Sussex

Joshua Askew
South East

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Brighton are celebrating their 125th anniversary on Wednesday and will be commemorating the achievement throughout the 2026-27 campaign.

Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, said he began supporting Brighton & Hove Albion in 1980 - the year he moved to the city.

"I'd grown up just south of Crystal Palace my whole life, but never fell in love with them," he told BBC Radio Sussex.

"They're a difficult club to fall in love with."

Cook described the 90s as a period of "wilderness, horror, homelessness and pennilessness" for the Seagulls.

But he added: "I really remember the sense of community - and polarisation - we had around how to save our team."

"That was a classic time."

Cook said the record label he cofounded - Skint Records - stepped in to sponsor the team at their "lowest ebb".

"Luckily for us... everything since then has got better."

Cook said it was "great fun" when the Albion played at Withdean Stadium, following the loss of their historic Goldstone Ground in 1997.

"It was kind of amateur and had no pretensions or airs and graces," he said.

"A lot of teams were scared to play us at Withdean because they couldn't get that big match atmosphere."

Cook said he was "loving it" that the club was now in the Premier League and recently celebrated its second-ever appearance in Europe.

"It's a boom time. But it feels like a different club. It's run ruthlessly and professionally now."

Read more fan stories and Joshua's full piece here

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We asked you which players you think would be a great fit for Brighton that you have seen in action at the World Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

Dean: Ayyoub Bouaddi of Morocco. He is only 18 years old but he has so much confidence. He always shows for the ball and he is clever with it. He has a real engine to keep running and he is a link-up man as well as a playmaker. He could be a bargain to develop and sell on for a profit after a five-year contract?

Simon: Canada's Jonathan David for his technique and temperament. I also think Germany's Deniz Undav.

James: I want Scotland's Scott McTominay and France's Kylian Mbappe - haha!

Chris: I keep seeing our current and ex-club players doing so well at the World Cup, such as Sweden's Yasin Ayari (need to keep him), Paraguay's Julio Enciso (why did he leave?) and Germany's Deniz Undav (why did he leave as well?). Are we training players for other clubs or failing in relations inside the locker room? Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on the young players on the bench for Ecuador, Colombia and Cape Verde. We should stop looking to Germany and the Netherlands, there is raw and astounding talent as well as cheap deals to be had in South America, the Caribbean and Africa.

Dylan: Vuskovic. We need to be looking at the man from Croatia.

Tell us who you have scouted

Brighton fans have been getting in touch with BBC Radio Sussex as the Seagulls celebrate their 125-year anniversary.

Rob: Back in 1983, the semi-final at Highbury. Jimmy Case's goal was right in the end where Brighton fans were and everyone was up. It was great. The best memory ever. It was one of the only games my old man took me to. Good days. He forgot to take me to the final.

JP: My favourite Albion moment was when Alexis Mac Allister scored the penalty against Manchester United at the end of the season three seasons ago. It was absolutely brilliant. To nick it in the last minute with a penalty was absolutely amazing.

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Tom: My memory is being here and seeing Solly March's debut game. He came on and I was like, 'He's going to be good. He's going to be one for the future, 100%'.

Mick: Going back years and years Peter Ward scoring against Derby when they came down in the League Cup in the 70s. They were league champions at the time and Wardy scored after 45 seconds. It was just amazing.

Listen to the trip down memory lane on BBC Sounds here or by pressing play on the clip above

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Brighton transfer target Luka Vuskovic would work well under boss Fabian Hurzeler, says German football expert Matthew Karagich.

The centre-back joined Tottenham in the summer of 2025, and was sent on loan for the season to Hamburg in the Bundesliga where he made 27 starts and scored six goals - including a scorpion-kick in a derby against Werder Bremen.

"Vuskovic did a lot of great things at Hamburg," Karagich told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.

"I think the fact he was not only part of the Bundesliga Team of the Season, but is also with Croatia at the Fifa World Cup, is probably really good starting points as to how this 18-year-old has developed over the course of 12 months, and is now in a position where his parent club Tottenham have got some decisions to make."

With Jan Paul van Hecke going the other way and joining the north London side, Karagich believes the youngster switching to Brighton "makes the most sense".

"I think Brighton is actually a really good fit for him. Fabian Hurzeler is known as someone who likes to develop young players and he very much fits that role.

"Hurzeler played a similar three-at-the-back style at St Pauli, and we've seen that evolve at his two years at Brighton and I think, from my perspective, this move makes the most sense," Karagich added.

"He could also go to a club that's playing In Europe, like a Sunderland, given that squad's going to be pretty stretched and the second season for any promoted team is usually the hardest of the first few seasons, so maybe that's a particular option. Then you maybe look at the teams that have been promoted as well.

"For me, I really like the idea of him going to Brighton with Van Hecke going to Spurs, maybe there is that position that opens up. He spoke a few months ago about his desire to stay in Hamburg with his brother [Mario] but the finances aren't going to be particularly favourable for Hamburg to try and keep him."

Listen to more on Vuskovic, Brighton's 2026-27 fixtures and the club's 125th anniversary on BBC Sounds here

A new episode of Albion Unlimited looks at the Premier League fixtures for next season, while German football expert Matthew Karagich profiles target Luka Vuskovic.

And of course, there's plenty of celebration of 125th anniversary of the club.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Brighton content on BBC Sounds

Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

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Brighton's eighth-place finish last season means a return to Europe in the Uefa Conference League.

The Seagulls will enter the competition at the play-off stage in August, bypassing the first three rounds of qualifying due to being seeded.

That two-legged tie will take place on 20 and 27 August, with the draw to be made on Monday, 3 August.

If Brighton win, they will progress to the league phase, with the draw for that taking place on Friday 28 August.

From there, it's knockout football with the final taking place at Istanbul's Besiktas Park on 2 June 2027.

League phase games will be played:

• 15 October 2026

• 22 October 2026

• 5 November 2026

• 26 November 2026

• 10 December 2026

• 17 December 2026

Knockout games will be played:

• Knockout phase play-offs - 18 and 25 February 2027

• Round of 16 - 11 and 18 March 2027

• Quarter-finals - 8 and 15 April 2027

• Semi-finals - 29 April and 6 May 2027

• Final - 2 June 2027

Got a question about Brighton? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts