Marisa ewers

Premier League Northern Division: English football club Aston Villa Women midfielder Lucy Staniforth has announced her retirement from professional football on Thursday. The 33-year-old will bring an end to a remarkable 16-year-long professional career at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old joined Villa back in January 2023 from Manchester United and quickly cemented her place in the heart of the team’s midfield. She played 17 times in the second-half of the 22/23 campaign helping the club to their best-ever WSL finish as well as netting her first goal in Villa’s stunning 6-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

She went onto make a further 38 appearances in the claret and blue over the next three seasons as she fought against injury setbacks to continue playing her part on the pitch, helping the team to memorable wins over Tottenham Hotspur (24/25), Crystal Palace (24/25) and Leicester City (23/24).