Everton full-back Lucy Hope will retire from playing professional football this summer.
The Toffees announced the news via a post on their official club website this afternoon.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a 14-year senior career which has seen her play for Forfar Farmington and Hibernian in her native Scotland, Mallbackens IF in Sweden and Bristol City and Everton in England. Hope has also collected 24 senior international caps for Scotland.
Hope has spent half of her career on Merseyside with Everton. She has played under three different coaches in her time in blue and white, along with three interim bosses. Hope has impressed with her versatility and she has previously captained the team.
After her retirement was announced, Hope said “I have loved my time at Everton. The Club and city has become my home over the best part of a decade. The biggest thing football gave me was a place that felt like home – somewhere I felt comfortable enough to put roots down. First a dog, then I became a wife to my amazing husband, and now to welcome our son into the family means more to me than any statistic ever could.
“I will always look back at the memories we made with a smile: the derby day wins that brought such joy to our fans, and leading the girls out at Wembley for the FA Cup final, will stay with me forever.
“For me, the real memories I will cherish are the ones we made on a daily basis. The laughs and the jokes on long bus journeys, the stories shared around the breakfast table. Getting to know the person inside the player was my favourite part of being in a team.
“I have made friends for life and will miss being around the girls and out on the pitch, I’d like to thank them all, past and present, for sharing this unique journey with me.”
Hope retires having made more than 200 appearances in senior football.
