Darren Ward

Born in Kenton, a district of Harrow, Ward started his career at Watford, making his debut on 20 April 1996 against arch-rivals Luton. But opportunities were scant for Ward in the next few seasons – he made eight appearances in 1996–97 and, after suffering a badly broken leg, only one appearance in each of the following two seasons. Ward was loaned out to Q.P.R., in the 1999–2000 season, playing fifteen games, and was generally impressive. On his return to Watford he became one of their first-team centre-halves, playing against teams like Manchester United and Arsenal in the club's final two months in the Premier League and scoring in a 1–1 draw with Middlesbrough. On their return to Division 1, Ward continued to be a first team regular, making 40 appearances in 2000–01. Gianluca Vialli's arrival at Vicarage Road in the summer of 2001 saw a considerable re-modelling of the side, and Ward was one of the casualties. He moved to Millwall in October 2001 for £500,000 where he became a regular first team player, and was nicknamed 'The Peckham Beckham', due to the fact that his haircut is similar to that of former England captain David Beckham. At The New Den, Ward and Matthew Lawrence stood out at the central defensive position, as the Lions played in the 2004 FA Cup Final, against Manchester United. Ward played the full 90 minutes, as Millwall were beaten 3–0. In May 2005 he moved across south-London to Crystal Palace for £1.1m, signing a three-year deal. Ward initially did well…

In May 2026, Ward was named the new manager of Bedfordshire-based Step 9 Spartan South Midlands Football League side Arlesey Town. by Matt, the clubs chairman.

As of 6 March 2018.

Darren is the brother of ex-Luton Town goalkeeper Scott Ward and Notts County's ex-West Ham United defender Elliott Ward. He turned down the opportunity of joining West Ham and the Premiership before opting for Palace, claiming he didn't want to keep his brother out of the team. As of February 2011, he runs a cattery in Hertfordshire.