Sunderland defender McCatty to retire | OneFootball

Sunderland defender Grace McCatty has announced the news that she will hang up her boots at the end of the season.

The Lady Black Cats provided the player’s update via a post on their official club website this morning.

McCatty has enjoyed an 18-year senior playing career. The 34-year-old Gloucester-born centre-back started out with Bristol Academy in 2006 before later making the North East her home. McCatty represented Durham in the second tier between 2017 and 2018 before joining Sunderland. During her time on Wearside, McCatty has helped The Lady Black Cats to earn promotion back to the elite game before challenging for the Barclays Women’s Championship title this season.

Sunderland could yet be playing Barclays Women’s Super League football again in 2024/2025 but regardless of which division Mel Reay’s side are competing in, McCatty will be supporting the team from the sidelines after opting for retirement.

Speaking following her announcement, McCatty said “It’s not been an easy decision. I was saying to the girls that I joined my first football team in 1994, if you had told me back then what I know now and the experiences I’d gone through, I couldn’t have asked for more in my career.

“The first time I spoke to Mel [Reay] about coming to Sunderland, I said I wanted to play a part in getting the Club back to where it belongs. Here we are six years later so close to achieving that and I feel like it’s a good time to go out.

“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and while it’s hard to say goodbye, I think it’s time for the next chapter.”

McCatty has two more opportunities to pull on a Sunderland shirt before the end of the season.