Maisie Symonds on how Brighton has changed since she joined the club | OneFootball

A lot has changed for Brighton since Maisie Symonds joined the club in 2021 but it is all for the better as the team continues to improve..

Symonds is one of the club’s youngest debutants and she has become a firm fan favourite in the past four years.

Maisie Symonds: Brighton has changed

Brighton completely changed in 2021 when Maisie Symonds signed for the club.

The teenager was widely regarded as one of the most talented stars in England when she left Chelsea’s academy and she has lived up to the hype.

After a matter of weeks at Brighton, Symonds signed her first professional contract with the club and made her debut at 18-years-old.

It didn’t take long for the midfielder to settle into the team and before long she established herself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

“Five years is a long time, and the club has been through so many phases of growth, it feels different to the Albion I joined in 2021.” Symonds said on her five-year anniversary at the club. “I came in January and it was freezing cold; we were training in Falmer.

“I just remember going in and the girls were really lovely, I didn’t know anybody, I was super nervous and my teammates really looked after me. Then I turned 18 in February, and I signed for the club.”

After four years on the South coast, Symonds was named captain of the club at the beginning of this season.

“It was a little bit of a shock [to be named captain], but in such a short time I have learnt so much about being a leader within the team,” she said. “I feel so lucky to have teammates who believe in me and trust me to be that person. It is cool to be captain of this club.”

Brighton continuing to improve

Since Symonds joined Brighton in 2021, the club has continued to improve.

The Seagulls enjoyed one of their best ever campaigns in the midfielder’s debut season but they struggled to get back to that form in the next two years.

Brighton managed 26 points in 2021/22 before enduring one of their worst campaigns next year with 22 points accrued.

In 2022/23 the team matched their tally from the season before but in the last two seasons they have really kicked into gear.

With 28 points last year, Brighton achieved their highest-ever finish in the WSL.

Symonds and co. are continuing to show improvement this year and they are on track to beat their points record just past the midway point in the season.

The Seagulls are currently six points off a compact top four and a win against London City Lionesses this weekend would well and truly put them in the race for Europe.