York City Knights Ladies have announced the signing of England international full-back Tara Stanley from Castleford Tigers for the 2022 campaign.
Widnes-born Stanley initially played football for Everton as a youngster before beginning her rugby league journey with Moorfield Angels before representing Thatto Heath Crusaders in 2016 and 2017. Following that spell, Stanley moved to Yorkshire and, from the 2018 season, represented Castleford in the Betfred Women’s Super League.
Involved in the England international setup from a young age, Stanley was second-choice full-back to now-York City Knights Director of Rugby at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Now a first-choice for her country and regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, Stanley has thirteen England appearances to her name, including the October test against France in Perpignan where she lined up alongside new Knights teammates Savannah Andrade and Grace Field, a player she will know well from her days with the Tigers.
Renowned for her agility, footwork, ball-handling and goal-kicking, Stanley – a 2018 Woman of Steel nominee – will add further quality to an already-impressive Knights squad, something Director of Rugby Anfield is delighted about.
“I’ve known Tara for over ten years now and we’ve got a great working relationship. I’ve both played with her and coached her so I was delighted when she decided to make the move to York.
“We don’t have an established full-back at the moment so she will be a fantastic asset at the back. To add that confidence and that experience of bossing the defensive line is going to be huge for us and, hopefully, Tara will add to our ability to compete with the best teams in the league next season.
