KEIGHLEY RUFC have announced that England international and homegrown heroine Ellie Kildunne will be supporting the club as part of a new programme launched by the Rugby Football Union.

Kildunne is taking part in a new initiative, which sees Red Roses giving back to the grassroots game.

The programme is part of a wider effort to continue the strong growth of the women’s and girls’ game and will be an exciting time for Keighley and other community clubs in the build-up to the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Kildunne started her rugby journey at Keighley as a young girl, and the club have admitted that all the girls at Keighley and within the wider Aire Wharfe girls cluster, are so excited to welcome her back home.

The 24-year-old full back made a try-scoring debut for England as a teenager against Canada back in 2017.

She briefly transitioned to Sevens rugby, before making her return to the 15-a-side game in 2019.

Kildunne was part of the England side that won four successive women’s Six Nations titles between 2020 and 2023, while she was also scored in her country’s narrow World Cup final defeat to New Zealand in November 2022.

At club level, the speedster plays for Harlequins in the top flight, which is known as Premiership Women’s Rugby.