Ipswich Town Women captain Blue Wilson has announced she is departing the club to focus on opportunities outside of football.
The 21-year-old joined Town from Manchester City in July 2019, becoming Joe Sheehan's first ever signing as manager. She went on to make her debut against AFC Wimbledon on the opening day of the 2019/20 season.
She quickly became a mainstay in the Blues' midfield and played a key part in their run to the last sixteen of the Women's FA Cup, where she would return to the North-West to face her former side.
The Norfolk-born midfielder was named club captain in the summer of 2021 following Amanda Crump's retirement, leading the Tractor Girls into their first season back in the third tier.
However, two games into the 2021/22 season, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament and subsequently underwent surgery on her knee in October 2021.
After nearly two years on the side-lines, including a couple of unfortunate setbacks, she made her long-awaited return from injury in March, but another complication soon followed and she was forced to undergo a third surgery which ultimately saw her miss the start of the 2023/24 season.
Wilson is training to become an accountant and has made the difficult decision to leave the club to focus on her life outside of the game.
She said: "It's a decision that's taken months, not weeks, and it's one where injuries haven't helped because I've had a rough two years with three surgeries.
"I wouldn't say it's contributed, but it's probably put a spin on taking me out of the game slightly, and I'm quite passionate with the work I do outside of football. I'm training to be an accountant and I'm in the final year of that.
"It's got to a point where the football club is good, as are the people and the environment. For me personally, I wasn't necessarily finding a purpose and why of being there.
"I think it becomes, firstly, unenjoyable, and then secondly, you don't really want to do it so you start to questions things. It's not a personal issue but a personal progression where me and the club are running in two different lines.
"I'm drifting away a little bit and I've definitely felt that over the past few months.
"It's taken me to try and be honest with myself about that decision because no one wants to give up football or take a step away from Ipswich, but coming to decision and saying 'well, this is the right option to take a step away', has been quite hard.
"Yes, this is sad decision, but actually I'm really excited because it's the right one for me. I'm really comfortable and content with that.
"You don't want to know how many hours of thinking time I've spent on this because it's a big decision to leave a club like Ipswich, with the great people around the club and fans.
"It enables me to have a break away from football and that environment, which gives me free time to try other things. That's the healthies option moving forwards and making sure I enjoy things.
"I'm not retiring at all because my knees feel really good, but my head and heart is not really in it. It's time to take a break, and it's probably fallen at a quite nice time because it's Christmas, so I'll spend a bit more time with family."
In total, she made 22 appearances and scored two goals during her spell at Town.
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