Buet: We'll relish being full-time next season

Brighton Ladies midfielder Dani Buet says the team will relish being a full-time outfit next season.
Dani Buet in action for Albion Ladies. Picture by Geoff Penn/BHAFCDani Buet in action for Albion Ladies. Picture by Geoff Penn/BHAFC
Dani Buet in action for Albion Ladies. Picture by Geoff Penn/BHAFC

Albion will play in the restructured Women’s Super League next season against the top sides in the country and Buet believes training full-time will be an eye-opening experience for members of the squad.

Buet, who played for Arsenal, Chelsea and Notts County before joining Brighton last summer, has been a full-time player before and says it will be beneficial for the club next season: “I know how it affects players that come straight from the working environment and turn up late to evening sessions.

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“It’s quite tiring for them so from next season it’s going to be really eye-opening.

“The girls are going to love the fact they get to touch the ball every day. It’s an experience that if you get the chance to do – and I know a lot of the girls are very excited to do it – you would grab it with both hands.

“The club has really set out to help us on that journey and becoming more professional is credit to Brighton. They really are ambitious and want us to do well.

“It will be great to be playing full-time football again. At the moment, we train four or five times a week but it will be more interesting for the girls who currently work during the day not having that strain of working and actually just turn up, train and have the lifestyle we’ve probably always wanted.”

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Buet added joining Brighton was a fantastic decision. The team are fourth in WSL 2, seven points off the top with a game in hand, and return to action at Sheffield on Sunday after a month without a game.

She said: “Since the moment I came down here, it’s been fantastic.

“The club treats us how it should be treated these days. Every player is treated equally, the girls are hard working, you can see that.

“They all want to do well. I am slightly older than some of the girls and have a little bit more experience, so I have had to help out and what not but at the same point, they’ve helped my game improve as well.

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“Overall, it’s been a fantastic decision to come down here and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I hope that continues long into the future.

“The facilities are top quality. That’s the club for you. It’s a top club, which has ambitions and it wants to do well.

“It does everything to its best ability. It doesn’t go for any shortcuts or anything like that and that’s a good thing. In the women’s game you can sometimes get treated differently whereas here, it’s one club and everyone is treated on equal terms.

“It’s been a great start personally and as a team we have done well and can still do better.”

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Buet added working with manager Hope Powell again has been a great experience, having previously worked with her on England duty.

Buet, who has eight caps for England, said: “When I signed, she wasn’t manager so it was a big surprise when she came in.

“It’s been a fantastic signing for the club. She’s the ultimate professional and no stone is left unturned, starting from the basics.

“It’s been good for me to work more closely with her on a more daily basis. When I was with England, it was more a weekly thing or every month.

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“I already know she’s helping my game improve again and the girls’ standards are rising up every training session that she takes. It’s a great accolade for the club to have her and it is improving the quality of the players in the team.”

As for the future and playing for England again, Buet said: “It’s everyone’s ambition. I would love to go back and play for England or get selected for England but right now in my career, it’s about enjoying football, continuously trying to improve my game and be more consistent with it.

“I’m at the right place for that, under the right manager and in the right team. As long as I’m enjoying my football, I think that’s more important.

“Although it would be a lovely surprise, it’s probably not something I’m planning or thinking too much about.”