London City Lionesses boss Allen announces retirement from playing | OneFootball

London City Lionesses head coach Remi Allen has confirmed her retirement from playing at the age of 33.

Allen took to her personal X account to announce the news late last night.

Allen has enjoyed a 16-year senior playing career which has seen her turn out for a whole host of clubs. The midfielder represented both Leicester City and Birmingham City in two separate spells while she also played for Leeds Carnegie, Lincoln Ladies, Reading and Aston Villa.

On the international stage, Allen was a regular in the England youth system in the early days of her career.

Allen’s retirement announcement comes after she recently started her coaching career. She spent time working as an assistant coach with England Under-23s before taking up a short-term head coach role with London City Lionesses. Allen has guided The Pride to Barclays Women’s Championship safety and it remains to be seen whether she will stay in her position for next season.

After announcing her retirement, Allen said “The time has come for me to announce my retirement from playing football. What can I say about playing this game, it has given me absolutely everything, it’s literally been my whole life from the age of five.

“Football started as a game I just absolutely adored, it quickly became my saviour and then it became my whole life. It’s given me my fiancé, my best friends, a family, some incredible memories and most of all, a dream that I got to live.

“To the players, staff, the clubs I have played with, thank you for everything, the lessons and the blessings. I’m extremely proud of my career, I genuinely believe I squeezed out every last bit of me and put that into every single day and every time I stepped foot on the pitch.

“I hope I’ve played a minor part in making this amazing game even better for the next generation. I now hope to play a major part in coaching the next generation in my next chapter. To any little girl out there, don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, embrace the journey.”

Details of what next season holds for Allen are likely to be revealed in due course.