Few opponents who marked Kevin Davies can honestly claim to have relished the experience.
But now players have a welcome opportunity to have the former Bolton and England striker firmly on their side after his retirement. Davies, 45, has since tried management using his UEFA coaching badges at Southport and explored other opportunities after getting a Masters Degree in Sporting Directorship.
But the ex- Bolton Wanderers frontman, who stopped playing in 2015 at 38, is now an established agent after launching KCD Management in July 2020, which already has 22 clients, including Aston Villa's rising Bermudan star Ajani Burchall., aged 17
Lockdown wasn’t an experience many remember fondly. Yet for Davies it was the ctalyst to strike out on his own as an agent after a 22-year playing career allied with his experiences of helping people through the ‘KiDs of Bolton’ charity. The ex-frontman reflected: “I was approached by a few agencies but wanted to do something myself. I set up a charity in Bolton previously and have always enjoyed helping people from a young age.
“This kind of felt like an extension of that. I had done the coaching and managing at Southport which went OK. I think I did a better job under the circumstances than I got credit for. But this feels another way of helping players which is the main reason I decided to start it up a couple of years ago. I remember in lockdown we were on Zoom speaking to some good friends in Bolton. We got chatting and they urged me to go for it. I literally set the bank account up the next day and registered as an agent. Steadily players started to come aboard and I have 22 signed up now.
“They can come to me 24-7 because they need a lot of guidance and the right advice, especially the young players. But it is a pleasure to do that because you are changing young people’s lives. I am happily retired, now I can just help others. I am operating around the National League , EFL and academies at the moment. I would love to find the next Jamie Vardy from non-league and build the company up to be one of the best in the UK. But I know it is going to take a lot of work as it is only me running the company at the moment.”
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Davies made over 800 appearances as he worked his way up from the fourth tier to the Premier League with Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburn, Bolton and Preston. He experienced the highs of international recognition with England aged 33 in 2010 and the agony of two FA Cup semi-final defeats. His most famous spell was making over 350 appearances during a memorable 10-years with Bolton as part of their side that finished sixth in the Premier League under Sam Allardyce.
He later supplemented his experience with various qualifications before a stint in the dug-out at National League North Southport from October 2017 to May 2018. Davies added: “After retirement, there are not so many options for players and I don’t think you really know until you try things.
“Management was very stressful , even at National League North level. You put so much pressure on yourself to do well. I took them from the bottom of the league to around the play-offs and then finished mid-table due to injuries. It was always going to be the following year where we would go again. But we sat down at the end of the season and decided to part ways. i gave it a go. Would I go back into some role in football day to day, possibly. But at moment I am really enjoying what I am doing.”
