Meet football’s latest talented Le Tissier (and she’s no relation)
Brighton right-back grew up in Guernsey like her illustrious namesake, but is already making her own waves
Maya Le Tissier is used to the question. After all, it is one of the top three searches when you type her name into Google – and she is from Guernsey. It is so obvious, you almost do not want to ask but ultimately the temptation proves too much: is she absolutely sure she is not related to Matt?
“I’m always asked, all the time,” Le Tissier says, laughing. “On Twitter,
it’s always, ‘Is she related to Matt?’ I reckon there are about five different Le Tissier families in Guernsey, so it’s quite common [the island has a population of just 63,000]. But him and my dad are good mates, they played football together, so I do know him.”
Thankfully, she does not seem tired by the repetitive question just yet. Besides, if the 18-year-old’s career trajectory continues the way she hopes, household-name status will be hers all on its own.
She is already one of England’s most promising young prospects, with an established spot in Hope Powell’s Brighton starting line-up. Despite her early success, it took quite an effort to get from the Channel Island’s sandy shores across to the pebble beaches in Brighton and the Women’s Super League.
She was introduced to football by her father, Darren, a one-time semiprofessional footballer, who brought his four-year-old daughter to the tots’ team he coached at local club St Martin’s.
“I remember driving into Saints’ club for the first session, and he said, ‘You might just want to sit out and watch, just to see how the boys are’. But I went straight in.”
She grins at the memory. “And I loved it so much.”
That was the first day of 12 years he would coach her. Le Tissier grew to become a star in the St Martin’s boys’ team and even played for Guernsey’s under-16 boys – the first female player to do so. The boys’ leagues helped her build resilience, but it was her and her family’s dedication to her career that got her scouted.
With no grass-roots girls’ teams in Guernsey, from age 10 Le Tissier started flying over to Hampshire to play for a girls’ side twice a month. Two years later, she was invited to South West regional camps, which she travelled over for once a month. All the while, she continued playing for St Martin’s boys.
“My parents spent a lot of time travelling with me – hopefully, they’ve seen it’s paid off,” she says. “Growing up in Guernsey, you can’t just travel an hour and get to an academy – you have to play boys’ football, you’re flying to play in England, trying to get noticed. Not everything gets handed to you on a plate – but I didn’t know any different, so thought it was really cool. I’ve got a different perspective on things because of that.” Eventually, the air miles were worth it. England came knocking and she started on the pathway at under-15s. It gave her the pick of WSL academies, and when she turned 16, she chose Brighton – not least because of the proximity to the beach, which reminded her of home. Whether it is something in the salty air, Le Tissier has quickly made herself at home, despite her tender years. She was first plucked from the development squad to make her debut at 16, became a regular centre-half last season, and is now deployed as Brighton’s first-choice rightback. She is holding her own and turning heads, Goal.com this week naming her in the top 10 young players in the world. Being under
Powell’s wing, who was England head coach for 15 years, has made all the difference. “Going from being coached by my dad – no disrespect to him – but then being coached by Hope, it’s like a different level,” she says, adding with a smile, “Dad was quite fair though, so let’s just say it was a good warm-up.
“Hope is a legend. I’m always learning off her. I sometimes come off the pitch, thinking I’ve played well, and she’ll say, ‘Right, what are you doing with this or that pass?’ I’ll think, ‘Oh God’, but being out of my comfort zone, that’s what’s going to make me grow.”
She and Brighton are doing something
‘In the future, I want to captain England and win World Cups and Euros. That’s my dream’
right at the moment. Before February, they had never won two consecutive WSL games – now they have four victories on the bounce.
Le Tissier is excited to be part of an improving side, and says she still cannot believe she is defending against some of the best in the world.
She makes no secret of her longterm goals to be amongst those names one day though, previously saying she wants to be better than Lucy Bronze, the Fifa Player of the Year and England right-back.
“In the future, I want to captain England and win World Cups and Euros – that’s my dream. At the moment, I’m with our under-19s, and if I’m doing my job there and with Brighton, we’ll see what happens.”