Brighton will keep striving for more off the back of FA Cup final says Kirby | OneFootball

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Fran Kirby says that the team will keep striving for more big moments off the back of last season’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup final appearance.

The Seagulls reached a first-ever domestic cup final in 2025/2026, going down 4-0 to an experienced Manchester City side at Wembley.

Brighton & Hove Albion will try to keep progressing this season and midfielder Kirby says that a Wembley final appearance will definitely act as fuel for future success.

“It was a really exciting time for the team to get to Wembley,” Kirby said when speaking to WSL Full-Time. “We lost the game 4-0 but I think we gave a really good account of ourselves on the day. We played really well but when you play against a team like Manchester City, if you don’t take advantage when you are playing well, they’re going to punish you. They had the two best players in the league last season in [Yui] Hasegawa and Bunny Shaw and if you give them opportunities, they’re going to take them.

“As a team, we were really happy to get there but we are going to keep striving, keep pushing for more. We know the competition is growing and growing, so it’s going to get harder every year. I think the girls really enjoy the experience.

“The FA Cup final is one of the best days of your life, it’s such an exciting day to be a part of whether you win or lose. To have that experience, it’ll definitely fuel us to want to do it again and again.”

In the Barclays Women’s Super League, Brighton & Hove Albion finished last season in seventh position. Kirby says that adding experienced players will help the club build on their foundations going forward.

She said “It’s about continuing to work on the foundations that we already have in the team. 

“We’ve brought in Lia Wälti who is an experienced player who can help us a lot on and off the pitch. It’s about continuing to bring in players like that who can keep taking us to another level, keep helping us build, keep helping us put the performances on the pitch as well. That’s the only way you can stay around in the conversations and being able to compete.

“With so many now investing in their teams, you have to keep up with them and you have to keep building on the foundations that you’ve got. 

“It’s going to be a really interesting season, it’s going to be an exciting one. We’ve brought in players now that can take us further and keep us competing.”

Brighton & Hove Albion kick-off the Barclays Women’s Super League season against an Arsenal side who they competed with in three meetings last season. Kirby is looking forward to another exciting contest.

She said “It’s an exciting game. It’ll be a game where both teams come into it and don’t have a lot of rhythm, you find that rhythm as the league goes on.

“When you look at the transfer window that Arsenal have had, it’s a really exciting time for their fans. They’ve probably had the best transfer window of all of the teams. It’s nice to see that they’re investing and keep pushing.

“Arsenal as a team historically, are a team that keep winning but they’ve not done that enough in the league. I think the league is always one that has evaded them a little bit but with the transfer window that they’ve had, they’re going to be a really strong team this year.

“It’s going to be an exciting game and an interesting game. Hopefully, we can go into it with confidence with past results but I know their players and the qualities that they have. It’ll be nice to get the games going, although it’s a tough one to start with.”

Brighton & Hove Albion’s opening Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal takes place on 6 September 2026.