Brighton & Hove Albion was established and founded in 1901 and the club nickname is The Seagulls.
The Brighton & Hove Albion football club is based on the south coast of England, which is known for its sun, beaches, and seagulls. In their long history, the club has had many ups and downs. The club has accomplished a lot with a small budget and big expectations. With so much history and culture, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the United Kingdom. The team hasn’t had much success at the highest level of football, either in local or European competitions, but the Seagulls still have a large fan base throughout the world.
A Brief History of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club
Brighton and Hove were once two separate towns that have now merged to become a single city. It is situated on England’s south coast, in the county of Sussex. In 1897, Edgar Everest, former official of Sussex Football Association, founded Brighton United FC. The club only lasted three years before shutting down in 1900. Another football team called Brighton and Hove Rangers was founded in 1900, but it barely lasted a year.
In 1901, John Jackson, the former manager of Brighton United FC, expressed some personal interest in building a new successful club in the town. On June 24, 1901, John and a group of British businessmen created a new football club named Brighton & Hove United. Due to opposition from Hove FC, the club’s name was changed from Brighton & Hove United to Brighton & Hove Albion before the start of the regular season.
The Seagulls and Albion are two nicknames for Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. Initially, the team competed in the Southern League’s Second Division, and used the County Cricket Ground, Hove as their home ground. The Seagulls and Fulham won the Southern League Second Division in 1903, earning promotion to the Southern League First Division.
Southern League First Division Title
In 1908, the club hired Jack Robson as their new manager, who restructured the club and made significant changes in the squad. In the 1908-09 season, the club couldn’t display a significant performance in the league and hardly avoided relegation by finishing at 18 place in the table. Robson realized that he needed to hire quality players to progress in the league.
The club made a few notable signings at the end of the league season. After spending seven year in the First Division of the Southern League, Brighton won their first Southern League title in 1910. The club performed outstandingly throughout the league, and won 23 matches during the league. The Seagulls defeated their rival Swindon Town on 23rd April to secure their first league title.
First FA Charity Shield Title
After winning the Southern League in 1910, Brighton qualified for the FA Charity Shield (now known as FA Community Shield) match. The Seagulls played the FA Charity Shield match against 1909–10 Football League winner Aston Villa on 5 September 1910. The match was played at Stamford Bridge, London. Brighton defeated Aston Villa by 1:0 goals.
In the 72nd minute of the game, Brighton striker Charlie Webb scored the game’s only goal. It was the first and only occasion a Southern League champion won a national honour. The FA Charity Shield title in 1910 is the only national honour of the Seagulls to date.
Promotion to the Football League for Brighton FC
The Football League Third Division was formed in 1920 as part of the Football League’s expansion south of Birmingham. Most of the clubs for Third Division were drawn from the Southern Football League First Division. Brighton FC was also voted to the Football League’s Third Division. Brighton stayed in the Third Division (South) for the next 38 years.
Brighton earned a reputation as a giant-killer in the league, defeating First Division sides Everton, Chelsea, Sheffield United, Portsmouth, and Leicester City in front of an enormous crowd. In the 1957-58 season, the Seagulls won the Football League Third Division and were promoted to the Second Division. Brighton was the only professional football team from Sussex in the Football League from 1920 to 2011.
Brighton FC Home Grounds
Goldstone Ground – The club played at County Cricket Ground for only a year after its inception in 1901, before relocating to the Goldstone Ground in 1902. The Goldstone Ground served as the home of Brighton & Hove Albion for the next 95 years. The stadium was put up for sale in 1997 by the board of directors.
Withdean Stadium – Following the sale of the Goldstone Ground, the club shared Priestfield Stadium with Gillingham FC for a while. The team returned to Brighton in 1999 to play at Withdean Stadium, which served as the club’s home for the next 12 years, from 1999 to 2011.
Falmer Stadium – the stadium is located in Village Way, Brighton. It is also known as American Express Community Stadium, Amex Stadium due to sponsor reasons. Brighton FC shifted to Falmer Stadium in 2011 and it is the home of the Seagulls to date. The stadium has a seating capacity of 31,800.
Brighton & Hove Albion Club Owners
Brighton and Hove Albion was founded in 1901 by Edgar Everest, former official of Sussex Football Association. In 1972, a British businessman Mike Bamber became joint chairman of the club. He made few significant changes in the management of the club and brought Brian Clough and Alan Mullery to the club. Bamber helped the club to get promotion to the First Division in 1978.
