Chloe reaches 100 appearances for Quaker Women
By Ray Simpson
Scored the first ever competitive goal for the club
On the heels of Hattie Raine, Chloe Bright is the second woman to make 100 competitive appearances for the Quaker Women and join Shaun Mackenzie’s 100 club.
Chloe signed in July 2021 when the team was first formed, coming over from the already established Darlington Spraire Ladies, after a previous spell with Norton & Stockton.
Chloe already put her name in the history books, scoring Darlington’s first ever goal in their first ever friendly in a 14-0 win over Richmond Town Ladies. ‘Brighty’ then followed that up soon after and become the first woman in a Darlington shirt to score the first ever competitive goal for the club. She was the first name on the scoresheet in a 4-2 win over Durham United Women with Sophie Curle scoring the other 3 goals.
Chloe went on to score 4 goals and provide 4 assists, making 23 appearances in the debut 21/22 season. Starting 17 games and coming of the bench in the other 6 games. Predominately playing on the wing in her first season, she naturally converted into a full back position and has made that role her own over the past 3 seasons.
Chloe made 25 appearances in the season of 22/23, scoring 1 goal and providing another 4 assists. She then pulled the Darlington shirt on another 23 competitive times in the season of 23/24 and this is the only season she didn’t get herself on the scoresheet, going goalless but providing a personal best of 5 assists that season. Last season she was back amongst the goals, scoring 2 and claiming 5 more assists in the 24/25 season and making a further 25 appearances. This season, she has already opened her account for the season, scoring 1 goal in the recent 10-0 win over Hebburn and providing 1 assist.
Chloe has also proved a fan favourite in her years as a Darlington player. She has been popular amongst our supporters in many player of the month polls. And has also won the YOURCLUB Fans' Player of the Season for three consecutive years!
Women's first team manager Shaun MacKenzie said after Chloe making her 1100th appearance: "Brighty has been nothing short of exceptional since we first brought her in over 4 years ago. To say she didn’t play competitive football at all during her youth as she focused on her dancing and didn’t start playing till college/uni is remarkable. She has been one of the first names on the teamsheet with her consistent performances week in, week out. Her fitness levels and speed are up there with the elite and her recent time in the Great North Run shows just how good of an athlete she is.
"We are lucky to have Brighty, not just on the pitch but also off the pitch as she coaches for one of our Darlington Youth Girls teams. She is a fantastic role model to have for our youngsters coming through the system. All of the girls look up to her and I have had the pleasure of coaching the District side alongside her for the past couple of seasons. I’ve seen first hand, the time and effort she puts in to all teams and for that she deserves the recognition.
"Although one of the more experienced players in our squad at 26, there’s still plenty to come from Brighty and I look forward to working with her as a player for the next 100 games!"
