The career of Carly Telford is one defined by resilience, leadership and determination. From setbacks to playing in some of the biggest matches of her career, Telford remained positive throughout it all. Goalkeepers are often overlooked, only drawing attention when mistakes are made. However, Carly Telford was one of many trailblazers who helped challenge that narrative. As women’s football continued to grow throughout her career, Telford’s journey reflected both the challenges and the success that can come through resilience, perseverance and unwavering determination.
Born in Jesmond and raised in County Durham, long before the England call-ups or playing for major clubs like Chelsea, Carly Telford did not reach the top overnight, but through years of hard work, resilience and persistence.. She did not always have endless opportunities available to her on the path to becoming one of the best; instead, it was her hard work and perseverance that ultimately paid off.
Carly Telford was first introduced to football through her dad, who played on weekends, meaning the sport was part of her life from an early age. Football properly took hold when she was around seven, spending hours playing with other kids on the estate after years of kicking a ball around in the garden. She later joined her school team, playing with the boys through the age groups without many issues, aside from the occasional funny look from other parents. Her big break came while playing with her brother in an old abandoned container, when an observer spotted her and invited her to trial for Chester-le-Street. It was also her mum who inadvertently helped shape her future as a goalkeeper, putting her in a Sunderland goalkeeper kit simply to keep her warm, only for someone to ask if she was a goalkeeper — and the rest, as they say, is history.
Carly’s career progressed from those early kickabouts, often playing up to 10 games a day against local teams, before she was eventually scouted by Sunderland. There, she came through alongside other familiar names from the North East, including the likes of Jill Scott and Steph Houghton in similar age groups. It marked the true beginning of her women’s football career, joining a club with an established identity and pathway. Despite the limited funding and infrastructure for women’s football in the North at the time, opportunities still emerged for Telford. One of those came in the form of a regional camp, where she had the chance to prove herself for the international setup, but it did not go to plan.
Reflecting on the setback, she admitted:
“I remember bursting into tears when I received the letter and it felt like my world had ended, because I was 14 years old and playing with the first team so I thought I was at the pinnacle.”
Nevertheless, despite the setback, it only pushed Telford to work even harder than before. She was invited to train alongside Newcastle United’s men’s academy, where she met future England and Newcastle goalkeeper coach Simon Smith. This became another key breakthrough in her development, as she began learning the fundamental technical aspects of goalkeeping rather than simply focusing on stopping shots. With that additional guidance, alongside the support and coaching she continued to receive at Sunderland, Telford earned selection for the next regional camp and was chosen to represent England at Under-17 level. Representing England was the moment it truly clicked for her that becoming a professional footballer was possible. At just 15 or 16, Telford was pushed into playing in an older age group and suffered a dislocated shoulder during a match — an injury no player ever wants to face, especially so early in their development. Yet even that became just another part of a journey that would continue to test her, while also shaping the player she would go on to become.
The next step in Telford’s career came with a move to Leeds United Ladies in 2007. Before that, she had briefly played for Charlton Athletic in a tournament in Spain, but shortly afterwards the club’s women’s team was disbanded. At Leeds, Telford produced one of the standout performances of her early career, being named Player of the Match in the 2008 FA Cup final despite a 4–1 defeat to Arsenal. Her rise continued with a call-up to the England women’s senior squad, making her debut against Scotland in 2007, before also being selected for the 2007 Women’s World Cup. These moments marked another huge step in her journey, as Telford had finally reached the highest level with England.
After another England call-up in 2010, Telford took the next step in her career by leaving Leeds and signing for Chelsea for the first time under Matt Beard. However, the move was far from straightforward. She took a pay cut in order to play at Chelsea’s level, though it did at least allow her to leave her full-time job at a call centre and reduce her work to part-time. Before that, Telford had been balancing work alongside travelling to Leeds to play, so the move to London brought a major lifestyle change.
Another challenge quickly emerged, as Chelsea did not provide accommodation for their women’s players, leaving her without anywhere to live. Fortunately, she knew Vic Akers, Arsenal’s manager at the time, who had actually tried to sign her when she was 17, though she had been too nervous to make the move back then. Akers allowed her to stay in one of Arsenal’s player houses alongside several other footballers, including former Leeds teammates Steph Houghton and Ellen White, as well as Jordan Nobbs — three names who would go on to become very familiar figures in the women’s game.
