Available to book
Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole is a former England international and West Ham United striker turned TalkSPORT broadcaster. A sports speaker and career-transition speaker, he draws on his playing career and academy mentoring work, holding the national record for England substitute appearances.
Carlton Cole is a broadcaster and former professional footballer. He played as a striker for clubs including West Ham United, Chelsea, and Celtic, and represented the England national team. Carlton hosts the TalkSPORT Sports Bar on Friday nights and works as a pundit for TNT Sport, BBC, and Sky Sport. After retiring in 2018, he became an official ambassador for West Ham United and has partnered with brands including Giff Gaff, Nivea, and Carling. Carlton began his career at Chelsea in 2001, where he had loan spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, and Aston Villa.
In 2006, he transferred to West Ham United, where he had two spells at the club, released in 2013 and re-signed shortly after, only to be released again in 2015. He also played briefly for Celtic, Sacramento Republic in the United States, and Persib Bandung in Indonesia. During his international career, Carlton made 19 appearances for the England under-21 team, scoring six goals. He debuted for the senior national team on 11 February 2009 in a friendly against Spain, coming on as a substitute. He made seven appearances for England, all from the bench, a national record as of June 2021.
After retiring, Carlton returned to West Ham United in December 2018 to support the club's academy players, working alongside the under-18 coaches. He is committed to mentoring young athletes, focusing on their development both on and off the field. His aim is to help them build long-term success and financial stability throughout their careers, while preparing them for life after sport. Having faced challenges during his own career, he draws on that experience to guide the next generation and help them avoid common pitfalls. Alongside his broadcasting and coaching roles, Carlton remains committed to nurturing young talent in football, making sure they have the support they need to thrive in a competitive environment.
Book Carlton Cole as a speaker to inspire your team with his rich football experience and engaging broadcasting skills. His collaborations with top brands and role as West Ham United Ambassador make him a compelling choice for both sports and business events. Elevate your event with his unique insights.
Featured Projects
often considered together
Annabel Croft
Resilience
Health and Fitness
Kriss Akabusi
Olympics
Team Building
Innovation
Francis Benali
High Performance
Team Building
Effective Leadership
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
To book Carlton Cole, email carlton.cole@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Carlton's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Carlton Cole draws on his first-hand experience as a professional footballer — including challenges faced during and after his playing career — to frame talks around mentoring, athlete development, and life after sport.
Carlton Cole speaks on themes of resilience in sport, life after professional football, and mentoring young athletes through career transition. He made seven substitute appearances for the England senior team, a national record as of June 2021, and hosts TalkSPORT Sports Bar while working as a pundit for TNT Sport, BBC, and Sky Sport.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
Get the right person
Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll match you with the talent your audience won’t stop talking about.
