Ipswich Town Women's skipper Amanda Crump retires after 21-year association with Tractor Girls
Popular Ipswich Town Women's club captain Amanda Crump has announced she is hanging up her boots after representing the Tractor Girls over the course of the last 21 years.
The 31-year-old departs as the club's all-time leading appearance maker, having represented the Blues 216 times, scoring an impressive 72 goals from midfield.
"My time has come to retire from football after 26 years in the game," she told the club website.
"Much of my time in my career has been spent with Ipswich Town from when the centre of excellence first started at U10s 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."
A club statement said: "Everyone at Ipswich Town congratulates Amanda on a fantastic career and wishes her the very best in her retirement."
Her career with the club started after joining the former centre of excellence as a 10-year-old back in 2000.
After progressing through the Blues' youth ranks she stepped up to senior football and went on to make her first-team debut as a teenager in the summer of 2006.
The midfielder took a short break from football on the eve of her twenties but returned to the side to become an ever present in the Town midfield not long after.
Crump was named club captain by former manager Ralph Pruden in 2014 – a title which she had held until her retirement.
Having missed most of the 2016/17 season due to falling pregnant with her first child, she returned to the training pitch just three weeks after giving birth and was able to feature in the season finale.
Her return sparked life into the Tractor Girls, with her 13 goals in all competitions helping to secure a third-placed finish for Town in her first full season back on the pitch.
She took another short break from football at the tailend of 2018 but quickly returned to the side following the appointment of current Town boss Joe Sheehan in February 2019.
Crump featured regularly as Sheehan transformed the Blues into a serious promotion contender in the FA Women's League Division One South East.
She enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2019/20 season and clocked up her 200th appearance for the club in the Vitality Women's FA Cup tie with Royston Town in October 2019.
Crump was subsequently honoured at Portman Road during the men's home game against Rotherham, where she was the guest of honour and was presented with a commemorative shirt at half-time.
She continued to lead the Tractor Girls throughout a memorable campaign in which Town were flying high at the top of the league in addition to making Women's FA Cup history by becoming the first fourth-tier side to reach the fifth round. Town would ultimately exit to eventual winners and Women's Super League giants Manchester City, where Crunp led her side out against some of women's football's biggest names.
She featured one more time that season before announcing she was expecting her second child. Following her pregnancy and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Crump's return to the squad was delayed but she made her long-awaited comeback as a substitute in Town Women's FA Cup defeat to Billericay in April.
That proved to be her final appearance in an Ipswich Town shirt as she decided to hang up her boots at the end of the season.
Read more: Tractor Girls learn of promotion
