for club acquisitions, evaluating players, advising technical directors, or mentoring staff, David can bring a thoughtful and comprehensive perspective. His track record includes working with Premier League, Asian, World and Olympic champions as well as emerging federations and growing clubs. Throughout, he remains committed to the core values of drive, professionalism, and loyalty, supporting organizations not only to compete but to grow with clarity and purpose.
OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID PLATT
Who is David Platt outside of football? What helps him stay grounded away from the demands of the sport?
Outside of football, I’m a dedicated father, partner, and football obsessive! Believe it or not, I relax by watching football! I enjoy keeping fit and healthy at the gym and spending time with family, friends and my partner. They bring me down to earth quickly if I ever get too big for my boots!
What did you take away from your time at Manchester United during the Sir Alex Ferguson era, and how has that shaped your work since?
United under Sir Alex was a masterclass in clarity, trust, and high standards. What I took most from that period wasn’t just tactical or scouting knowledge, it was how leadership flows through an entire organisation. People knew their roles, knew the expectations, and bought into something bigger than themselves. There was a lot of trust given to you once they hired you and a lot of belief shown in you.
One example of that was when I was first hired, the first match I worked on was doing an opposition report on Manchester City for the derby. Thrown in at the deep end, but it was a great example of how they showed you trust and belief, even for a new recruit. Also, expressing an honest opinion that was different to senior management was seen as a positive rather than hiding or being overly agreeable.
I’ve carried that lesson into every leadership and advisory role since, to hire people, support them, believe in them, and give them the trust to do their job. And to encourage and respect them so that they give you their honest opinion and feel supported and safe enough to do that.
I worked under the Chief Scout, who I learned a great deal from and who has always been a bit of a mentor to me. There were fantastic scouting systems and processes in place at the club at the time, which I learned a great deal from, including how to operate at the highest level in regard to people and process/system management.
You’ve worked with both clubs and national federations. What feels different when leading projects in those two environments?
With clubs, the pressure is day-to-day and week-to-week. You’re dealing with transfer windows, results, fans, media, a hectic match schedule, players and staff in the building every day, etc. It’s fast, unforgiving, and very direct.
Federations are a different challenge. It’s more about strategic and systems thinking, aligning development pathways and talent ID, long-term performance culture, and working to peak at major events that can be every 2 to 4 years. Both are rewarding, but they require very different lenses.
I would say that although both are demanding and enjoyable in different ways, a better work/life balance is achievable in national federations as it is less intensive and timelines differ significantly. When you do hit major events, that’s when intensity overdrive comes in though! I worked with Team GB helping them to prepare for the Olympic Games and learned a huge amount about what is required to peak and win while handling the intensity and pressure of a major competition.
Al Ain had major success shortly following your time there. What do you think made the biggest difference in building a winning team?
Leadership alignment: I had a very good relationship with the Board of Directors there, both individually and collectively. We shared the same vision and everyone understood their roles. It was important for me to have support and trust from above in order to be impactful and for us to move the club forward in the direction that we wanted.
Clear strategy: We built a clear strategy that acted as a blueprint to achieve success. Of course, nothing goes exactly according to plan and that needed adapting sometimes, but there was a clear strategy to follow.
Decisive, fair change: We made tough, sometimes ruthless, but fair changes for the good of the club, on squad management/players, staff, culture, scouting/recruitment, and other areas, to set the tone and accelerate progress. When you are at a club like Al Ain the expectation and standard is to win; if you are not winning, you need to identify the reasons and take decisive action to change. I’m not one for change for change’s sake, there has to be a genuine need for change, but I feel the changes we did make made a real difference.
There were many things, but these are 3 that spring to mind. Al Ain are a great club, really special, with a feeling about it not dissimilar to what I experienced at Liverpool and Manchester United, in terms of their standing within the country, passionate and expectant fans, and very high standards comparatively within the region.
You’ve spent a lot of time in the Middle East. How do you see football developing in places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
The growth has been dramatic, and it’s still very much going. When I first worked in Qatar, they were laying the foundations. Now you’re seeing the results: Asian titles for the first time in their history, world-class facilities, and a presence on the global stage. For a country with such a small population to be crowned Asian Champions two times over is testament to the investment made and infrastructure that has been built.
Club football is also developing and professionalizing across the Middle East, with my old club Al Ain now being Champions of Asia, which is nice to see.
Saudi Arabia is now the one pushing, huge ambition, strategy, investment, and a clear desire to be among the best. Global recognition is now being found, with the strong performance of Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup being one example of this. Saudi Arabia has Vision 2030, an ambitious vision of what they are aiming to achieve as a country by that year, and also the World Cup in 2034. So I am sure they will keep pushing to drive standards forward and it will be very interesting to see the changes there over the next 5 to 10 years.
You’ve worked with top athletes across football and Olympic sports. What’s something they all seem to have in common?
Commitment.
Making sacrifices and doing the things that you don’t necessarily want to do but that will make you successful. Extra practice, recovery, meetings with support staff who can help you with injury prevention, nutrition, psychology, performance analysis, etc. Obsessiveness with being the best. Following positive lifestyle routines, effort and work rate, discipline, professionalism/preparation, setting high standards, all these types of things and more make up “commitment” for me.
And “commitment” is something I have seen in top players and athletes and a word that has continuously been a theme of the discussions I have had with world-class leaders, management, and staff over the years regarding what is required to be a successful footballer or athlete at the top level.
When clubs or owners come to you for help, what kinds of challenges do they usually bring, and how do you support them?
Although my consultancy is still young, I’ve already seen a familiar pattern: owners and investors typically excel in finance and operations but lack the deep sporting expertise needed to run a football club effectively.
That’s where I come in, to bridge the gap. Whether supporting a club acquisition or helping a board realign football operations, I provide a blend of sporting insight and strategic oversight. My approach includes:
- Auditing football operations, departments, staff, squads, and structure
- Evaluating the club’s football DNA, squad management and recruitment strategy, and leadership model
- Advising on integration of sporting and financial goals through clear, realistic strategies
- Helping build performance environments that support both short-term results and long-term growth
- The goal is always the same: build sporting success that’s sustainable, aligned, and accountable. When the sporting side is properly structured and integrated with business aims, performance improves.
Looking ahead, what are your next goals or plans in football and beyond?
I’m focused on building my consultancy, supporting clubs, federations, and investors with integrated sporting-business advisory services.
In the future, I may return to a Sporting Director or Executive role at a club or federation, but not presently, as I am very much focused on the consultancy which is a different and enjoyable challenge.
Ultimately, I want to use my global experience to support organisations that want to improve and achieve success. Whether it’s a club trying to build the right culture, a federation rethinking its strategy, or an investor stepping into football for the first time, I’m passionate about bringing lasting impact and success by utilising my experience to help others achieve.
And beyond football? I think the leadership lessons from sport can benefit wider industries. I’d love to share more of that in time, through speaking or coaching and mentoring.
