Former Sunderland midfielder Ede joins Durham | OneFootball

Former Sunderland midfielder Grace Ede has joined the club’s Barclays WSL2 neighbours Durham on a free transfer.

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Wildcats this afternoon.

The 19-year-old England youth international moves to Maiden Castle off the back of her first season as a professional footballer. Ede initially joined the Sunderland Regional Talent Centre (RTC) before being given first team opportunities by head coach Mel Reay. Ede completed her studies whilst representing the first team and she moved onto a full-time professional deal with The Lady Black Cats last season. In total, Ede turned out for Sunderland on more than 60 occasions in Barclays WSL2.

After completing her move to Durham, Ede said “I’m really excited to be here and I can’t wait to get started. The club has really big ambitions and they know where they want to be – in the WSL. The girls did really well last season so hopefully we can push on from that this season.

“Every time I’ve played at Maiden Castle the crowd is really loud, especially when it’s a derby, so I can’t wait to see them and hopefully that will continue this season.

“More teams have the chance to get promoted this year and that’s a really good opportunity for everyone. It will make the league more competitive and that’s really exciting.”

Ede is Durham’s first signing of the summer transfer window.