Maisie Symonds Signs Long-Term Contract with Brighton
Brighton have moved to lock in the heartbeat of their project. Captain Maisie Symonds has signed what the club describe as a long-term contract, a significant statement from both player and team at a pivotal moment in their rise.
At 23, Symonds is already Albion’s longest-serving player, a curious blend of youth and seniority. Since arriving from Chelsea in 2021, she has quietly become the constant in a side that has changed around her, racking up 103 appearances in all competitions and growing into the role of on‑field conductor and off‑field standard‑setter.
Head Coach's Comments
“Maisie is a massive influence both on and off the pitch and since becoming captain last season she has developed both as a player and as a person,” he said. “We are thrilled that she is committing her long-term future and will be part of our vision to establish Brighton as one of the top four WSL clubs.”
That vision no longer feels fanciful. Brighton’s run to the Women’s FA Cup final in May – their first ever appearance at Wembley – shifted perceptions of what this team could be. Symonds wore the armband that day against Manchester City, leading a group that suddenly looked very comfortable on one of the biggest stages in the game.
Her trajectory has mirrored the club’s. Symonds has represented England up to under-21 level and earned her first senior call-up in March 2025, a nod to the consistency and maturity that have underpinned her club form. The international recognition arrived just as Brighton began to look less like plucky outsiders and more like a side intent on joining the WSL’s elite.
For Symonds, staying put felt natural, almost inevitable.
“I'm very happy. I feel so at home here,” she said after signing. “It's the only club I've ever played for professionally and I feel I've grown so much over the last six years along with the club and the women's team.
“It really felt like we are setting high standards for ourselves with what we've been building in the last two years. We are starting to reach our potential, and we only want to get better and better.”
That sense of momentum runs well beyond the dressing room. Earlier this year, Brighton unveiled plans to build Europe’s first purpose-built women’s football stadium, a £75-80m investment that underlines how seriously the club are treating their women’s project. Bricks and mortar to match ambition and rhetoric.
In that context, tying down the captain is not just good housekeeping; it is central strategy. Symonds is the player young recruits will look to, the figurehead for a side trying to elbow its way into a WSL top four traditionally dominated by heavyweights.
Brighton have drawn the outline of where they want to go: a bespoke stadium, a Cup final, a clear target of the league’s upper tier. With their captain now committed for the long haul, the question is no longer whether they are serious. It is how quickly they can turn intent into permanent residence among the division’s elite.
