Karen Carney is one of the UK's most popular footballing personalities. A member of England's team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup which came third place in the tournament, she is now a BBC football pundit covering the men's and women's game. Prior to England's crunch World Cup match with Cameroon, England manager Phil Neville said: "She's a big moment player". Her impressive record at both domestic and international level has seen her twice named FA Young Player of the Year and earn 143 caps for England, the second most in history, behind only Fara Williams in both male and female football.
A trailblazing winger whose contribution to football off the field is almost as great as her contribution on it, Carney was widely praised for speaking up on her battle with depression, homelessness and self-harm during the 2011 World Cup and the London 2012 Olympic Games, creating a conversation that has supported many around the world in seeking help for mental illness. Having begun at Birmingham City, where she would earn two Young Player of the Year awards, before joining Arsenal, where she would play a key role in the dominant team of the mid-2000s.
Arsenal won three successive doubles when they secured the FA Women's Premier League National Division and FA Women's Cup in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. The middle of those impressive string of trophies, saw Arsenal also win the UEFA Women's Cup and FA Women's Premier League Cup in the 2006-07 season. She was drafted into the England team for the 2011 World Cup and would play in all four of Great Britain's games on their journey to the quarter finals of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
She would retain her place as a key player in the England team for the coming seasons, helping them to succeed in the Cyprus Cup in 2009, 2013 and 2015, bringing her an MBE for services to football in 2017. She would also win the SheBelieves Cup in 2019, helping the side to a third-place finish in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Her experiences in and around the game became the subject of a documentary, A Day in the Life: Karen Carney, broadcast on BT Sports, and recently starred on the first all-female world cup panel on ITV - joined by Seema Jaswal and Eniola Aluko. A regular BBC columnist and presenter who headlines the BBC punditry team on matchday alongside Peter Crouch and co, as well as hosts on BBC Radio 5Live, Karen Carney is one of the most insightful and prominent British football presenters.
When at corporate events, Karen is known to cover the following topics:
- Football Success
- Drive & Determination
- FA Young Player Of The Year
- Equality In Football
- The Premier League
- Arsenal & Birmingham
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Karen's speaking slot was great! She genuinely shared her experience with her heart and talked about how hard it was to evolve as an athlete, her fights, her luck, her strengths and weaknesses. The parallel with her now being in the corporate world was very insightful. She was also very keen on answering any questions from the audience, which made the session a privileged moment for everyone." - Elodie, Event Manager UK, OVHcloud
- 2025 - Contestant on Strictly Come Dancing (23rd series)
- 2024 - Appointed OBE for services to association football
- 2022-24 - Led the UK Government’s “Future of Women’s Football Review”
- 2021 - Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
- 2019 - Retired from professional and international football following England’s third-place finish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup (143 caps)
- 2019 - Played in the 2019 UEFA Women’s Champions League final with Chelsea
- 2019 - Competed at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2017 - Awarded MBE for services to football
- 2015 - Played in and earned bronze at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada
- 2015 - Inducted into Birmingham City FC’s Hall of Fame
- 2012 - Represented Great Britain at the London Olympics, playing all four matches
- 2012 - Scored the winning penalty to secure Birmingham City’s first FA Women’s Cup, defeating Chelsea in the final
- 2011 - Competed at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2007 - Part of Arsenal’s historic quadruple-winning team: FA Women’s Premier League, FA Women’s Cup, Premier League Cup, and UEFA Women’s Cup
- 2007 - Played in the UEFA Women’s Cup final (Arsenal went on to win)
- 2007 - Represented England at the FIFA Women’s World Cup
- 2005 - Made senior England debut at age 17 and received FA Young Player of the Year award
How to hire Karen Carney
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Karen Carney for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