During her time at Chelsea, Telford spent the 2012–13 winter season on loan at Perth Glory, with the WSL still operating as a summer league until 2016. She returned for the 2013 WSL season and was named Chelsea captain, a sign of how highly she was regarded within the squad. However, change was on the horizon. After Emma Hayes arrived at the club, Telford was informed that Chelsea would be making releases and new signings as part of a rebuild. Despite spending three years at the club, Hayes eventually told her that her contract would not be renewed, leaving Telford shocked and hurt by the decision.
Thankfully, she was quickly picked up by Notts County, where she reunited with former Leeds coach Rick Passmoor. Her time there brought more difficult moments physically, including a shoulder injury ahead of the 2015 FA Women’s Cup final. With Notts County unable to sign another goalkeeper in time, Telford recovered quickly enough to start against her former club Chelsea at Wembley. That same year, she was also selected for England’s 2015 Women’s World Cup squad, where the Lionesses secured a historic third-place finish. Although she did not play any minutes in the tournament, being part of that squad was still another significant milestone in her career. She remained at Notts County for a further couple of years, though injuries continued to test her, including torn ankle ligaments after a win against Doncaster Belles that ruled her out for around three months, with the club bringing in a replacement during her absence.
All of this came before Notts County was taken over by new ownership, who decided that in order for the men’s club to remain financially viable, the women’s team would be dissolved. As a result, Telford was once again left without a club. That was when Chelsea came calling for a second time, having been hit by injuries in their squad, and Carly accepted the opportunity to return for the 2017 Spring Series — the transitional competition introduced as the WSL moved from its summer schedule to align with the traditional winter football calendar. After Chelsea won the Spring Series, Telford was offered a permanent contract to stay at the club, where she would remain for much of the latter part of her career. In the same year, she was also included in England’s Euro 2017 squad, though she once again did not play any minutes. Still, bigger opportunities were just around the corner.
In 2019, Telford enjoyed further success in her international career, earning call-ups for both the SheBelieves Cup in the United States and England’s World Cup squad for the tournament in France, this time getting valuable minutes on the pitch in both competitions. Her commitment to England was also recognised with Legacy Number 165, marking her place in the national team’s history.
That same year, Chelsea rewarded her with a contract extension through to 2021. While she may not have played as many minutes as she would have liked due to competition from Ann-Katrin Berger, much like with England where she was competing against some of the best goalkeepers in the country, Telford remained an important figure in both dressing rooms and a trusted part of each squad.
One of the biggest honours of her career came in the summer of 2021, when Telford was called up to replace the injured Karen Bardsley in Team GB’s Olympic squad for the Tokyo Games, which had been postponed from 2020. Despite Sandy MacIver being on standby, it was Telford who got the nod thanks to her greater international experience and reliability within the squad. Although she did not play any minutes at the tournament, being selected for an Olympic squad was still another major milestone and a fitting recognition of her standing in the game.
By 2022, Telford’s time at Chelsea came to an end, despite having signed an extension the year before, closing that chapter with 76 appearances and a collection of major honours. As part of that final extension, she had also taken on a part-time coaching role, helping to develop Chelsea’s Under-16 and Under-18 goalkeepers — an opportunity that allowed her to pass on her experience to the next generation and support players who could one day break into the first team or go on to successful careers elsewhere.
Telford then chose to begin a new chapter by moving to the United States, a decision that was met with sadness from teammates and fans alike.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes even admitted:
“We didn’t want to lose her, but we could not hold her back from taking this fantastic opportunity in the States.”
Carly made the move to San Diego Wave FC, where she made four appearances between 2022 and 2023 before officially announcing her retirement from football on 15 March 2023.
In a heartfelt statement, Telford said she knew the time was right and thanked everyone who had played a part in her journey, while also leaving advice for the next generation:
“If you want it, go after it, find a way, have no regrets, be a good teammate, believe in yourself and always be YOU. There is nobody in this world that does it better!”
It was a message that perfectly reflected her own career. Through every challenge, setback and breakthrough, Telford repeatedly showed that determination and perseverance can take you a long way. The legacy she leaves behind is not just one of trophies and appearances, but a reminder to keep going, even when the path is far from straightforward.
However, Carly’s story in football was not quite over. In July 2023, it was announced that she had returned to Chelsea as the club’s new Commercial Player and Relationships Manager.
As Carly herself explained,
“To put it bluntly, I am a salesperson. To sell this club and this amazing team to amazing brands and partners who can come in and invest. They can keep us being the best, so we can invest back into our facilities and players.”
Although she may have hung up her boots, Telford continues to play an important role in helping the women’s game grow, proving that her impact on football extends far beyond the pitch.
https://thefa.shorthandstories.com/growing-up–carly-telford-090420/index.html
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/carly-telford-departs-from-chelsea-women
