Birmingham City, 2005–06 Carney joined
Birmingham City Ladies at the age of 11 and played at various age levels for the club alongside the likes of
Eniola Aluko and
Laura Bassett. She made her first-team debut for Birmingham City in the
FA Women's Premier League National Division against
Fulham Ladies at the age of 14. She earned
FA National Young Player of the Year honours in 2005 and 2006.
Move to Arsenal, 2006–09 Carney joined
Arsenal Ladies on 13 July 2006, and played a major part in the team that won four major honours in the 2006/07 season: the
FA Women's Premier League,
FA Women's Cup,
FA Women's Premier League Cup, and the
UEFA Women's Cup. She made 21 appearances in the Premier League in her first season and scored 10 goals. In all competitions, she made 36 appearances and scored 13 goals. The following season saw Carney take on a greater role at Arsenal. She made 20 Premier League appearances and scored 10 goals. In all competitions, she made 34 appearances and scored 17 goals. 2008–09 marked Carney's final season with Arsenal. She made 13 Premier League appearances and scored eight goals. In all competitions, she made 21 appearances and scored 12 goals.
Chicago Red Stars, 2009–10 , 2009 After a new professional league was announced in the United States, Carney was selected by
Chicago Red Stars in the third round (19th overall) of the
2008 WPS International Draft. The Red Stars made Carney their first signing on 27 January 2009. It was confirmed the following day by Arsenal. She joined Head Coach
Emma Hayes, who had served as Arsenal's first team assistant coach. In the inaugural
2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, Carney appeared in and started 17 games (1471 minutes) and scored two goals while assisting on another. She scored her first goal for the club during a 4–0 win against the
Boston Breakers. During the
2010 season, Carney competed in 21 matches. She scored the game-winning goal against
Sky Blue FC on 2 August lifting Chicago to a 2–1 win on her birthday.
Return to Birmingham City, 2011–15 , October 2012 After Chicago Red Stars folded ahead of the 2011 season, Carney re-signed for Birmingham City. During the
2011 FA WSL, she started in all 13 matches and scored 3 goals helping lift the club to a second-place finish. During a 4–0 win against Bristol City, Carney scored a brace. She scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 win against Arsenal on 28 April. During the
2012 season, Carney started in all 14 matches and scored 3 goals. She scored the winning goal and was Player of the Match in the
2012 FA Women's Cup Final. Due to national team obligations, Carney competed in six matches for Birmingham City during the
2013 season. Carney was a starting player during the
2014 season in all 14 matches. Her 6 goals ranked her first on the team and tied for top in the league. In the last game of the
2014 FA WSL season, she missed a penalty in Birmingham City's 2–2 draw with
Notts County that might have led to a league title. Birmingham City finished in third place during the regular season with a record. She scored two penalties in Birmingham's 3–0 win at
relegation-bound
Bristol Academy in September 2015, to help secure the club's WSL 1 status. Despite national team duty at the
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, Carney finished the
2015 season with three goals in 11 matches.
Chelsea, 2016–19 In December 2015, Carney left Birmingham for the second time in her career, transferring to FA WSL champions
Chelsea on a two-year contract. She was described as "world-class" by Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, who previously worked with Carney at Arsenal and Chicago Red Stars. {{quote box During the
2016 FA WSL, Carney scored 3 goals in 16 matches. She scored the game-opening goal in the club's 4–1 win against Doncaster on 24 March off a penalty. After the match, Hayes noted, "Karen Carney was at the heart and the core of everything, especially in the first half, and she looks like she's been playing at Chelsea for years. I thought she was instrumental in everything we did, whether she was on the left side, down the middle, or on the right." She was named the club's Player of the Year and was short-listed for England Women's Player of the Year. After extending her contract with Chelsea through 2020, During the
2017–18 FA WSL season, she scored three goals in eight matches, including a brace against Yeovil on 29 October. Carney was named to the 2018–19 Women's Champions League Squad of the Season . Following the match, Carney experienced
sexist, death and abuse threats by an Instagram user after the match. The user was banned from the social media platform for threatening and abusive behaviour. Although Carney declined to press charges, England's Football Association called for police involvement. During her final season with the club, Carney scored one goal in 14 matches in the
2018–19 FA WSL. ==International career==