A competitive football career spanning 19 years
The engineering industry would not seem an approachable, transferrable career path to the untrained eye, with the majority of companies seeking industry-related university degrees from graduates and further qualifications from senior professionals. The demand for talent is higher than ever owing to an equally high demand for sustainable solutions and innovative engineering, perhaps causing engineering brands to overlook alternative potential recruitment strategies.
David Raven is a former professional footballer, with a competitive career spanning 19 years that saw him representing iconic clubs such as Liverpool FC, and captaining his country, England, from age 15–20. David enjoyed a stellar career in professional football, playing for various other teams including Shrewsbury, Carlisle, Tranmere, Wrexham and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, which brought David’s career highlight, a winning goal against reigning champions, Celtic, in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Old injuries unfortunately began to catch up with David, and after semi-professional stints with Warrington Town and Marine – featuring an iconic match-up against Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup – David called time on a near two-decade-long career in professional football.
A new direction: David’s Binnies journey
With the door to David’s professional football career closed behind him, the idea of finding another vocation seemed intimidating at first and meant venturing into territories unknown. Therefore, David took a brave step in a new direction and began his Binnies journey, joining the operations and maintenance team within Binnies’ asset management division in March 2023.
David stated: “I’d like to especially mention Chris Bates, my line manager, who’s been outstanding in this department for me. It’s been a steep learning curve that has been challenging at times, and one that doesn’t look like letting up anytime soon, which I’m more than happy about. I’ve now got a far better work/life balance than I had before, and it’s had a positive impact all-round. I’ll always be grateful to Binnies for providing me with the opportunity to come in and start something new. As an ex-footballer, it’s extremely difficult to see a life and career away from the game, and I’d like to hope that somewhere down the line we can attract more ex-professionals to the industry.”
David has transferred his skills and knowledge gained through the world of professional sport seamlessly to asset management. David hasn’t left behind the world of football entirely, however, as he is now the Warrington Town assistant manager. The team has just been promoted out of the Northern Premier Division (level 7 of the pyramid) to the National League North, with David stating: “It’s my first full season in management, so something I’m really proud of, and I’m really excited for the season to come.”