Tony Carr (born 1950) is the current Director of Youth Development at West Ham United.

Contents 1 Biography 2 As West Ham academy director 3 Academy Graduates 4 References

[edit] Biography

Carr was born in Bow, East London and was a West Ham youth player, joining in 1966 as a trainee striker^[1], and cleaning the boots of the famous World Cup players Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Martin Peters. 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.

[edit] 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 Football. 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 eight 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.

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^[2] 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 is scheduled for 5 May 2010 at the Boleyn Ground.^[3]

Carr has collaborated with Better Football Coaching ^[4] since 2007 to develop 'Smart Sessions', coaching advice for grassroots coaches. He has also participated in coaching seminars in the USA.

[edit] Academy Graduates

Main article: West Ham United F.C. Reserves and Academy

[edit] References