Captain Mary Southgate is one of seven first-team players to leave Fulham Women this summer, the club confirmed this afternoon.
The lifelong Fulham fan, who made 154 appearances in eight years as the women’s side was re-established as an official entity, was left out of Steve Jaye’s starting line-up for much of last season. Southgate, who led the Whites out during their first game at Craven Cottage in twenty years against AFC Wimbledon two years ago, tweeted her own emotional departing message last week:
Scottish midfielder Chloe Christisson-McNee – the club’s current vice-captain – is also leaving after three years at Craven Cottage. The former AFC Wimbledon midfielder, a combative and classy presence in the engine room, racked up over a half century of appearances and battled back from a serious knee injury to add some ballast to the Fulham midfield. Christisson-McNee, who featured on our Green Pole podcast two years, also tweeted a thank you to the fans earlier this month:
Experienced defender Tessa Allen has also said goodbye to Motspur Park after making 90 appearances in four years for Fulham. Allen, who filled in at centre back and full back over the last two seasons, was a part of the first-team squad’s leadership group during the second half of her Fulham career.
Defender Emily Bird, who came through the club’s recently re-established development set-up to become a regular in the first-team, has joined Leatherhead.
Penalty-saving star goalkeeper Ellie Parker, who made nineteen appearances last term including saving spot-kicks in shoot-out wins over Actonians and Arsenal Academy, has opted to take a break from the game.
Midfielder Ava Huntrods is headed for America on a scholarship deal having made nine appearances for the Whites over the past two seasons.
Young striker Ede Buchele heads to university having scored a superb 24 goals in 51 games for the first-team in two seasons since stepping up from Fulham’s youth sides.
