Town defender Paige Peake has signed her first professional contract at Ipswich Town.
The 18-year-old becomes the second female player this summer to sign professional terms after penning a two-year deal at Portman Road.
Paige started her football career at Ipswich Town COE and then moved to Essex RTC after a year. Following the end of her time in Essex, Paige moved back to the Club and joined Town's WSL Academy setup. After a stellar first season with the young Tractor Girls, Paige made her first-team debut on the opening day of the 2019/20 season before going on to establish herself as a key member of Town's squad. She scored her first senior goal for the Club with a superb free-kick that opened the scoring in the Tractor Girls' 4-1 East Anglian Derby victory against Norwich City in September 2019 before finding the net from the penalty spot later that game.
Her Derby exploits saw her burst onto the scene and she continued to make a significant impact throughout her debut season. Crucial goals against Billericay Town and Portsmouth would follow whilst forming a formidable central defensive unit with Lindsey Cooper and Lucy Egan. Paige was also at the forefront of many other Town goals, with her dangerous set-pieces causing all kinds of problems for the Blues' opposition. She enjoyed a remarkable first season with the Tractor Girls, featuring in almost every game including all three East Anglian Derbies and the Women's FA Cup clashes with Huddersfield Town and Manchester City.
Paige picked up where she left off when the 2020/21 season began, scoring against Billericay, Cambridge City, Cambridge United and Norwich in addition to starring in a Town defence that didn't concede a league goal before the season was curtailed. Despite two disrupted seasons, Paige has still managed to clock up 25 appearances for the Club, scoring 12 goals.
Internationally, Paige has been a regular within the Lionesses setup and has won many caps at youth level from her initial involvement with England U15s until her most recent involvement at U19 level.
"It feels unbelievable. It's something I've dreamed of since I've started playing so it's nice to have a dream come true," Paige told iFollow Ipswich.
"It's very exciting, not only for me, but also for the direction the Club is going in and it shows how progressive we are willing to be."
Watch Paige's interview on iFollow Ipswich shortly.
