FA Women’s Super League 1 champions Chelsea have signed England Under-23 international Bethany England from Doncaster Rovers Belles.
The 21-year-old forward scored 14 times in all competitions last season to help Donny Belles secure promotion back to the top tier of women’s football.
England said: “It is great to be signing for this club and I am ready for the exciting challenge ahead.
“I feel I am at the stage in my career to test myself at a higher level and there is no doubt that will happen at Chelsea, not just during games but in every training session.
“It is an honour to be here and I am just looking forward to starting training and working with top players on a daily basis."
Chelsea Ladies’ assistant manager Paul Green signed England from Sheffield United Centre of Excellence in 2010 during his time at Doncaster.
He said: “Beth is a player that I’ve had the pleasure of working with before and I’m delighted that she has decided to join us.
“Beth is a great character and a young player who is hungry to develop and improve her game.
“She has a lot of experience for a 21-year-old and has already played a lot of games in The FA WSL and knows what the league is all about.
“She will add creativity and goals to the squad and in my opinion was the best player in FA WSL 2 last season.
“I’m sure that she will prove to be a good addition to this talented group of players as we look to build on last season’s achievements.”
England is Chelsea’s fourth signing of the close season, with the Blues already having snapped up midfielders Karen Carney and Jade Bailey and goalkeeper Becky Spencer.
Meanwhile, Donny Belles have signed Arsenal youngster Carla Humphrey on loan and England U19s international Atlanta Primus has left Chelsea to sign for FA WSL 2 side Yeovil Town.
Fixtures for the new FA WSL season will be announced on Wednesday 27 January.
The league will get under way on Wednesday 23 March.
