Long-serving club captain Amanda Crump has announced her retirement from football at the age of 31.
Amanda calls time on her career after a 21-year association with Ipswich Town Football Club, during which she amassed 216 appearances for the Tractor Girls.
Amanda's history with the club dates back to the year 2000, when she joined the club's former centre of excellence as a 10-year-old. After progressing through the Blues' youth ranks, Amanda made the transition into senior football and went on to make her first-team debut as a teenager in the summer of 2006. She 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. Amanda was named club captain by former manager Ralph Pruden in 2014 - a title which she had held until her retirement.
Crump missed most of the 2016/17 season due to falling pregnant with her first child but remarkably returned to the training pitch just three weeks after giving birth and was able to feature in the season finale. Amanda's 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 tail end of 2018 but quickly returned to the side following the appointment of current Town boss Joe Sheehan in February 2019. Amanda would be an ever present under Sheehan as he transformed the Blues into a serious promotion contender.
Amanda enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2019/20 season and clocked up her 200th appearance for the club in Town's Women's FA Cup tie with Royston Town in October 2019. She was subsequently honoured at Portman Road during the men's home game against Rotherham, where she was the guest of honour and presented with a commemorative shirt at half-time. Amanda 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 WSL giants Manchester City, where Amanda would lead her side out against some of women's football's biggest names.
She would feature one more time that season before announcing that she was expecting her second child. Following her pregnancy and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Amanda's return to the squad was delayed but she made her long-awaited comeback after 14 months as a substitute in Town's Women's FA Cup defeat to Billericay in April. That would be Amanda's final appearance in an Ipswich Town shirt as she decided to hang up her boots at the end of the season. Amanda retires as the Tractor Girls all-time leading appearance maker with 216 games played, during which she notched an impressive 72 goals from midfield.
On her retirement from football, Amanda said: " My time has come to retire from football after 26 years in the game. 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."
Everyone at Ipswich Town Football Club would like to congratulate Amanda on a tremendous career and thank her for her many years of hard work, dedication, contribution and leadership during her time at the club. Amanda will always be a key figurehead in the ITFC Women legacy and she will be sorely missed by her teammates and the staff. We wish her nothing but the very best for the future with her young family and hope to see her cheering on the Tractor Girls as a supporter very soon.
Amanda's history with the club dates back to the year 2000, when she joined the club's former centre of excellence as a 10-year-old. After progressing through the Blues' youth ranks, Amanda made the transition into senior football and went on to make her first-team debut as a teenager in the summer of 2006. She 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. Amanda was named club captain by former manager Ralph Pruden in 2014 - a title which she had held until her retirement.
Crump missed most of the 2016/17 season due to falling pregnant with her first child but remarkably returned to the training pitch just three weeks after giving birth and was able to feature in the season finale. Amanda's 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 tail end of 2018 but quickly returned to the side following the appointment of current Town boss Joe Sheehan in February 2019. Amanda would be an ever present under Sheehan as he transformed the Blues into a serious promotion contender.
Amanda enjoyed a remarkable start to the 2019/20 season and clocked up her 200th appearance for the club in Town's Women's FA Cup tie with Royston Town in October 2019. She was subsequently honoured at Portman Road during the men's home game against Rotherham, where she was the guest of honour and presented with a commemorative shirt at half-time. Amanda 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 WSL giants Manchester City, where Amanda would lead her side out against some of women's football's biggest names.
She would feature one more time that season before announcing that she was expecting her second child. Following her pregnancy and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Amanda's return to the squad was delayed but she made her long-awaited comeback after 14 months as a substitute in Town's Women's FA Cup defeat to Billericay in April. That would be Amanda's final appearance in an Ipswich Town shirt as she decided to hang up her boots at the end of the season. Amanda retires as the Tractor Girls all-time leading appearance maker with 216 games played, during which she notched an impressive 72 goals from midfield.
On her retirement from football, Amanda said: " My time has come to retire from football after 26 years in the game. 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."
Everyone at Ipswich Town Football Club would like to congratulate Amanda on a tremendous career and thank her for her many years of hard work, dedication, contribution and leadership during her time at the club. Amanda will always be a key figurehead in the ITFC Women legacy and she will be sorely missed by her teammates and the staff. We wish her nothing but the very best for the future with her young family and hope to see her cheering on the Tractor Girls as a supporter very soon.
