Katie Startup joins Manchester City permanently on a two-year contract from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 25-year-old was one of the longest serving players in the current Brighton squad, remaining with the Seagulls since 2020.
Startup went on to make five appearances for the club, earning a clean sheet on her debut appearance against West Ham.
The goalkeeper joined Manchester City on an emergency loan at the end of last season after Sandy MacIver suffered a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament during Scotland’s EURO 2025 qualifying fixture against Serbia, and Ellie Roebuck was side-lined for the remainder of the season.
Startup will continue to wear the number 40 to raise awareness for mental health charities. She first debuted the number in 2019 for Charlton Athletic when she swapped from the number 1.
“With one being the traditional number for a goalkeeper to wear, I hoped changing to 40 would stir questions and start up a conversation around mental health.
“I wanted to keep the conversation going this year, particularly now with current events, the importance of caring for our mental health is as crucial as ever.”
Startup has also played for England U17 and U19s, and believes joining City will be the move she needs to help progress her career into the next stage.
“It feels great, I’m really excited to be back. A bit longer this time, hopefully, and I’m excited to see what’s next really,” said Startup.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know that was going to be on the table. There was no expectation of that when I came [for talks].
“I just knew that when the opportunity arose, I really enjoyed my time here and I felt really welcome, valued and I settled into the team well.
“So, when the opportunity did come up [to sign permanently], it was a bit of a no brainer, really.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Katie’s talent was clear to see during her time with us last season.
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“She has the right attitude and mindset to develop herself and help us compete for all honours.”
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