Tony Carr
Encyclopedia
Anthony Carr MBE
(born 5 September 1950) is an English sports coach, the current Director of Youth Development at the West Ham United
football club's youth academy and is recognised as one of the most influential figures in English football. A former graduate of the academy himself, whose footballing career was cut short by injury, he joined the club's staff as a youth coach in 1973. Since then in his tenure as director, as of 2010, Carr is credited with producing talent which has earned an estimated £80 million in transfer
fees for the club, while the 23 man England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
contained no less than seven players trained by Carr - Rio Ferdinand
, Frank Lampard
, Joe Cole
, Michael Carrick
, Jermain Defoe
, Glen Johnson and John Terry
.
, East London
and was a West Ham youth player, joining in 1966 as a trainee striker, and cleaning the boots of the famous World Cup players Geoff Hurst
, Bobby Moore
and Martin Peters
. He had three seasons as a youth team player and two as a professional player for West Ham, reaching reserve team level. He played for one season at Barnet
before breaking his leg which put him out of the game for over 18 months. During this time he qualified as a PE
instructor.
He eventually stopped playing due to a career-threatening injury, although he has since admitted that he did not have the ability to play at the highest level.
. As a developer of young talent he may be among the most successful and influential coaches in the United Kingdom, but he modestly argues differently: "No way is it all down to me. It's very difficult to say why we've been so successful in youth terms; I suppose it's down to a number of factors but, most importantly, our recruitment area of east London and Essex is really fertile." (Daily Telegraph interview, 14/6/2004)
He is aided in his task by Chief Scout Jimmy Hampson, who is considered among the best talent-spotters in the United Kingdom
.
For over thirty years Carr has arguably been the single most important member of West Ham's coaching staff. Since his original appointment in 1973, the club have had ten managers of the first team squad (not including Sir Trevor Brooking
who had two stints as caretaker manager) but Tony Carr remains at his post developing the players of the future. Carr has collaborated with Better Football Coaching since 2007 to develop 'Smart Sessions', coaching advice for grassroots coaches. He has also participated in coaching seminars in the USA.
On 16 March 2009 it was announced that in recognition of Carr's 36 years of service to West Ham he had been awarded a testimonial
year. Scheduled throughout the year are a number of golf tournaments and dinners. A testimonial game featuring a West Ham first team against a team of former academy players was played on 5 May 2010 at the Boleyn Ground
.
Carr was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to football.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 5 September 1950) is an English sports coach, the current Director of Youth Development at the West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
football club's youth academy and is recognised as one of the most influential figures in English football. A former graduate of the academy himself, whose footballing career was cut short by injury, he joined the club's staff as a youth coach in 1973. Since then in his tenure as director, as of 2010, Carr is credited with producing talent which has earned an estimated £80 million in transfer
Transfer (football)
In professional association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between professional clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one professional association football club to another. In general, the players can only be...
fees for the club, while the 23 man England squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
contained no less than seven players trained by Carr - Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
, Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
, Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
, Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and the England national team. He has made more than 300 Premier League appearances and played in 50 UEFA Champions League games as of April 2011...
, Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Colin Defoe is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national football team....
, Glen Johnson and John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
.
Early life and playing career
Carr was born in BowBow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
, East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
and was a West Ham youth player, joining in 1966 as a trainee striker, and cleaning the boots of the famous World Cup players Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
, Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
and Martin Peters
Martin Peters
Martin Stanford Peters, MBE is a former football player and member of the victorious England team which won the 1966 World Cup as well as playing in the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
. He had three seasons as a youth team player and two as a professional player for West Ham, reaching reserve team level. He played for one season at Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
before breaking his leg which put him out of the game for over 18 months. During this time he qualified as a PE
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
instructor.
He eventually stopped playing due to a career-threatening injury, although he has since admitted that he did not have the ability to play at the highest level.
As West Ham academy director
In 1973, Carr was appointed as the Director of Youth Development at West Ham. Since then he has overseen the development of many talented players at what has become known within the game as The Academy of FootballThe Academy of Football
The Academy of Football, or just The Academy, is a nickname of the English football club West Ham United.The title pays homage to the success of the club in coaching talented young players...
. As a developer of young talent he may be among the most successful and influential coaches in the United Kingdom, but he modestly argues differently: "No way is it all down to me. It's very difficult to say why we've been so successful in youth terms; I suppose it's down to a number of factors but, most importantly, our recruitment area of east London and Essex is really fertile." (Daily Telegraph interview, 14/6/2004)
He is aided in his task by Chief Scout Jimmy Hampson, who is considered among the best talent-spotters in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
For over thirty years Carr has arguably been the single most important member of West Ham's coaching staff. Since his original appointment in 1973, the club have had ten managers of the first team squad (not including Sir Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE is a football player turned manager, on-air analyst, and administrator.Brooking attended Ripple Infants School and left Ilford County High School with 11 O-levels and 2 A-levels....
who had two stints as caretaker manager) but Tony Carr remains at his post developing the players of the future. Carr has collaborated with Better Football Coaching since 2007 to develop 'Smart Sessions', coaching advice for grassroots coaches. He has also participated in coaching seminars in the USA.
On 16 March 2009 it was announced that in recognition of Carr's 36 years of service to West Ham he had been awarded a testimonial
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
year. Scheduled throughout the year are a number of golf tournaments and dinners. A testimonial game featuring a West Ham first team against a team of former academy players was played on 5 May 2010 at the Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
.
Carr was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to football.