West Ham United are delighted to confirm that Academy director Tony Carr is to be acknowledged for his 36 years of long and outstanding service with a testimonial.
Having played a major role over three decades and more, the club believed the time was right to recognise and pay tribute to the achievements of a man who began as an apprentice at the club in the 1960s. From Ron Greenwood to Gianfranco Zola, manager after manager at the Boleyn Ground has felt the benefit of Carr's unstinting commitment to excellence and developing the stars of tomorrow.
West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury paid tribute to Carr's terrific achievement and his ongoing commitment to finding the Hammers greats of the future. He said: "Tony Carr fully deserves to have a testimonial and I am sure all of our fans would agree that this is long overdue. He is an institution at West Ham United and rightly holds a special place in the club's history.
"Tony has helped establish West Ham United as a club committed to producing young talent that can rise all the way through the ranks to our first team. It is also not just about furthering their football ability on the pitch but also the way he and his staff help prepare the players to be the best they can be - at whatever level they may ultimately reach."
With a golf day in May set to get things rolling on Carr's testimonial, further events including a special match and gala evening in his honour are in the pipeline for the coming months. Carr was delighted to be awarded the testimonial and is looking forward to having the chance to reflect on his career - although there is no sign of him resting on his laurels just yet.
The 58-year-old Carr said: "This is a really fantastic award and I would like to thank the board and especially Scott Duxbury and Nick Igoe for granting me this testimonial. I have spent nearly all my working life at West Ham United and I am very pleased that they have rewarded me for my service to the club.
"I have many targets still to achieve at West Ham but this testimonial will be a welcome distraction during this coming year."
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