In 1997, the club faced a turbulent period when a financial crisis brought the club near bankruptcy. The club was at the bank of losing its football status. An English businessman Dick Knight who was a lifelong fan of Brighton & Hove Albion, took control of the club in 1997. He not only paid the club’s debt but also restructured the club’s management.
The current chairman of the club, Tony Bloom took over the club by purchasing 75% of the club shares in 2009. Bloom provided £93 million funding for the new Falmer Stadium of the club. In 2011, Brighton had a home stadium of their own. In the 2016-17 Championship season the club performed well and was promoted to the Premier League for the first time.
Club Net Worth
Tony Bloom, the current chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, is widely regarded as one of the best club owners in English football. He has been a lifelong admirer of the club and has amassed millions of pounds in the gambling sector. As a chairman he invested his vast personal wealth into the club. According to the club sources, Bloom reportedly invested around £350 million in the club’s Amex stadium and playing side.
According to the club’s statistics, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club’s net value in 2022 is $1.2 billion, with an annual revenue of $433 million and a gross profit of $213 million. Brighton & Hove Albion’s valuation has continued to rise due to their promotion and tenure in the Premier League.
Club’s Rivalry
Every Premier League club has a long-standing rivalry with its neighboring clubs. Brighton is located in East Sussex, and the club lacks a major professional team in the area, resulting in the lack of a well-established local derby. On the other hand, Brighton’s matches against south coast clubs such as Portsmouth and Southampton, are occasionally referred to as local derbies by the media, but there is no established rivalry between supporters and teams.
Crystal Place is the nearest club to Brighton in terms of distance, at a distance of roughly 64 km. Both clubs have an unofficial rivalry, which could be the result of a feud between Brighton manager Alan Mullery and Crystal Palace manager Terry Venables in 1976. Despite the fact that this rivalry is not formally recognized by the media, both clubs face each other with aggressive approach.
Home and Away Kits
Brighton FC’s home kit is distinguished by its white and blue striped jersey and blue shorts. In the 1970s the home kit of the club was changed to all white and in the 1980s the club used plain blue kits, but the majority of the team’s professional football history has been spent wearing white and blue striped shirts.
Nike has been producing the club’s kit since 2014. The away kit of Brighton & Hove Albion has a mint green shirt with the club’s logo, American Express sponsorship, and a black Nike logo, as well as black shorts. Third kit of the club has a yellow shirt with blue shorts. Check out the Brighton FC Mascot pictures taken by the Football24-7 team.
Brighton FC Club’s Logo
Between 1948 and 1970, the club was using two badge logos, one representing Brighton and the other representing Hove. In 1974, a new logo with a dolphin theme was introduced, and the club’s nickname was changed to the Dolphins. The club’s management modified the design again in 1998, this time to a circular seagull crest, which remained the club’s logo for the next 20 years.
The most recent logo of the club has a white seagull with a yellow beak. The logo has a blue background with a white round border. The club’s name is written on the white round border. This logo was designed in 2011 and has been in use ever since. Fans love the simplicity and elegance of this logo. Take a look at some other Brighton Football Club pictures taken by our team.
Club Academy and American Express Elite Football Performance Center
In 2014, the club built a state-of-the-art training and teaching facility in the club academy, known as American Express Elite Football Performance Centre. The club was awarded category one status in 2014, showing that the club has one of the best elite football facilities and opportunities for young players.
The club’s performance facility contains 11 pitches of various sizes, including an indoor half-size pitch, ensuring that the club’s players and staff may use the facilities in a variety of weather situations. There are also medical treatment facilities, a gym, and a swimming pool inside the site.
Brighton also promotes its academy players by providing them opportunity to play professional football to gain experience. The reserve team of the club is made up of under-23 players, and they play in the Premier League 2 Division 1 which is the highest level of reserve team football for the English clubs.
Interesting Facts about Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Until 1998, it was widely assumed that Brighton & Hove Albion FC was founded in 1900; however, Brighton and Hove Rangers FC was founded in 1900 and only lasted a year. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club was founded on June 24, 1901, at the Seven Stars pub, Brighton.
At the beginning the club’s name was decided as Brighton & Hove United FC, but there was a reservation from a previously developed club Hove FC on the name of the club. So the name was changed from Brighton & Hove United FC to Brighton & Hove Albion FC.
The first 20 years of Brighton’s existence were spent in the Southern League. The club competed in the Southern League from 1901 until 1920, before being elected to the Football League Third Division in 1920.
