England international Ben Foden will play for New York in the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The 32-year-old fullback confirmed the news at a recent Northampton Saints season-end dinner event. Earlier this month he made his 250th appearance for Saints across all competitions having joined the club in 2008 from Sale Sharks.

Foden made 217 appearances in the English Premiership between Sale and Northampton beginning in 2005. Initially considered a scrumhalf, he made the permanent switch to fullback in 2009 and made his test debut as a replacement against Italy in the 2009 Six Nations.

He earned his first England start against France the following year and would remain as first choice in the side for the 2011 World Cup and through the end of the 2012 season. The last of his 34 caps came on the wing against the New Zealand All Blacks in November of 2013.

Rugby United New York are currently an ‘associate member’ of Major League Rugby meaning they are not currently part of the inaugural regular season but have been approved and will take part in the 2019 season. They played three exhibition matches in the spring – winning all three – before loaning a number of players out to current MLR sides for the 2018 season.