| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gareth John Griffiths | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Winsford, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rhyl | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1998 | Port Vale | 94 | (4) |
| 1997 | → Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Wigan Athletic | 53 | (2) |
| 2001–2006 | Rochdale | 184 | (14) |
| 2006–2007 | Northwich Victoria | 27 | (1) |
| Total | 364 | (21) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Gareth John Griffiths (born 10 April 1970 in Winsford, Cheshire) is an English former footballer. A defender, he played 337 league games in a 13 year career in the Football League.
Starting his career with Welsh club Rhyl, he made the move to the English professional game in 1993 with Port Vale. After around 100 games in five years for the club he transferred to Wigan Athletic in 1998. In another three years he moved on to Rochdale. A constant first team player at 'Dale, he made 184 league appearances in five years with the club. In 2006 he joined non-league Northwich Victoria, where he spent one season before retiring.
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Griffiths started his career with Rhyl before being bought by John Rudge's Port Vale for £1,000 in February 1993. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw with Stockport County on 12 February 1994 and found himself regularly appearing in the first team from August 1994. In November 1994 he developed a groin injury which required him to go in for a double hernia operation in January 1995, but by July of that year had regained his first team place.[1] He played in the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup Final, as Vale lost 5–2 to Genoa. He spent November 1997 on loan at Shrewsbury Town before moving to Wigan Athletic on a free transfer in June 1998. He played over 50 games for Wigan before joining Rochdale in July 2001. At Rochdale and played close to 200 games in his five years with the club. Announcing his retirement from professional football in May 2006,[2] he moved out of the Football League and joined Northwich Victoria in July 2006,[3] who he played for being leaving at the end of the 2006–07 season.
For the last four years of his playing career he served on the Management Committee of the Professional Footballers Association, reporting directly to Chief Executive Gordon Taylor and other senior members of the management board. Whilst playing he obtained a first class honours degree, a post graduate marketing certificate and qualified as a financial consultant.
Since retirement from football he has been working in the financial services industry.[4] He is a current trustee at the Professional Footballers Association and is a partner in Pro Sport Wealth Management LLP. They are a Chartered firm of Independent Financial Advisers who specialise in bespoke planning for both individual and corporate sports professionals.
He is also a director of Virtual Vista Ltd, who are involved in the sports and media technology sectors.