Ipswich Town Women’s captain Amanda Crump has announced her retirement from football, aged 31, following a 21-year, 216-appearance and 72-goal association with the Blues.
Midfielder Crump joined the club as a 10-year-old in 2000 and progressed through to the senior side, making her debut in 2006.
She was named skipper in 2014 and remained captain until her retirement. Crump reached the 200-appearance mark at the start of 2019/20 in which she led the Tractor Girls to the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup, the first fifth tier side to progress that far.
At the end of that season she announced she was pregnant with her second child and returned to make her final appearance for Town in the FA Cup defeat to Billericay in April.
"My time has come to retire from football after 26 years in the game,” Crump, pictured above with manager Joe Sheehan, told the ITFC Women’s website. "Much of my time in my football career has been spent with Ipswich Town from when the centre of excellence first started at under-10s through to the seniors with a special highlight of playing against Man City in the FA Cup last year.
"I've been at the club throughout the good times and the low times but every moment has been enjoyable and it has been an absolute honour to play at the club week in, week out and to finish my career at Ipswich as captain was a huge honour.”
She added: "I want to thank all the players, managers, coaches and background staff that have all played a part in my career both past and present, and I have some really special fond memories that I will always look back on and reminisce about.
"Deciding to step away from football wasn’t an easy decision at all and was a decision that wasn’t taken light-heartedly, but it is now time to spend some precious time with my family and to watch my two beautiful daughters grow and maybe one day follow in my footsteps.
"I want to thank all my family who have supported me throughout my career and been with me every step of the way. I want to thank everyone who has sent me messages of congratulations - they have all meant the absolute world to me.
"I will continue to watch Ipswich Town Women continue to progress and achieve their full potential and I am excited to follow their journey with great interest. I wish everyone the very best for the future.”