A Brighton women’s football game is not only a sporting match, but also a community, it is a source of happiness, it is a home.
If you go to a Brighton women’s game at home the atmosphere will never fail to disappoint, with a constant smell of doughnuts wafting in the air, the upbeat music from the local band, the cheers of happy fans and the screams of excited children.
The game against Leicester City was an exciting and tense match, however it didn’t start like any other ordinary football game.
Before the start of the game, the referee blew his whistle to mark the beginning of a minute’s silence in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
The juxtaposition from the usual loud and buzzing environment in the stadium to the echoing silence, emphasized just how important it is to pause and remember.
In addition to this, all the players had poppies printed onto their kits which was an amazing tribute as it really raised awareness of the day.
The game was a quick and frantic match, in which Brighton started off strong, firing shots from every angle and in the 20th minute, Nikita Parris - who has only just transferred to Brighton at the start of this season - managed to claim a goal with a perfectly timed and well executed header. Changing the score to 1-0.
As soon as Parris scored her goal, the atmosphere from the crowd was immense, it erupted into a chorus of screams and cheers and many chants that the crowd had invented for the individual players.
The players are of course a massive part of the community and the game; however, the crowd brings the life, with a stadium full of mainly women and families, it allows the stadium to be a happy, relaxed and joyous environment.
Unfortunately, there were no more goals scored for Brighton in the following minutes; however, there were also no goals scored from Leicester City either due to some amazing saves from Brighton’s goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley and a good run from Brighton’s central midfielder Maisie Symonds.
Every player put out an impressive shift on that pitch with both teams at times causing the other major problems and difficulties, the game ended with a 1-0 win to Brighton, much to the crowd’s delight.
This win for Brighton was a massive success as it moved them up the WSL (Women’s Super League) table, placing them in a very respectable 2nd place.
The talent and effort Brighton Women put into their games never goes unnoticed, with them continuously amazing and impressing the crowd, however, something that does not get appreciated and enough recognition is the love that the players have for every single fan.
At the end of every game the fans rush down to the pitch hoping to meet their heroes, and this match was no different, with a sea of little girls, boys and teenagers all eager to talk to these inspirational women, and the players did not disappoint.
Even after a long 90 minutes and in the freezing weather, the players came back out after their debrief, to spend time with their fans.
A special mention should be given to Fran Kirby and Poppy Pattinson who did not just talk and sign autographs for a couple of fans but went round to every single one of them, not allowing anyone to be missed out.
The dedication and love these players continue to display towards their fans is truly heartwarming and shows deeply, how much of a community, Brighton Women games are.
If you haven’t been to a match, absolutely go, with family and friends or alone, you will be welcomed with open arms.
