Lacey Owen announces her retirement

Leeds Rhinos Women’s player Lacey Owen has confirmed her retirement from the game following the conclusion of the 2026 season.

Owen, has made 70 Women’s Super League appearances and represented Castleford and York before joining Leeds.  A two-time Grand Final winner with Valkyrie, she also won the League Leaders Shield with Castleford Tiges in her debut season.

Speaking about her retirement, Owen said: “It’s been a tough decision, but I feel the time is right.  I've had many amazing years playing rugby and I feel like I've completed a lot of things that I wanted to throughout my career.  I've played from such a young age and my commitments are just starting to lie elsewhere now so I just feel like now's the time to hang up my boots.  I am grateful for the career I have had and the people I have played alongside.

“Winning back-to-back Grand Finals with York and the League Leaders in my first year at Castleford are things I am really proud of.

“Representing England was one of the big honours of my career.  Pulling on that shirt, I've never really had a feeling like it, and standing by girls who you are going to play 80 minutes representing your country alongside is something I will always remember.”

Owen joined the Rhinos in 2025 from York and played 16 times for the club and scored two tries, her last appearance coming in the semi-final against York after helping the team to a second place finish in the league. 

Reflecting on playing for Leeds, Owen said it has been one of her career highlights, “Just recently being at Leeds with the girls has been amazing, it has been such a great experience.  It has been a full circle moment watching Leeds Rhinos on TV growing up and then getting to play for this club.

“I’d like to thank everybody I've worked with, the players and coaching staff.  Lois has been absolutely amazing in both rugby and in terms of the personal life. Helen Schofield our Player Welfare Manager has been brilliant too and just the girls at Leeds, they have been supportive and lovely and I wish them all the best for the future,

“I’ll be coming back to watch games in the future.  My other half loves watching too so I will definitely be back with him supporting the girls.

“We've got the youngest team in Women's Super League, so if we can come second and everybody thought we were going to come fourth this year, imagine what we can do next year and the year after. I think the girls are going to smash it and we came so close this year, and the game that we've played in was a tough battle in the semis.  Every second of the game I knew which team I wanted to be on, and even though we were the losing team, I still want to play on that side.

“For now, I think I am going to take myself away and do things I enjoy outside of rugby, still sport related, but just have some time out, going holidays and things like that.  I have loved playing Rugby League, it’s all gone so quickly, but I have been looking back at photos this week and it has brought back so many special memories that I am grateful for.”