At the age of 19, plenty of teenagers across the UK are living away from home for the first time. For most, it is for university. But for Jorja Fox, she has moved to Brighton to play professional football, on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
“It’s my first time moving away from home, but it’s nice to only been an hour away and I can visit whenever I want. My friends and family can come down too so it’s nice. And Brighton is not a bad place to live!”
The defender is blessed with a coastal location in one of the UK’s most vibrant cities for the next 10 months, but it’s clear her main focus is developing herself at Brighton.
She finds herself under yet another legend of women’s football in Hope Powell, having trained under Emma Hayes since moving into the first team. It also follows a loan spell at Charlton last year, where she worked with Karen Hills.
“I had a couple of options in the WSL, but for me and for Chelsea, Brighton seemed the best fit,” Fox explained. “Playing under Hope was a big pull and I think it’ll make me a better all-round defender at the end of this loan spell.