She speaks with maturity well beyond her years, but still has a youthful glint in her eye. It’s clear she’s hungry, and with a calm head to match, she’s ideally placed to soak up everything she needs to learn from the senior professionals at Chelsea.

That, alongside her natural ability on the pitch, means the reasons for offering Brown a three-year contract extension are evident. During the domestic Treble-winning campaign of 2024/25, she made her senior debut for the Blues, and after a loan spell at Crystal Palace last season, she’s loving life back in SW6.

‘Football means absolutely everything to me,’ she smiles. ‘When you wake up in the morning, you have something to strive towards. It's always given me a purpose, and I'm also very competitive, so it drives me to want to win.

‘It’s more than just the matchday, though. It's the day-to-day. Every single day you're going for something. That’s why it means everything.’

Perhaps part of the reason for Brown’s mature outlook is the experience of a childhood spent on foreign shores. She began her school life in Malta, where she remained until the age of eight, before her parents returned to England. Two years later, the youngster secured a place in the Chelsea Academy.

‘My parents just went over to Malta, sort of like a getaway,’ she explains. ‘They went for two years, but ended up staying for 14 because they loved it so much. I was born there and then lived there till I was eight. I actually absolutely loved it there. Malta is a massive part of who I am; it’s where I grew up. I owe a lot to Malta, in terms of my early stages and making me who I am as a person.

‘My whole family loves sports. We were all really competitive and driven when I was young, which massively shaped me as a person. The people I had around me in those early years really embedded good morals that I want to live by.

‘I always played football with my brother in the garden in Malta. He’s six years older than me, but when I'd beat him 1-v-1, he'd just pick me up! I would get a bit annoyed because I'm not sure that's part of the rules...

‘At the age of four or five I started playing football at school. My school coach also ran the team in Malta, so then I joined a boys' team pretty soon afterwards. I started school in Malta, then we moved to England.

‘When I came over here, I joined another boys’ team, and I played with them for a while, too,' adds Lola. 'I joined the Academy at Under-12 level, but I was only 10. I was playing against Chelsea with my boys’ team, and that's where they picked me up. Playing on a boys' team is always hard, but I also think it helped me to grow. I enjoyed the challenge.’

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s certainly the same when it comes to developing a young footballer into a professional. Brown credits Leanne Champ at the Chelsea Academy and is also grateful to her family for the sacrifices they made when she was growing up as a young footballer.

‘Leanne helped me throughout the whole Academy,’ Brown continues. ‘She helped me progress as a player and developed my confidence.

‘It was all worth it when I signed my first professional contract two years ago. It was massive. I think that's when you realise it's more than just football. So many people have sacrificed so much for you to get to that moment.

‘My mum massively helped me to get where I am today. She would drive me literally every day. I lived far away, so it'd be like a four-hour round trip every single day. Mum did the driving, but even my siblings were at home making dinner for themselves so I could live my dream. It means so much.

Still only 18, Brown can remember looking up to Chelsea players past and present. One of those heroes – Lucy Bronze – is now her Blues team-mate, a dream scenario for the enthusiastic young player.

She recalls watching Bronze score the winner for Manchester City in the 2016 Women’s League Cup final. Brown even walked out alongside Willian as a mascot at Stamford Bridge before making her debut on the same pitch a few years later, with a few wise words in her ear from head coach Sonia Bompastor.

‘My two heroes were Bronze and Fran Kirby when I was growing up,’ she says.

‘A match that always comes into mind was my first ever women's match I went to, and I saw Lucy Bronze score a header in a final. I was a pretty big fan. Now I’m playing with her, which is a bit surreal. I felt a bit like that with Fran Kirby as well because she was here for a bit when I trained with her, and I’d always idolised her.

‘My debut against Celtic in the Champions League was so surreal, especially because it was at Stamford Bridge. I remember warming up and looking at the pitch, because it was the first time I'd been on it except for when I was really young as a mascot. I walked out with Willian on that day.

‘Even when I was warming up, I was thinking, "Oh, I could actually come on here at Stamford Bridge." So when I got subbed on, I was just super excited. The nerves disappeared, and it was more just excitement to get on the pitch.

‘I think Sonia said to enjoy it and take in the moment and to be brave and confident on the pitch.’

Wise words indeed for a player who has her whole future ahead of her and is here to stay at Chelsea.