Steph Allen announces International Retirement

After seven consecutive years representing her country, Steph Allen has retired from international duty.

The 30-year-old made her debut for the England senior squad at the World Games in 2009 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

After the World Games in Taiwan, Allen went on to represent her country in another five major IKF tournaments: 2010 European Championships (Rotterdam, Netherlands), 2011 World Championships (Shaoxing, China), 2013 World Games (Cali, Colombia), 2014 Europeans (Porto, Portugal) and finally the 2015 World Championships (Antwerp, Belgium).

Allen said: “I have enjoyed being part of a growing and developing England squad, which has ended with my past two tournaments on England’s highest finishes for a long time, which is a great achievement for the squad.

“I would like to take the time to thank all those that have coached me, especially Dave [Buckland] who has been my primary England coach, for developing my core skills and tactical understanding.

“I would also like to thank the coaching support staff and managers, Sam Wells and recently Lisa Swain who have been outstanding in their service to supporting the international squads.

“I am happy to be leaving the squad in a very positive place, with so much youth and talent to look forward to in future years. It has been my absolute privilege to represent England and play alongside the huge talent England possesses.

“My thanks to all those that have supported my representation in the England squad. I now look forward to utilising my experience in coaching and my continued representation with my club.”

Allen’s immediate focus will now be with her club, Trojans Korfball Club for the Europa Cup. Trojans travel to Budapest, Hungary next weekend and will compete for the Alfons Janssens Cup.