Will Still: Biography, Age, Managerial Career & Facts

There aren’t many football managers whose career began not on the pitch but in front of a laptop screen. Will Still is one of them. At 33, he’s already managed in the Premier League with Southampton and is now back in Ligue 1 as head coach of Auxerre after a turbulent few years. Here’s how an English analyst turned a childhood fascination with video games into a real-life dugout career.

Full name: William Still ·
Date of birth: 14 October 1992 ·
Current role: Head coach of Auxerre (Ligue 1) ·
Previous role: Manager of Southampton ·
Nationality: English

Four key personal and professional facts at a glance.

Who is Will Still?

Full name and age

• Full name: William Still (Flashscore).
• Date of birth: 14 October 1992, making him 33 years old (TheScore).

Current role

• He is the head coach of AJ Auxerre, a Ligue 1 club, appointed in June 2026 (Flashscore).
• The club’s official announcement described his arrival as the start of a new chapter (AJ Auxerre YouTube).

The pattern: Still has built a reputation for getting results at clubs that typically operate below the top spenders. His move to Auxerre continues that trend.

What is Will Still’s nationality?

Place of birth and eligibility

• Will Still holds English nationality and is described in coverage as Anglo-Belgian (TheScore / AFP).
• He was born in England (Flashscore).

What this means: Still’s English passport opens up opportunities across Europe, but his career has taken root in France.

Who does Will Still manage?

Current club: Auxerre

• Still returned to Ligue 1 after previous spells with Stade de Reims and RC Lens (Yahoo Sports).
• Auxerre finished 15th in the 2025-26 season (X post referencing league finish).

Previous clubs

• Southampton (Premier League) – appointed and left in 2025 (Flashscore).
• RC Lens (Ligue 1) – 2022 to 2024 (Yahoo Sports).

The trade-off: Still’s rapid rise has meant moving between clubs with very different expectations. Auxerre, a smaller budget side, may give him the long runway he didn’t get at Southampton.

What happened between Will Still and Southampton?

Appointment

• Still was appointed manager of Southampton in early 2025 (TheScore).

Departure

• He parted ways with the club later that same year; the club confirmed the departure via an official statement (Yahoo Sports).
• The move was reported while Still had been available since leaving Southampton the previous autumn (Flashscore).

Why this matters: The Southampton spell was brief but not damaging to his reputation. Within a year he was back in Ligue 1, showing that club owners still see him as a promising tactical coach.

Is Will Still married to Emma Saunders?

Relationship status

• No authoritative source (government, official biography, or major media) has confirmed a marriage between Will Still and Emma Saunders. Reports are limited to social media and unverified claims.

The implication: For public figures, personal relationship details often remain private. Readers should treat unconfirmed social media reports with caution.

Did a video game influence Will Still’s career?

Football Manager game reference

• Still has referenced playing Football Manager in his youth. The anecdote is widely repeated in fan circles and media profiles, but no tier-1 source provides a direct, detailed account of how the game shaped his tactical approach.

Path to becoming a real manager

• He did not play professional football, entering coaching via video analysis (The Guardian).
• His early career included roles as a video analyst at several clubs (Yahoo Sports).

The catch: The Football Manager story is a compelling headline, but Still’s real breakthrough came from years of analysis work – a less glamorous but more credible foundation.

Timeline

• 14 October 1992 – Born in England (Flashscore).
• Early 2010s – Began career as a video analyst at various clubs (TheScore).
• 2022-2024 – Managed Lens in Ligue 1 (Yahoo Sports).
• 2025 – Appointed manager of Southampton, later parted ways (Yahoo Sports).
• June 2026 – Appointed head coach of Auxerre (Flashscore).

The pattern: Each move has been upward in terms of league prestige, even if club budgets vary. Still has never spent a full season out of work.

Confirmed facts

• Will Still is an English football manager born on 14 October 1992 (Flashscore).
• He is the current head coach of Auxerre (TheScore).
• He previously managed Lens and Southampton (Yahoo Sports).

These three facts are verified across multiple authoritative sources, forming the backbone of his professional profile.

What’s unclear

• Exact relationship status with Emma Saunders – no tier-1 or tier-2 confirmation.
• Whether he has a brother – not supported by any authoritative source.
• Depth of Football Manager influence on his actual coaching methods – remains anecdotal.

Readers should treat unverified personal details with caution and rely only on officially confirmed information.

“There are no limits to our ambitions at Auxerre.”

Will Still, speaking to Ligue 1

“AJ Auxerre is delighted to welcome Will Still as its new first-team head coach. His energy and vision align perfectly with the club’s ambitions.”

Official club statement, AJ Auxerre YouTube

For fans watching from England, the question is whether Still can turn Auxerre into a stable mid-table side – and eventually earn a second Premier League opportunity. The sporting director, David Wantier, is leading summer transfer work (Yahoo Sports), and the club has secured top-flight survival. The pieces are in place for Still to build something lasting.

Editor’s note: This article was written based on publicly available sources and verified announcements. Personal relationship details remain unconfirmed by official channels.

Frequently asked questions

These answers are based on the same verified sources used throughout the article.