In a recent interview with Training Ground Guru, Jonathan Williams was dubbed the unseen problem-solver at Everton FC. Navigating the demands of the Club Secretary role and Head of Football Operations in a lean team of two for the club – Williams is testament to the successful evolution of football operations in one of the oldest establishments in the English Premier League.
Our Behind-the-Scenes webinar, hosted by George Wells, Teamworks Manager, Customer Success, offered operations staff across the world the opportunity to connect and hear Jonathan’s experience and top tips on “Achieving Operational Efficiency” through Teamworks Hub.
The Importance of Buy-In
Having dedicated 20 years of his life to the Premier League club, Williams stressed the importance of taking the time to encourage player and staff buy-in, sharing examples of how he and his staff accomplish this throughout each team.
“It’s refreshing to hear a manager promoting Hub amongst players and staff, signposting them to Teamworks.” – Jonathan Williams, Head of Football Operations
Now that the club has rolled Hub out across the men’s, women’s, u21s and most recently, the academy, there is an accountability across the club, with each manager and their players knowing the importance of checking Teamworks for all relevant information relating to the day ahead, week or month.
Watch the full webinar!
The Toffee’s Top Hub Features
During the discussion, Williams emphasised that since 2022, staff at Everton FC have used Hub for all cross-departmental communications and operations. As soon as new players are signed, or new staff onboarded, they begin the process of onboarding them to Teamworks.
With features like profiles, messenger, calendar and travel playing a huge role in the daily function of the club to ensure all stakeholders understand player commitments, each team’s fixtures, and upcoming travel arrangements – the attention to detail required by operations staff cannot go unnoticed.
“Out and about, on the go. You can get information in seconds [in Teamworks Hub]. If you don’t have your laptop with you or can’t get online, you can share with the people that need it right there in the moment [on your mobile].”
Nothing but the Best Platform is Good Enough
For operations staff, it’s no longer purposeful to continue relying on an abundance of email threads, WhatsApp groups, and excel spreadsheets to communicate with cross-departmental staff.
Through rolling out Hub, Everton FC have maximised the time available to all players and staff while ensuring one source of truth to guide the club through a season’s defining moments: pre-season, international breaks, and draws like the Carabao Cup.
“Imagine the various departments within first team football: medical department, sports science department, coaching department, player care, kit and operations…There’s a lot of information that’s shared on a daily and weekly basis, our aim is to try and get all that information to one central point.”
Jonathan Williams, Head of Football Operations at Everton FC
Leading by example, Williams encourages teams to connect and collaborate with those in other leagues and sports to maximise learnings and best practices across operations staff globally.
We would like to take this moment to thank Jonathan for taking the time to talk through his professional experience and guide us on his best practices using Hub for Everton’s daily operations. Good luck this season!
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