Tottenham Hotspur Women’s captain Jenna Schillaci has retired at the age of 36.
The defender has been with the club continuously since 2009, having also spent a further year there at the start of her career.
She was part of the Tottenham side that won promotion to the Women’s Super League in 2019 and finished seventh in the curtailed 2019-20 season.
“It’s been a decision I haven’t taken lightly but I feel ready,” she told BBC Sport.
“I’ve lived my dream and turned professional with the club, something many years ago I never thought was possible.
“The season came to a stop (because of the coronavirus pandemic) and that definitely made it (the decision to retire) more difficult for me. I played my last match on a Monday night in Coventry without even realising.
“It hurts a bit when you think about how it has ended and I’d be lying if I said that’s the way I wanted to go out, but there are bigger things than football.”
Schillaci had helped Spurs work their way up the pyramid, lifting eight lower-level trophies.
She was earlier part of the team that won the South East Combination League title in 2010-11 and then the third-tier Premier League Southern Division in 2016-17.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy added: “Jenna has made an incredible contribution as a player and captain, playing a significant role in the progress and evolution of Spurs Women to get to where we are today, competing at the top level of the women’s game. She has represented the club with diligence and distinction for more than a decade, not only on the field but also outside of the matchday environment, where she has frequently involved herself in the club’s work in the local community and the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.”
(BBC Sport)
