page_title: Ashley Williams (footballer)
section_title: Swansea City
hierarchical_section_title: Ashley Williams (footballer) / Club career / Swansea City
caption_attribution_description: Andrei Arshavin of Arsenal defended by Neil Taylor (left) and Ashley Williams. Emmanuel Frimpong in the background.
context_page_description: Ashley Errol Williams is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Championship club Bristol City and is the captain of the Wales national team.
  After being released from West Bromwich Albion as a teenager, Williams played for non-league side Hednesford Town before turning professional at Stockport County in 2003, later becoming their captain. In March 2008, he was loaned to Swansea City, and after helping them win League One title, signed for a then club record £400,000. He amassed 352 appearances for the Swans, scoring 14 goals. He aided them in their promotion to the Premier League and their victory in the 2013 Football League Cup Final. In August 2016, he signed a three-year contract with fellow Premier League side Everton for a fee of £12 million. Williams was a regular in his first season at Goodison Park but eventually fell out of favour and he spent the 2018–19 season on loan at Stoke City. After being released by Everton, Williams signed a short-term deal with Bristol City in August 2019 which was extended in November of that year.
  Born in England, Williams qualifies to play for Wales through his maternal grandfather.
context_section_description: In March 2008, Williams signed for Swansea City on loan until the end of the 2007–08 season, with a view to a permanent transfer. After helping Swansea win the League One title and, with it, promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in 24 years, the move was made permanent for a reported £400,000, a club record transfer fee at the time.
  On 16 September 2008, Williams scored his first Swansea goal in a 1–1 draw against Derby County. The defender impressed during his first season at Championship level, eventually going on to be named Wales Footballer of the Year at an FAW awards dinner in November 2009. Williams also picked up the Clubman of the Year award at the same event.
  After finishing in eighth position during their first Championship campaign, Swansea improved on their position by one place the following season, missing out on a play-off position by a single point. Williams was part of a defence that conceded only 37 goals during that campaign, and was selected in the 2009–10 Championship PFA Team of the Year at the end of the season.
  The 2010–11 season saw Swansea and Williams gain promotion to the Premier League via a play-off final win at Wembley Stadium. Williams was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. The season also saw him equal and surpass a club record of 106 consecutive matches, previously jointly held by Andy Legg and Gilbert Beech.
  Swansea's first Premier League season began with a 4–0 loss at eventual champions Manchester City, but the club went on to finish the season in 11th place. On 24 September 2011, Williams scored his first ever Premier League goal in a 4–1 loss at Chelsea, after heading in a Mark Gower free kick.
  In October 2012, Williams signed a new three-year contract with Swansea. The club's second season in the Premier League saw a ninth-placed finish and a first major trophy win in English football for Williams and Swansea, following a 5–0 win over Bradford City in the 2013 League Cup final on 24 February 2013. After captaining the team during the final at Wembley, Williams lifted the trophy with club captain Garry Monk, who had come on as a second-half substitute.
  In July 2013, after acting as captain for the majority of Swansea's matches during the previous two seasons, Williams was permanently handed the club captaincy after Monk stepped down from the role. On 4 July 2014, Williams signed a new four-year contract with Swansea. On 19 April 2015, he was selected in the Team of the Decade at the Football League Awards.
caption: Williams playing for Swansea City in 2011
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