Rhian Cleverly has been appointed captain of Brentford Women for the 2026/27 season.
The experienced centre-back joined the Bees this summer from tier three side Rugby Borough, bringing with her international experience with Wales and Championship pedigree with Lewes.
Joining Cleverly in leadership roles are vice-captain Maddie Phillips and leadership team members Lucy Potter and Makeba Black.
Cleverly has impressed since linking up with Carly Williams’ side in early July and the defender is excited to lead the team in the campaign ahead.
“It’s just a massive privilege, to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it, obviously I’m pretty new in the building, but from minute one, I knew this club was special,” she said.
“It’s just a massive privilege, to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it, obviously I’m pretty new in the building, but from minute one, I knew this club was special”
“Most people that know me know that I love communicating, I love speaking, both on and off the pitch. One thing I’m trying to do more is listen as well.
“Being new in the building, I know I still have a lot to learn, learning from the people that were already in the building that have been part of this project for a long time and hopefully taking it to the next level as well.
“I like to set very high standards from my experiences playing at a high level and I think just being true to myself is really important to me.”
Cleverly explained that the balance within the leadership group will ensure the team works effectively on and off the pitch, while praising vice-captain Phillips for her warm welcome this pre-season.
“Looking at us all, different ages, different experiences… hopefully we balance each other well with our strengths and our weaknesses,” she said.
“A big thing for me is everyone being themselves. If they can all be themselves, what a leadership group that is!
“Maddie from day one made me feel so welcome, I know my way around the building because of Maddie, so I feel like we’ve got a good partnership both on and off the pitch and we can really drive that culture together.”
Speaking on Cleverly’s appointment, Williams said the defender has made an impact on the group since joining the club, on and off the pitch.
“Rhian brings with her a wealth of experience throughout the women’s game both domestically and internationally,” she said.
“She has made a positive start to her journey as a Bee on and off the pitch, bringing with her leadership skills, high level communication skills and a strong desire to learn and develop as a player.
“Rhian shows great work ethic and attention to detail, I am confident she will lead this group by example and empower others around her.”
With years of experience in higher tiers of English football, Cleverly said Brentford have all the right tools to climb the football pyramid.
“From minute one I’ve been blown away, I would never have thought this was a tier five side... the support we’ve got in place, the girls, the standards are great. I think it’s just adding that extra one per cent and the consistency,” she explained.
“From minute one I’ve been blown away, I would never have thought this was a tier five side”
“It’s not about changing anything big, we’ve already got the right ingredients, it’s just maybe that consistency which I believe is the big thing about being professional and being elite.”
With Sunday’s London and South East Premier opener at Honeycroft against Eastbourne Borough fast approaching, Cleverly said the group were excited to build throughout the season alongside the fans.
“It’s been amazing, the pitch is lovely, there’s a lot of Brentford branding around, the interactions we’ve had with the staff there have been brilliant,” she said.
“I know there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make that our home and our special ground, so we’re really excited to play there, hopefully build a fanbase and do them proud.”