York City Knights Ladies are delighted to announce the signing of Tilly Butler ahead of the 2022 campaign!
25-year-old Butler, a lieutenant in the British Army, represented the forces’ team before a spell with Featherstone Rovers in 2021 before attending the Knights Ladies’ NFL-style Scouting Combine last month at York St John University’s Sports Park.
A former England Students international, Butler – a second-rower or centre – has previously worked with Director of Rugby Lindsay Anfield in the students’ setup. Butler will be looking to bring her experience within the armed forces’ culture to the Knights setup as Anfield’s team look to build on their Challenge Cup runners-up and Women’s Super League semi-final finishes next season.
On the recruitment of Butler, Anfield admitted she was pleased to have the opportunity to, once again, work with her new signing.
“I first met Tilly in 2014 when I was with the England Students Head Coach and she’s always been a really confident, athletic member of the team. She’s really driven, really committed and her reasons for coming to York are that she wants to push herself.
“She wants to fight for a shirt and be a small cog in a winning culture and we really welcome her addition. She’s a really strong, versatile player and will add the strength in depth to the squad that we lacked at times last year.
“To bring Tilly, and all the new players in who are strong, athletic and fully buying into the ethos of the team and wanting to compete fully with the top teams in the league really does stand us in good stead for the coming season and beyond.”
On signing for the club, Butler shared her delight as well as pointing to several reasons for joining the club.
“I’m really happy to have joined the club. It’s a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to next season.
“I first played rugby league for England Students in 2015 when Lindsay was coach and I played with a few of the girls at York now back then, so it’s great to be back playing with them.
After being picked up following the Scouting Combine – “It was great to see something different than just a trial on the pitch” – Butler visited the facilities at the Knights’ disposal and said: “The stadium is amazing and it’s great to see that next season there will be more double-headers with the Men, which will be great for helping grow the women’s game.
“The training facilities as well, for us to be able to go straight from the pitch into the gym is amazing.”
Finally, our latest signing pointed to the ethos and culture developing within the Knights Ladies’ squad ahead of 2022 as a key factor in making the move to York.
“I really wanted to join a team that holds the same level of professionalism and winning culture that the Army team has, so that was definitely a big thing for me to come to York for.”
Entry to each home York City Knights Ladies league match is included in every Season Membership package for 2022, giving our brilliant supporters even greater value to watch high-quality rugby league at the LNER Community Stadium. For full information on the range of membership packages available, please visit yorkcityknights.com/22Memberships!
