Madison Haley reveals advice from five-time Super Bowl-winning dad and how it helped her football journey

MADISON HALEY is blazing her own trail. The 27-year-old is the daughter of NFL icon and five-time Super Bowl winner Charles Haley, so she knows what it takes to get to the very top. Madison Haley says Brighton are ready to build on last season’s success Credit: Getty Haley enjoyed a successful campaign with Brighton last term Credit: Getty She now finds herself playing in the WSL for Brighton and having been at the forefront of some historic moments for the club. From scoring a brace to help the Seagulls to a stunning 3-2 win over Manchester City in April, giving the eventual champions a scare in their pursuit of the title, to netting a decisive equaliser in the FA Cup semi-finals against Liverpool and subsequently helping the club reach a major final for the first time, Haley has established herself as an important first team player. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! And that is down to her own hard work and drive, not her surname. The forward’s parents have been alongside her throughout it all, and she credits them both for allowing her to pursue her own dream of playing football professionally. Haley told SunSport: “He’s always just been dad to me. And I think the only thing that my parents have ever asked for myself and my other siblings is just to always strive for greatness in whatever we do, just to give it your all. And so my career has been my own. “He’s not really been too vocal about it. He’s let me find my way and he wants it to be about me and not about him. “But yeah, obviously he was a fantastic player. And ultimately, even if he had a different career, I want to make my family and my parents proud. So that’s one of my biggest motivations. “Of course, with his experience he understands what it takes and all that comes with it as well. So it’s nice to have that if I feel like I need a little bit of that support. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS WSL opening weekend fixtures 4th September – London City Lionesses vs Manchester United 5th September – Chelsea vs Aston Villa 6th September – Brighton vs Arsenal 6th September – Tottenham vs West Ham 6th September – Charlton vs Liverpool 6th September – Crystal Palace vs Everton 6th September – Manchester City vs Birmingham City “But yeah, I think he’s been wonderful in the sense that he’s let it be my own career. And he’s just taken a backseat. I think it’s worked out well.” Haley, who joined Brighton from Sydney FC three years ago, enjoyed her most successful campaign so far last season. She experienced a surge in form during the second half of the campaign, helping the Seagulls to Wembley for the first time. It came after she battled back from a lingering injury that saw her miss several weeks of action. Reflecting on the last year, she continued: “I had felt good going into the season. I felt like I had had a strong pre-season and was playing well. Unfortunately I picked up a small injury that lingered a bit too long. “You blink your eyes in the first half of the season and you can miss so many games just because of the fixture congestion. “I think that really disrupted my strong start. But yeah, obviously I was able to get back near the Christmas period and then take that form into the back half of the season. “I was really happy with my performances. I always knew if I can string together that consistency, training and playing, that I can produce special moments. “And yeah, very happy with the team and what we were able to do last season. Definitely hungry for more. Hopefully I can start strong and fast this season.” The highlight of the campaign for Haley and Brighton was undoubtedly reaching the FA Cup final and subsequently making their Wembley Stadium debut. They went on to suffer a 4-0 defeat to WSL champions Man City, but it remains one of the forward’s best moments in a Brighton shirt so far. “It was incredible,” she continued. “I had the opportunity to go a few years ago as a fan. I went with my friend, Catarina Macario. It was Liverpool vs Chelsea. That was quite cool to have the experience as a fan and as a spectator and then to actually be on the pitch. “I was just at Wembley last week for Bruno Mars with another team-mate. We stayed afterwards to wait for all the rush in terms of the tube and stuff. And yeah, we just were chatting and reminiscing like how crazy is it that we actually were playing on this only a couple of months ago. So yeah, such an incredible experience. “It was really nice for my family to be there and be able to experience that and the way our fans showed up for us and the tifo (a tribute to former Brighton coach Rado Vidosic, who passed away in January) and just everything that they did. Definitely one of the greatest days. “One of my proudest moments in a Brighton shirt.” With Haley currently in arguably the most exciting period of her career so far, she was offered some advice from her dad over the summer break. She said: “I was speaking to him this week. Something he said that struck me was kind of like, not be careful what you say, because people will hold you accountable, but more so that accountability is really important. “It is something that, you know, can really spur you on to really achieving your goals. So not being afraid to say what your goals are, say what your dreams are, because that’s what people are going to hold you to. And that means you need to bring it and produce the goods, one might say. “I thought that was really, really interesting and has stuck with me this week as I approach the season, thinking about what my goals are and who I want to be accountable to and what I want to be accountable for.” Haley’s elite mindset does not only come from her dad, but also her time at Stanford University – one of the best schools in the United States. Before taking on a full-time career in professional football, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology and Society and a minor in Communication. Her mum inspired her to reach out to the university and apply for a spot – the “best decision” she has made in her life so far. “I wouldn’t have ended up at Stanford without my mom, really, because they didn’t come out and recruit me,” she said. “I was getting recruited by quite a few other colleges and it was kind of getting down to the wire to where I was needing to decide. “My mom was like, ‘I think you should just reach out to them and see what they’ll say,’ and, you know, the rest is history. “I went out on my visit and was offered a scholarship and that was it. It’s really impossible to say no to Stanford. And it’s been 100 percent the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. “I’ve met some incredible people and some friends that I’ll have for life. The education, getting an undergrad and a masters is something that I cherish deeply and all those experiences. “Every offseason I always go back and I train and I’m back in the environment, the home of champions. There’s nothing like it. Definitely one of the proudest highlights of my life.” Brighton kick off their WSL campaign at home against Arsenal on Sunday. They go into the season with a new head coach in Arturo Ruiz, who replaced Dario Vidosic last week following the 39-year-old’s sudden departure. Haley’s dad is NFL icon Charles Haley Credit: Getty Comment now