Carl Anka
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Carl Anka: From Newton Park to Old Trafford
Friday, 28 March, 2025Carl Anka is one of the UK’s most prominent sports journalists, with his work in the world of football being viewed and listened to by thousands on a weekly basis. A prolific podcaster and writer, who now works for The New York Times’ sports desk at The Athletic. Carl’s journey since graduating from BSU in Cultural Studies & Creative Writing in 2012 encapsulates the rollercoaster nature of the sport that dominates his life.
Now covering Manchester United, arguably one of the most famed football clubs in the world, Carl’s path to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ almost took a very different route. Reflecting on his early dreams, Carl said:
“The Intention was to be a screenwriter. I would go to university, learn how to make scripts and then go make films for the rest of my life. A couple of my lecturers made it quite apparent that I wasn't the best at writing anything that wasn't from a rather narrow perspective, so I took Cultural Studies to bolster my learning in other parts of the world.”
Switching his major to Cultural Studies, Carl’s entire career trajectory and intentions were shifted by a phone call with a prospective career mentor.
“The Careers Team linked me up with a nature documentarian and I remember this individual phoning me and asking why I had sent my CV. I was confused and he asked me: ‘why have you approached me when you clearly want to be a journalist?’ I went back to the Careers Team.. We then had a re-think and they then linked me up with someone in journalism…”
That someone was Dave Bradley, then Editor of SFX Magazine at publishing powerhouse Future, based in Bath. Starting his career writing about Game of Thrones and superhero films, Carl’s stint at the publication earned him a glowing reference and a further two-week internship in London, with Total Film.
After freelancing for a number of different magazines and websites, Carl took his first steps into the world of football ahead of the 2018 World Cup, then working with the Players Tribune throughout the 2018/19 Premier League season.
When prestigious publication The Athletic launched in the UK, Carl’s rising profile saw him earn a job as the Southampton reporter, covering the Saints throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. Then, Manchester United came calling. As Carl recounts:
“I moved to Manchester on the Monday and within the same week, Harry Maguire had an incident with police in Greece . It was an immediate reminder of how much bigger and tumultuous covering Manchester United can be.
Simon Kuper’s book on Barcelona describes the entire ecosystem that exists around the club and that’s the same at Manchester United. You’ve got the internal side with managers, players and staff and then everyone who relies on Manchester United to either pay their bills or use football as an escape to forget about what they have to do to pay their bills. At Manchester United, there is a local, national and international interest that means you often have to write in a particular narrative voice that everyone can understand globally.”
Since moving to Manchester, Carl’s profile as one of the UK’s top football writers has been cemented, with the BSU graduate also finding the time to write three non-fiction books with England forward Marcus Rashford. Their 2021 release “You Are A Champion” was a UK number one bestselling children’s book, and won WHSmith’s Book of the Year and Overall Book of the Year at the 2022 British Book Awards.
With sports media and journalism itself being a highly desired industry to enter, Carl has a distinct way of looking at his writing style:
“There’s a very good interview with Martin Scorsese where he says you just need to figure out the thing that you’re trying to say and strip away everything that’s non essential.
There's no point me trying to write like someone else, so I may as well just write the way I want to write. I'm not going to appeal to everyone. I'm not going to be a national treasure. I write in a way that entertains me and entertains the people that want to read this stuff. And then the rest is the rest.”
In 2023, Carl returned to BSU to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts. Speaking at the ceremony, Carl said:
“I stand before you today humbled and deeply honoured to accept this honorary doctorate. I want to express my deepest appreciation to my mentors, my teachers, my friends, my family; everyone who has stood by me and believed in me during my time at Bath Spa University and the many years I’ve spent since graduating."
Indeed, that very same support structure is at the forefront of Carl’s mind, recounting stories of how teachers, mentors and friends helped him navigate the early stages of his career.
Now in a position to impart wisdom back to those wishing to follow in his footsteps, Carl writes blogs for students looking for advice.
“I was helped by the kindness of people in those classrooms and I'm always thankful for them. Rest assured to everyone that did help me at BSU, I am still trying my best to pay that forward to the next generation.”