The magic of Brighton & Hove Albion bringing people together
Throughout Thursday and Friday last week, my Albion Twitter feed was full of photos, videos and stories of the night Brighton and Hove Albion went to Amsterdam to defeat four times European champions Ajax.
Some posted how they were there with their mates. Others of how they wish their dad was alive to see it. Everyone commented on the atmosphere and the noise.
How fantastic must it have been to be in amongst the 3,000 Seagulls supporters in the Johan Cruyff Arena, watching world class finishes from Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra. And then of course, going onto party in the bars and streets of the Netherlands’ biggest city afterwards.
At the last minute, I decided not to watch the game on my phone at home as I had planned. Instead, I headed to the biggest pub with the most screens I could find.
I did not know anyone there, but Albion shirts were present in abundance and the atmosphere was electric. Sometimes the occasion is so big you just need to be part of it, somewhere and somehow.
You do not need me to tell you how long this journey has been. So many have said that they wish they could go back to the days at Withdean, Gillingham or the dark, final days of the Goldstone and tell their younger selves – or those fans no longer with us – just how good it was going to get.
Top six in the biggest domestic league in the world, beating European legends in a UEFA tournament and who knows, finally securing something big and shiny for the Amex trophy cabinet?
There are at least 25,000 Albion fans at every home game, matching the record attendances of the mid-1970s I remember.
The river of people flowing under the railway bridge on Fonthill Road from Hove Station to the Goldstone Ground is now mirrored in the hoards crossing from Falmer to the Amex.
Thousands of people from different backgrounds with different views and opinions, united by a support for this football club that often goes back generations, as it does with my family.
We may disagree on politics or religion or whatever else, but support for Brighton & Hove Albion brings us together.
There is nothing better than that noise when that congregation of people, thousands packed into one stadium, or dozens gathered in one pub, see the ball struck and the net bulge. It is a collective experience like no other.
Football is nothing without fans, and no matter how good the coverage, watching football alone on television is a poor substitute for the experience of being there with other fans. It is meant to be shared.
Sometimes, when you are going through difficult days, football can lift you. It keeps you going and helps put your mind in a better place.
It is not the same watching alone at home, you need to be together, with fans sharing the passion our current coach demonstrates every week.
The lows and the highs are all part of the fan experience we share. For us Brighton fans, these right now are high days indeed.
From the Goldstone to the Johan Cruyff Arena. Together.
Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC
