Doncaster Rovers Belles have signed former Notts County and England defender Sophie Bradley-Auckland.
The 27-year-old joins Emma Coates’ squad ahead of the 2017/18 WSL 2 campaign, which kicks off next weekend away at London Bees.
The Belles say that the former Leeds United defender brings a wealth of experience to the team, having featured 28 times for England as well as being part of the London 2012 Great Britain Olympics squad, making four appearances.
Bradley-Auckland has been training with the club and is on the road to returning to action; something the defender is looking forward to doing after meeting the squad.
Doncaster will be working hard with Sophie to help accelerate her rehab and get her back onto the pitch.
She said to doncasterroversbelles.co.uk: “I’m happy to be here. I’m raring to get going. I’ve got to take it steady but it’s been good to be back into it.”
“It’s been nice to meet the girls and I already know a few of them previous clubs so the banter has started straight away; I’ve missed that.
“It was an easy decision to come here. I spoke to Sophie Walton who had her little boy last year and she told me how the club were so supportive of her with him and she’s back playing well. I just want to be in an environment with a good group of girls, which this is.
“I just want to play and enjoy football again. Hopefully I can bring some more experience to the side with how I read the game and help the girls push for promotion.”
Head Coach, Emma Coates, was delighted to bring in Bradley-Auckland, saying: “Sophie is a top quality player with immense experience. She is a fantastic character who fits with the culture of the club.
“We are working with Sophie to ensure we support her in all aspects of her recovery, we will build on the good work she has already been doing and look forward to getting her back onto the pitch.”