The club’s nickname was originally the Dolphins, and the club’s badge also included a dolphin, but in the 1975-76 league season, during a match between Brighton and its rival Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace fans started chanting “Eagles” and in response Brighton’s fans started chanting “Seagulls”. Mike Bamber liked the idea and changed the nickname to the Seagulls.
Tony Bloom, the current Chairman of Brighton, was also a professional poker player. He’s competed in international poker tournaments such as the World Poker Tour and the Poker Nations Cup. With Britain, Bloom also won the Australasian Poker Championship and the Poker Nations Cup. He’s known as “The Lizard” in the poker world.
In 1997, Brighton met Hereford in a league match, which was one of the most fascinating moments in the club’s history. Both teams needed a win to escape relegation to the lower tier. During the encounter, Hereford scored early in the first half, but Robbie Reinelt scored an incredible goal for Brighton in the second half, and the match ended in a draw. On the basis of table points, Hereford was relegated. The goal is considered as Brighton’s most fortunate goal in history.
When John Keely, the goalkeeper for Brighton, was injured, his replacement, Perry Digweed, started playing league games. Due to traffic, Digweed was once unable to reach the stadium for a match. John Keely was in a local pub in Hove near the Goldstone stadium at the time. He got picked up from the pub in order to take part in the game. Keely played the game despite his injury.
The New Zealand Football Association has a special relationship with Brighton & Hove Albion. The Goldstone hosted a friendly match against the New Zealand national team on February 10th, 1992. It was the first time a national team faced the Seagulls in a match. The game finished with a 2-0 victory for Brighton.
Tommy Cook, who played for Brighton and Hove Albion from 1921 to 1929, is the club’s all-time leading scorer. He had a total of 123 goals, with 114 in the league and 9 in the FA Cup. Glenn Murray is second on the list with 111 goals.
In 1983, Brighton qualified for the FA Cup final. Although it was the club’s most crucial match, three of the major team members were unable to compete in the final due to various reasons. Terry Conner was on loan at Leeds United, goalkeeper Perry Digweed was sent off in the previous game and was suspended for the FA Cup final, and Captain Steve Foster was also suspended for the final owing to disciplinary issues.
Brian Powney, a former goalkeeper for Brighton & Hove Albion, was also a rugby player. He played rugby for a local club while simultaneously playing football for Southwick, a non-league team.
In a match against Birmingham City in 1988, Albion goalkeeper Digweed collided with the Birmingham striker by accident. Digweed suffered the most serious urethral injury. Digweed spotted blood running out his crotch after receiving first aid at the pitch. He bolted from the pitch while the game was still in progress.
Brighton & Hove Albion FC Honours List
Brighton, although being one of England’s oldest clubs, has never had any success in the Premier League. Their only national honour till this date is the FA Charity Shield, which they won in 1910. Although he has won a number of lower-tier football championships, he still needs to win major titles such as the Premier League and European competitions. The full list of trophies and titles won by Brighton may be found here.
FA Charity Shield – In 1910, Brighton won the FA Charity Shield. It is the club’s only national honour to date. Brighton had qualified for the FA Cup final in 1983.
The Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cup – the Seagulls have two Sussex Royal Ulster Rifles Charity Cups including in 1959–60 and 1960–61.
Sussex Senior Challenge Cup Winners – Brighton has record for the most Sussex Senior Challenge Cup wins. The club has won 14 cups including 1942–43, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18.
Football League One (Tier 3) – the club has won Football League One (Tier 3) titles three times including in 1957–58, 2001–02, and 2010–11.
Southern Football League – Brighton also has a Southern Football League title on their winning table. The club won the Southern Football League in 1909–10.
The Football Club Manager is: Graham Potter
The Official Website is: https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/
The Brighton & Hove Albion Club Address is as follows:
The Official BHAFC Twitter page can be found here
The Official Brighton FC Youtube profile
The New Stadium at Falmer
We have added some amazing Pictures below of the Stadium being built back in 2010.
In 2010 – 2011 a professionally made calendar of Falmer was made.
The idea was that you can see how the stadium had progressed, month by month, from the same time a year ago, comparing it to up-to-date photos or the Falmer Stadium site itself.
In day 1 of the calendar (the first day of the year) the number 582 appeared. This is how many days to go until the first planned fixture on August 6th 2011. The calendar then counted down day by day.
To be as eco-friendly as possible the calendar was A4 in size and each side of each page had been used to contain the finished printed result. We would like to thank Jack Straw who created this awesome Falmer Watch concept.
£1.00 from the sale of each calendar went to the Brighton and Hove Albion Supporters Club.
The price included postage, packaging and Supporters Club donation @ £9.00.
