“I want to say a huge thank you to my family; my mum, my dad and my brother Joe for their support right from the start – from playing at Leicester Forest all the way to the Allianz Stadium, you have been amazing.
“To all those who have supported me from my teachers, to my coaches and team-mates at my first club through to Lichfield, Loughborough Lightning and England – thank you for everything. Thank you too to the amazing fans of women’s rugby who have grown and grown in numbers and who have always been part of what makes playing for England so special.”
Scarratt ends her career with the most points in Red Roses history (754). Her 119 appearances make her England’s third-most-capped player.
She has already moved into coaching at Loughborough Lightning and will take on a specialist coaching and mentoring role with the Rugby Football Union this season, supporting player development across the England pathways.
John Mitchell, the England women’s head coach, paid tribute to Scarratt’s contribution to rugby, saying: “Emily is a once-in-a-generation player. Her quality, her calmness under pressure, and her ability to lead by example set the standard for everyone around her.
“There was no better example of this than the role she played during the recent World Cup, where she added immense value off the field, despite not playing as much as she might have hoped for – that is just the kind of special person that she is.”
