The Portsmouth title winner and former Coventry ace blazing a trail in surprising new role
Carl Baker is blazing a trail for former footballers in a surprising new role.
And the League Two title winner with Pompey has opened up about falling out of love with football when he hung up his boots in 2023.
After an established playing stint, which saw the former winger appear for the Blues, Coventry and MK Dons, he called time on his 22-year career following spells in India and in non-league.
But in a bid to rekindle his passion following his retirement, Baker has since turned to refereeing - notably the PGMOL’s ‘Player to Match Official’ programme. The paid three-year scholarship allows current and former players to embark on a new journey into becoming an official as part of the PGMOL’s Elite Development Refereeing Plan.
Although the 42-year-old last year caddied golfer Robert Rock at the US Open in June 2024, he has since rediscovered his love for football after taking up his latest career challenge.
For the past month, Barker has been taking charge of at least three matches a week, most of which have been academy games, and has been joined on the scheme along with former players Chris Birchall and Liam Trotter.
Indeed, the ex-Pompey ace has since opened up about the difficulties he faced after his retirement before embarking on the course.
In an open and honest interview with Sky Sports, he said: ‘I had a really difficult six to nine months where I was struggling to get out of bed. I didn't know what to do. I was waking up and I didn't have any purpose, I didn't have a job.
‘I'd always been told where to be, what time to be there, what kit to wear, what to eat and then to have that to go to absolutely nothing, I would wake up in the morning and think 'what am I going to do now?' I didn't know what my next step was. When this opportunity came up (it meant) I was still involved in football. It was the perfect timing for me and it's given me a new lease of life.’
An EFL return on the cards for Carl Baker
Of course, a return to the top level is the end goal for Baker, who amassed more than 350 EFL appearances during his 22-year career.
And the former winger has got his sights set on getting back into professional football as a referee.
‘I'd love to get as high as possible, exactly the same as I was when I was a player. I'll put 100 per cent into my fitness, my learning and doing the games, then see how it goes. I've not really set myself a target in terms of I want to get there and I want to do that, but I just want to get as high as possible. I'd love to referee a professional game, but I understand it's a difficult and long process and we've got a lot of work to do before that.
‘The education, the knowledge and the time and effort the PGMOL and the PFA are putting into us is fantastic. They're treating us exactly the same as they are with their top guys and we're doing sessions with their top guys. I'm just trying to pick up little golden nuggets from their experiences. I absolutely love it - and a lot more than I thought I would.’