Exclusive - Woodward reveals London 2012 drew him away from football

Sir Clive Woodward has told talkSPORT if the Olympics had not been in London this year he would still be working in football.

The former England rugby head coach was at Southampton as director of football when he received the offer to become the director of elite performance at the British Olympic Association.

And he admits only the lure of a Games on home soil persuaded him to turn his back on a career in the round ball game.

He told Keys & Gray: “I loved my year in football. There was nothing that frightened me or scared me at all. It was the complete opposite.

“I was almost in awe of what they do because it [the matches] came around so quickly. You’re trying to prepare a team, you’ve got the pressure from the media and the fans. It was another step up from the rugby world of winning a World Cup so you saw it all and I was really engaged by it.

“After a year I thought, ‘yes, I could do this’. I’d have had to drop down two or three leagues and start at the bottom as a manager but then this job at the BOA came up out of the blue and I think it’s fair to say if the Olympics hadn’t been in London I wouldn’t have taken it.

“But the thought of being involved even a small bit with the home Games was something I had to go for.”

Woodward can’t wait for the Games to begin in July, and he admits he’s excited about the Team GB football team and hopes players from all the home nations have the opportunity to take part.

He added: “I’ve met with Stuart Pearce, he’s very excited. He’s got the European Championship coming up so he’s already said he’s not going to be picking players who are playing in that. It’s his call – Stuart’s picking the team and I hope it will be a genuinely British team.”

“It’s the home Games, it’s the British football team. Team GB. We don’t know who’s going to be in it, there could be some pretty big names in this.

“I think we could put out a really special team. Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, you’ve got some really talented kids who I think would love to play.

“It’s great to hear Harry Redknapp being so positive about his players being available if picked. That’s why I think Stuart’s really enjoying it. He’s got a great challenge.”