Time to brush up after training
Tuesday, 3rd Mar 2020For keeper Owain Fôn Williams keeping his hand in means more than it might seem
Goalkeeper Owain Fôn Williams Dunfermline Athletic`s new number 50 has had a career filled with unforgettable highs. He was tracked by Manchester United as a youngster; he was a part of Wales` “golden generation” and he enjoys spending his free-time with a paintbrush in hand... And he hopes to keep that theme going during his stint at East End Park, as he told our the DAFC match programme reporter, Jordan Burt.
Outside of football, Fôn Williams enjoys oil painting, which he now renowned for.
“Normally, you can go to work at nine o’clock and be finished by two, so, you`ve got some time to kill. The majority of the lads at clubs will play the PlayStation or an Xbox but I soon realised I was wasting time.
“It was a dead-end thing, there was no point in me going to training and then heading home to sit on the couch. What have I actually achieved to show for the free-time I`ve had on my hands? Absolutely nothing.
Owain always had an interested in art when at school. He was considering whether to pursue a full-time career in football or continue learning about art and maybe signing for a club such as Wrexham or whatever.
“There was only one choice for me at the time because football is my biggest love and passion, but, I really enjoy art – it is an escape for me, in a way, as it is so different to my every day job, the high demands, the ups and the downs. When I pick up the utensils to do my paintings, I am in charge of whatever I am doing and it allows me to switch off for a little bit.
On the other hand, I appreciate it is not the ‘norm’ for a professional footballer to be doing this, but then I remind myself, I have never really been the ‘sheep who follows’.
“I have an interest in art and I am going to continue following that. You won`t see me playing console games or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong, I ain`t against it, we all have our hobbies and interests and for me, all that matters is what happens on a Saturday when we get down to work.
“If myself and my team-mates give our best for ourselves and one-another, at the end of the day, then that`s great and whatever happens off the pitch is also happy days!”
Owain was part of Chris Coleman’s Welsh international squad by the time he accepted the move to Inverness Caley Thistle in 2015. Playing Scottish Premier League football kept him in the international team’s sights and for such a passionate Welshman that was all that mattered.
“We qualified then for the Euros and I was with Wales there purely because of that move and playing at that level. There is a path for us all and sometimes you have got to make that part work for you.”
As a consequence Wales Euro 2016 run to the semi finals is commemorated by Owain in his paintings.
Images courtesy of owainfonwilliams.com
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