Williams was selected to be the lead trophy bearer for City’s third consecutive Premier League triumph by way of a fitting tribute to his 33 years’ incredible service with the Club’s charity, City in the Community, ahead of his retirement later this summer.
And to commemorate him joining City on this day in 1978, we have resurfaced the video of him handing City their third consecutive Premier League trophy.
Alex was joined at today’s trophy presentation by 19-year-old Tom O’Dell, whose journey with City in the Community has been similarly inspirational, taking him from the verge of school expulsion to degree student and now valued member of staff.
Following his playing career with City, Williams became Head of City in the Community in 1990 and he went on to play a key role in helping shape the charity into one of the largest and most impactful football foundations in the country.
After subsequently spending the past 12 years on the leadership team as CITC Ambassador, where he has continued to support the development of the charity, Williams will step away from his full-time role at the end of August.
Born in Moss Side, Manchester, Alex has devoted the past three decades to improving the lives of people in Greater Manchester, during which time he has helped to grow the charity from a team of just 12, to an outfit numbering more than 110.
Reflecting on Williams’ enormous contribution to the Club and CITC, City Football Group’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Roel de Vries, said: “Manchester City was built upon community values and, for 33 years, Alex Williams has personified the heartbeat of our Club.
“His impact across this city is beyond measure and I know that his legacy, along with the stories told by the people whose lives he has changed, will continue for many years to come.
“I speak on behalf of the whole of Manchester City when I say, thank you, Alex. Thank you for your compassion, your vision, and your commitment to our community.”
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Before joining City in the Community, Williams’ successful playing career began at City in 1979, where he helped the club to two FA Youth Cup finals as well as becoming a key member of the England Under-21 squad that won the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 trophy.
Alex was voted as a member of the prestigious PFA Division Two Team of the Year in 1984 and aided the Club’s promotion back to the top tier the following season.
After subsequent spells with Queen of the South and Port Vale, he retired from playing and set up the community programme at Port Vale.
Alex then returned to City in 1990 to lead the Club’s community programme and he has remained at the CITC forefront ever since.
For Tom O’Dell, who carried the Premier League trophy onto the pitch on Sunday afternoon, his City in the Community journey began when he was a 15-year-old student at Falinge Park High School.
Tom was on the cusp of being expelled from school due to his high-level of challenging behaviours and nearly fell out of education completely at the age of 15.
City in the Community introduced Tom to its Inspires* programme, which helped him to regain motivation and focus, enabling him to complete all his GCSEs before successfully enrolling onto the CITC BTEC programme.
Tom excelled on the course, resulting in him receiving one of only two scholarships to join CITC’s Degree programme at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Throughout this time, Tom has also volunteered on CITC programmes, and has recently been offered employment with the charity whilst he studies.
Commenting on Sunday’s trophy presentation, Tom said: “Without City in the Community, my life would be very bleak. I wasn’t engaged at all at school and had no real aspirations for the future.
“The charity helped me to find something that sparked a passion – they essentially threw a lasso around me, pulled me in, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Reflecting on the trophy presentation, Head of City in the Community, Mike Geary, added: “Today is a historic day for the Club and an emotional one for everyone connected to City in the Community.
“Seeing Alex and Tom walk out on the pitch together, for us, really symbolises the past, present and future of our charity.
“To us, and the whole fanbase, Alex Williams personifies the foundations that this Club was built on and we look forward to giving his legacy a just celebration in the summer – today marked the start of that.”
City in the Community exists to empower healthier lives with city youth through football.
Find out more information at www.mancity.com/CITC.
