Beyond the stands: Innovative ways Brighton supporters can enjoy future Premier League matches

It is not that long ago when Brighton were a struggling League One club, attracting only 6,000 fans to watch at Withdean Stadium. Now the Seagulls are soaring high in the top 10 of the Premier League and have just played European football.

The fairy tale rise of the Albion has seen support grow massively. The Amex sells out for most home matches. Beyond Sussex, there is a global fan base from countries like Japan and Ecuador attracted by stars including Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan.

With more supporters not all of whom can attend games, Brighton supporters are using innovative ways to enjoy Premier League matches.

Attend live screenings with other Brighton supporters

There is nothing quite like watching Brighton with other Albion fan. It is why that feeling of supporting the Albion from inside the stadium is hard to top.

Attending games in person is not always possible though. You might not have enough loyalty points for an away ticket. Or Brighton could be playing in Marseille, Amsterdam, Athens or Rome.

During the Europa League campaign, the Albion put on live screenings of away games in a hospitality lounge at the Amex.

It enabled Brighton supporters to view matches together with the backdrop of the Albion’s own home.

If Roberto De Zerbi leads Brighton into Europe again in 2024-25 and you cannot make it on the European Tour, watching away game on screens at the Amex is arguably the next best thing.

Enhance the Albion experience by having a bet

During a recent open survey, Brighton Premier League supporters confessed to taking an interest into football betting as a way of enhancing their overall experience when watching a match unfold.

Therefore, whether Brighton fans choose to wager on specific outcomes or on their favourite athletes, they can now further anticipate certain match results after placing their bets on online gambling sites, which the same survey shows are more appreciated by the community of Brighton supporters in comparison to land-based bookies.

Gambling on the Albion can even make defeat seem more bearable. Your correspondent had an accumulator of over eight corners, five cards and four goals when Brighton hosted AEK at the Amex in their opening Europa League fixture back in September.

The bet was looking in doubt until Ezequiel Ponce struck the fifth goal of the game – AEK’s winner – in the 84th minute. A cool pay out approaching £300 softened the blow of losing.

Understand the statistics

Football is more numbers-obsessed than ever. And you could argue that Brighton are the most number-obsessed team of the lot.

Data and algorithms guide who the Albion sign with stunning success. Under Tony Bloom, Brighton have rightly earned the reputation of kings of the transfer market.

Statistics also feed into other areas. Graham Potter kept his job despite long winless runs because the Albion’s xG suggested they were unlucky to be losing and that form would turn around.

Eventually, it did. So much so that Chelsea paid £21 million to take Potter to Stamford Bridge. Will that ever stop being funny?

To look at and understand the statistics which matter to Brighton – xG, xGA, possession – is to attempt to see the game how Bloom does.

Sharing the same mindset of the man who made the modern day Brighton is an innovative way to watch Premier League football.

Walking to the Amex for a Brighton home game

Brighton supporters attending the Amex are also looking for innovative ways to make the experience more enjoyable. Take the nightmare which is travelling to Falmer via public transport for example.

The trains are packed and unreliable. Buses find themselves stuck in the heavy traffic. Drive by car and you have the same traffic problem plus the added stress of booking a parking space. The transport situation is often cited as being very detrimental to the overall Amex experience.

So why not walk? It takes around an hour from Old Steine to the Amex with a fair wind. It is healthy. Environmentally friendly. You get your daily recommended number of steps in.

The walk can even be turned into a Lewes Road pub crawl. Which is the real reason to do it. You can tick off at least three pubs and arrive at the Amex suitably oiled for a much more enjoyable experience watching Brighton.