After scoring at the Emirates and making more than 400 footballing appearances, Dan Ward opens up on the realities of injuries as a pro, and why he’s now chasing a new dream as a golf instructor.
Scoring a Premier League goal against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium is the sort of moment every kid dreams of when they kick a football for the first time. For Dan Ward, this became reality.
“That’s probably one of my favourite memories,” he says, reflecting on the header which edged past the legendary Petr Cech into the Arsenal net.
A career cut short
Ward continued to have a career many would be proud of, making over 400 appearances over his 16 years in professional football. Yet, after suffering a career-ending injury against Burton Albion in 2024, Ward is now looking for a fresh start as a qualified golf instructor.
He recounts the moment his injury happened: “It was a weird one because the game had literally just kicked off.”
“A cross came in, and I’ve gone to volley the ball. As I strike it on my standing leg, I just feel a massive pop in my knee,” he says.
Ward describes falling down like a ‘sack of spuds’ as he clutched his knee in agony.
“Initially, it was horrible, but to be honest, the pain went away pretty quickly,” he says.
“When I walked off, my knee felt really loose and wobbly, and I’d seen other lads do their ACLs before me, and that’s one of the signs. I had a feeling straight away.”
Days later, scans done by the club confirmed what Ward had suspected; the injury was a torn ACL. These injuries are fairly common in football, known for being one of the most devastating and career-altering in the sport. As for Ward, he was left facing at least six months on the sidelines.
Despite this setback, Ward was no stranger to adversity in his career. After suffering a similar injury in 2017, he was determined to keep going.
From academy to pro
“I always played football and wanted to be a pro from a young age,” he says. “Yet I didn’t show many signs of being levels above the rest really early.”
“It wasn’t until I was maybe 13 or 14 when I was at Leeds that things started to go well.”
Even then, Ward understood that to make it as a professional footballer, he had to work harder and sacrifice more than everyone else.
“I remember I was 16, in the academy, and I thought, you know, I’ve got a good chance here if I give it everything I have,” Ward says. “So that’s what I did; it was just about making the most of each opportunity as it came.”
This mindset helped carry him through the ranks and into the professional game, where he played for many clubs, such as Huddersfield, Rotherham and Cardiff City.
He mentions how achieving promotion to the Premier League with Cardiff was one of the greatest moments of his career.
“Getting promoted to the Premier League was a dream come true,” he says. “Even though I struggled with injuries that year, it was still one of the best moments of my career.”
It was during the following season in the Premier League when the Arsenal goal came, another marker of how far he had come in his career.
Ward continued to have an impressive career after his Premier League experience, staying on for another year at Cardiff before returning to Huddersfield in 2020 for his second spell at the club.
He praises the club for how they handled his injury. “They got me scanned and diagnosed the injury right away.”
Despite this, the timing of an injury like this, particularly at this stage of his career, could not have been worse.
“In my head, I thought I had a couple of years left,” he says. “But at 34, a big knee injury like that changes things quickly.”
Initially, Ward’s recovery went well, and he fully expected to return to football and play out his final years on the pitch.
“The operation went really well, and there wasn’t much damage other than my knee,” he says. “After about five months, I was back on the grass, and everything looked promising.”
Unfortunately for Ward, football can be a cruel sport.
“It just blew up again,” he says. “I had essentially been set back to the very beginning of my recovery after being so close.”
Things for Ward became far more complicated following the second injury. Not only was he set for more time on the sidelines, but he was also out of contract, searching for a new club.
In the end, he decided to retire from football.
“I guess it was weird, football was all I’d known for most of my life, but at the same time I was excited by the prospect of spending time with my family and also the next steps in my career.”
He spoke about the support systems he had in place to help him get through the tough times.
“Throughout my whole career, I have actually been quite lucky with injuries up until the obvious big one.”
“But it’s the times when you are down that family and friends become really important,” he says.
Onto the putting green
Ward also speaks about his plans for the future, particularly his ambitions to study at university and become a professional golf instructor.
“I probably started playing golf around 18 or 19 and now play off plus one handicap.”
“It’s always been a passion of mine, so I am excited to dedicate more time and take it seriously.”
He explains that while his injury has prevented him from playing football, the different physical demands of golf allow him to continue playing.
Will Sharman, who previously worked at Bolton One Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Clinic, has seen first hand how elite level football can strain athlete’s bodies.
“It puts a huge load on the knee, with sudden sharp movements as well as sprinting, jumping and landing,” he says. “Even after a successful ACL reconstruction, it’s a challenge for players to return to that level of intensity”.
“In comparison to football, while the knee is used in golf, the movements are much more controlled, and there is no worry of contact injuries, ” says Will.
For Ward, the plan is already laid out, and he hopes to enrol in the PGA coaching qualification: a three-year course that will enable him to practice as a full-time golf coach.
“It’s something that I have always wanted to do,” says Ward. “I would definitely say it influenced my decision to retire when I did.”
Clean slate
Ward admits, however, that when it comes to football, the things he misses the most are not quite what he expected.
“I wake up stress-free,” he says. “I remember times in my career when I had a poor performance or the team was on a bad run. Honestly, it can be easy to let the pressure get in your head.”
Despite this, Ward insists he looks back on his career with no sense of regret.
“I have loved every minute of my football career. I made so many friends and did some incredible things that I could never have dreamt of.”
He also mentions that having positive relationships was one of the most important things for him. Pointing out that it’s the camaraderie with teammates he misses most.
“It’s the changing rooms, being around the lads every day, the banter, that’s what I miss more than anything, ” he says.
Ward leaves Back in Action with a final message to any player facing a setback or going through a difficult time:
“With any big injury at the start, it feels like the end of the world; there’s obviously going to be dark times,” he says. “But if you keep going and try to remain positive, take all the right steps, and do all the right training programs, you will get back to a better place.”
“While my career did not end how I planned it, I am completely happy with how things turned out, and I cannot wait for the future”.