Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
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| Full name | Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Seagulls The Albion |
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| Founded | 21 August 1901 | ||
| Ground | Falmer Stadium (Capacity: 22,374[1]) |
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| Chairman | Tony Bloom | ||
| Manager | Gus Poyet | ||
| League | The Championship | ||
| 2010–11 | League One, Champions (Promoted) |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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 Current season |
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Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. It currently plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
The team is nicknamed the "Seagulls" or "Albion". The team has historically played in blue and white stripes, though this changed to all white briefly in the 1970s (in the Freddie Goodwin era) and again to plain blue during the club's most successful spell in the 1980s.[2] Crystal Palace is considered the club's main rival (although the teams are 40 miles apart).[3]
Founded in 1901, Brighton played their early professional football in the Southern League before being elected to the Football League in 1920. The club enjoyed greatest prominence between 1979 and 1983 when they played in the First Division and reached the 1983 FA Cup Final, losing to Manchester United after a replay.[4] They were relegated from the top division in the same season. Mismanagement brought Brighton close to relegation from the Football League to the Conference which they narrowly avoided in 1997 and 1998. A boardroom takeover saved Brighton from liquidation, and following successive promotions they returned to the second tier of English football in 2002 and have played in the second and third tiers ever since.
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[edit] History
[edit] Stadium
For many years Brighton and Hove Albion were based at the Goldstone Ground in Hove, until the board of directors decided to sell the stadium. The sale, implemented by majority shareholder Bill Archer and his chief executive David Bellotti, proved controversial, and the move provoked widespread protests against the board. The club received little if any money from this sale.[5]
In their last season at the Goldstone, 1996–97, the Seagulls were in danger of relegation from the Football League. They won their final game at the Goldstone against Doncaster Rovers,[6] setting up a winner-takes-all relegation game at Hereford United, who were level on points with the Seagulls. Brighton drew 1–1, and Hereford were relegated to the Football Conference on goals scored.[7]
For two years, from 1997–99, the club shared the ground of Gillingham, before returning to Brighton to play at Withdean Stadium. This is not predominantly a football ground, having been used for athletics throughout most of its history, and previously as a zoo.[8]
Because of the cost of the public enquiry into planning permission for a new stadium, rent on Withdean Stadium, fees paid to use Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium, and a general running deficit due to the low ticket sales inherent with a small ground, the club had an accumulated deficit of £9.5 million in 2004. The board of directors paid £7 million of this; the other £2.5 million had to be raised from the operations of the club. In an effort to achieve this, a fund-raising appeal known as the Alive and Kicking Fund was started, with everything from nude Christmas Cards featuring the players to a CD single being released to raise cash. On 9 January 2005 this fund-raising single 'Tom Hark (We Want Falmer)' went straight in at number 17 in the UK chart, gaining it national airplay on Radio 1.[9]
On 28 October 2005 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the application for Falmer had been successful, much to the joy and relief of all the fans. Lewes District Council contested John Prescott's decision to approve planning permission for Falmer, forcing a judicial review. This was based on a minor error in Prescott's original approval which neglected to state that some car parking for the stadium is in the Lewes district as opposed to the Brighton & Hove unitary authority. This caused further delay. Once the judicial review ruled in favour of the stadium, Lewes District Council said that they would not launch any further appeals.
Building of the 22,374-seater Falmer Stadium started in December 2008. On 31 May 2011 the club officially completed the handover and were given the keys to the stadium, signifying the end of 12 years without a home.
[edit] Managers
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See Soccerbase for full managerial history
[edit] Players
- As of 10 August 2011.[10]
[edit] Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Development squad and youth team
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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[edit] Personnel
[edit] Club officials
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Tony Bloom |
| Directors | Ray Bloom Derek Chapman Robert Comer Adam Franks Marc Sugarman Peter Godfrey |
| Chief Executive | Martin Perry |
| Managing Director | Ken Brown |
| Lifetime President | Dick Knight |
| Club Secretary | Derek Allan |
Source: Who's Who
[edit] Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gus Poyet |
| Assistant Manager | Mauricio Taricco |
| First Team Coach | Charlie Oatway |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Tony Godden |
| Development Squad Coach | Luke Williams |
| Director of Football | Martin Hinshelwood |
| Performance Analyst | James Clarke-Reed |
| Youth Team Coach | Vic Bragg |
| Head Physio | Nathan Ring |
| Assistant Physio | Paul Watson |
| Kit Men | Chris Leppard |
Source: Who's Who
[edit] Honours
- Southern Football League
- Champions 1909–10
- FA Charity Shield
- Winners 1910
[edit] Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Season(s) | Shirt manufacturer | Main sponsor | Home stadium |
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| 1902–1980 | n/a | n/a | Goldstone Ground |
| 1980–1983 | Adidas | British Caledonian | |
| 1983–1986 | Phoenix Brewery | ||
| 1986–1987 | NOBO | ||
| 1987–1989 | Spall | ||
| 1989–1991 | Sports Express | ||
| 1991–1993 | Ribero | TSB Bank | |
| 1993–1994 | Sandtex | ||
| 1994–1997 | Admiral | ||
| 1997–1998 | Superleague | Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham | |
| 1998–1999 | Donatello | ||
| 1999–2008 | Erreà | Skint | Withdean Stadium |
| 2008–2011 | IT First | ||
| 2011– | BrightonandHoveJobs.com | American Express Community Stadium |
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official picture website
- Brighton & Hove Albion play-off record
- Albion Album - Brighton and Hove Albion Photographic website
[edit] References
- ^ "KSS win planning for new stadium". http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=173. Retrieved Sept 3, 2010.
- ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion". Historical Football Kits. http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Brighton_and_Hove_Albion/Brighton_and_Hove_Albion.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "Club Rivalries Uncovered Results". FootballFanCensus. http://www.footballfanscensus.com/issueresults/Club_Rivalries_Uncovered_Results.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "1983 FA Cup Final". Fa-CupFinals.co.uk. http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1983.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "Club In Crisis - Brighton". Club in Crisis. http://www.clubsincrisis.com/brighton/brighton_crisis_history.html. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "WELCOME - BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION". Doncaster Rovers F.C.. 2011-05-16. http://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10329~2360994,00.html. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "WE ARE STAYING UP". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4SyMPHlwn8. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "Withdean Stadium". Royal Pavillion & Brighton Museums. http://rpmcollections.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/withdean-stadium/. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "Brighton fans single makes top 20". BBC. 10 January 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/4160559.stm. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "First Team". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10433,00.html. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "New Deals for Development Trio". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. 2011-05-19. http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/Latest/0,,10433~2363096,00.html. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ a b "Ex-Blues kids can shine with Seagulls". The Argus. 30 May 2011. http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/9055280.Ex_Blues_kids_can_shine_with_Seagulls. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "New Deals for Development Trio". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. 19 May 2011. http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/Latest/0,,10433~2363096,00.html. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
- ^ "Dickenson joins Albion". Dorest Echo. 2012-01-19. http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/magpies/news/9483020.Dickenson_joins_Albion/. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
- ^ a b c d e "Keeper East set for debut". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. 23 July 2011. http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/Latest/0,,10433~2399607,00.html. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Gus waits on Boy from Brazil". The Argus. 21 July 2011. http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/9150858.Gus_waits_on_boy_from_Brazil/. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "Albion sign Solomon March". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.. 2011-12-01. http://www.seagulls.co.uk/page/Latest/0,,10433~2533014,00.html. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
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