Dani, who made 69 appearances for the WFT across four seasons, had a spell coaching at West Ham United before heading back to West Sussex.
How does it feel to be back at Albion?
It feels like I am back home. I spent five amazing years here as a player and thoroughly enjoyed it. It just felt right to come back when the opportunity arose. I'm really excited and I can't wait to get going. The club means a lot to me.
Does it feel like a full circle moment having been here as a player?
I was really fortunate that I managed to go through Arsenal Academy and I know how important academies are for the development of women’s football. To be able to do it at Brighton, which is a club that means so much to me, does feel a bit full circle.
I hope that I can help guide in whatever capacity possible the girls to become first team players and reach their full potential.
What was the main attraction about this specific role?
The level of support for women’s and girls’ football at Brighton and the ambition to grow that is really important to me.
I care a lot about women's and girls’ football and so does the club. They want to be the best they can and are striving to become a top four WSL team. Producing more players from our academy system is key to realising that ambition.
I like that the club is family orientated, everyone is treated fairly and gets the opportunities and does things in the right way. The club has long-term aspirations about how it wants to grow, which was one of the first things that brought me to the club as a player. They still apply now I am a coach.
How important is the pathway from the academy to WFT and what are your ambitions to help strengthen that?
It’s simply about getting the best out of the girls. As a player you sometimes doubt yourself and as a coach your job is to encourage them and to show them that they can do it.
We don't want to lose talented young players to bigger badges and bigger budgets - we want to keep them with us and we want them to pull us along and help the first team won trophies and titles in the future.
How key is it to develop not only the player but the individual as well?
I refer to myself, when I went through the Arsenal Academy. I grew as a player but more importantly I grew as a person. I was living away from home, looking after myself, and dealing with pressures of studies and of having to cope with not having my family unit around the corner. You want to help produce good people and that is what Brighton has always been about. If we can get the players to become good people ultimately that will help them going forward in football or whatever environment they move on to beyond the academy.
You and [head coach] Sinead Hogan-Belcher have a close friendship; how much are you looking forward to working with her and the talented U19 staff?
I was really fortunate when I was doing my coaching badges that I could work with our U21 team and I had a real feel about what it would be like to coach alongside her. I've known Sinead for years and I understand her knowledge of this level - it far outweighs anyone that I know.
If she can help me to develop as a coach as well as a person that would be amazing, but I we've already got a good and honest relationship which means we can express ourselves freely with each other. We are both here for the same reason, we want to produce players and make better people for the club.