Brighton secures Ferguson on first professional contract

Brighton & Hove Albion has announced that Chelsea Ferguson has signed her first professional contract.

The 18-year-old, who graduated from the Albion academy, has been a part of the team since the beginning of 2020.

Over the past three years, she has started regularly under the leadership of coach Sinead Hogan-Belcher's under-21s team.

Ferguson has also been actively involved in women's first-team training sessions and appeared twice as a substitute in the first team last season.

Zoe Johnson, Managing Director at Brighton, expressed her delight at the development. "We are delighted that Chelsea has committed her future to Brighton as she aims to further develop herself as a player," she said.

"She is a talented young footballer with a bright future ahead of her in the women's game and she thoroughly deserves this professional contract."

Ferguson's dedication and consistent performance over the past three years have not gone unnoticed, with Johnson adding, "She has consistently pushed herself and performed at a good level during her three years in the club's academy and we are pleased to have given her a platform to make the next step in her career."

"Chelsea is part of an exciting group of young players who we aim to progress from the academy into a first team environment. She is a key example of the players we want to develop as we look to further establish the club's academy pathway."