Steph Houghton will be staying with Manchester City Women for the long term after the club announced that their captain would be extending her contract.
The terms of the deal remain undisclosed, but the 29-year-old central defender, who has won every domestic honour with the club since joining in January 2014 and was awarded an MBE for services to football in 2016, was delighted to commit her future to City.
She said:
“The last three years with Manchester City Women have been unbelievable and I am delighted to commit my long-term future to the club.
“Manchester City’s vision for growing the women’s game is what first attracted me to the club and the support and professionalism I have experienced from everyone at the club since joining the team in 2014 has shown their commitment to taking women’s football to the next level.
“The last twelve months have been incredible winning the FA Women’s Super League, the Women’s FA Cup and the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup and I am looking forward to working with the team next season to challenge for even more titles and hopefully make it even further in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.”
City lost out in the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League to Lyon and finished second on goal difference to Chelsea in the Spring Series this year which was a stop-gap tournament as the Women’s Super League returned to a winter schedule.
Nick Cushing, Head Coach of Manchester City Women, praised Houghton’s part in City’s rise to the top of the women’s game in her time at the club, adding:
“Steph is an exceptional player and leader and over the last three seasons we have seen her grow from strength to strength.
“She embodies the values of our football club and her hard work and dedication, on and off the pitch, have made her a role model for young players everywhere.
“Steph has made an important contribution to the success of the squad since her first season with us and we are delighted she will remain a part of the team as we look to build on the success of 16/17 season.”
Houghton will be captaining the England women’s team in the Euro 2017 finals in the Netherlands this summer.
Alongside her with the national team will be Man City team mates Karen Bardsley, Lucy Bronze, Demi Stokes, Izzy Christiansen, Jill Scott, Toni Duggan, and Nikita Parris.