Lilli Ives Campion has put pen to paper on a new deal with Lightning which sees the young English lock remain in Loughborough.
The 19-year-old has been part of Rhys Edwards’ squad for three years, having joined Loughborough College in 2020 before making her Lightning debut while studying for her A Levels in April 2021 against Saracens.
Ives Campion has gone on to make 24 Allianz Premier 15s appearances so far, with another eight to her name in the Cup competition, and earned six England Under-20s caps across the last two years.
“Lightning is such a good environment to be in, especially for a young player,” she said. “It’s a high-performing environment, so there are a lot of people around you at Loughborough to challenge you in the right way to become a better player.
“The support the Club provides – not necessarily just for rugby but also the academic side – is really good and the facilities, with everything being on campus, is also great for a student.
Lilli Ives Campion
“The progression I’ve already made from when I started college until now has been crazy, and the progression I can make from now until the end of my time at University is also really exciting, so I am delighted to be staying with Lightning.”
Lightning’s Director of Rugby, Rhys Edwards, added: “We are really excited about Lilli staying at Lightning – she is another great example of what this programme is about, supporting young aspirational players to achieve their potential.
“Lilli has progressed through our College team, and established herself as key player for Lightning. We are looking forward to supporting Lilli on the next part of her journey, whilst she completes her academic studies here and plays in the new league.”
