Maisie Symonds Signs Long-Term Contract with Brighton to Boost WSL Ambitions

Brighton have tied down their captain and standard-bearer. Maisie Symonds, the heartbeat of the club’s rise, has signed what Albion describe as a long-term contract, a deal that underlines both her importance and the scale of the project on the south coast.

At 23, Symonds is already Brighton’s longest-serving player. She arrived from Chelsea in 2021, grew with a side that refused to stand still, and has now passed 100 appearances in all competitions – 103 and counting. The numbers tell one story. Her influence tells another.

Head coach Dario Vidosic did not bother to dilute it.

“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, making it clear this is a cornerstone signing rather than a routine renewal. He framed the deal inside Brighton’s bigger ambition: to establish themselves as one of the top four clubs in the WSL. Symonds, in his eyes, is central to that vision.

The armband has not weighed her down. It has sharpened her.

Last season, Symonds led Brighton out at Wembley for the first Women’s FA Cup final in the club’s history, captaining the side against Manchester City. For a team still carving out its identity among the league’s heavyweights, that day felt like a statement. Symonds, at the front of the line, became the face of it.

Her progress has not gone unnoticed beyond club level either. Having represented England up to under-21 level, she received her first senior call-up in March 2025, a natural next step for a midfielder whose game has matured alongside her leadership.

If the club see her as the anchor of their future, Symonds clearly feels the same pull in return.

“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 shared growth runs through everything Brighton are doing. Earlier this year they unveiled plans for Europe’s first purpose-built women’s football stadium, a £75-80m project that signals intent as loudly as any marquee signing. Bricks, mortar, and a captain tied down long term: this is a club trying to lock in momentum.

Symonds’ new deal arrives at exactly that intersection. A homegrown leader in all but academy paperwork, a team pushing towards the WSL elite, and a stadium on the horizon built specifically for women’s football.

Brighton have nailed their colours to the mast. Their captain has just nailed hers alongside them.