“I didn’t realise how tough it would be,” says former England international Karen Carney. “It was one of the best and most challenging things I’ve done, but if you asked me to do it again, I’m not sure I would. But I don’t ever regret doing it.”
Carney, who represented her country 144 times, won trophies with Arsenal, Birmingham City and Chelsea and is now a highly regarded pundit, was appointed by the UK government to chair an in-depth review into women’s domestic football following England’s 2022 European Championship success.
Although there was some crossover in terms of leadership, chairing the review was a very different experience from the commentary gantries and TV studios to which Carney has grown accustomed as she has established her media career in recent years.
“Not at the time, no,” says Carney, when asked by The Athletic if she enjoyed the process. “(But) Now, I look back and think about what I learned, who I learned from, it’s probably one of the proudest things I’ve done.”
The review meticulously examined issues from corporate structure to professional playing environments, from fan experiences to grassroots football. Carney had meetings with industry experts and, supported by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the…
