Brighton & Hove Albion has a unique Relationship With Countries Below The Equator
The 2021-2022 Brighton & Hove Albion squad is composed of several nationalities, including English, French, German, Irish, and Romanian. Interestingly, there are no Kiwis on the current men’s team.
However, that may change in the future due to the long-standing relationship Brighton has with countries in the Southern Hemisphere, especially the crown jewel New Zealand.
A relationship with Down Under – New Zealand
On February 10th, 1992, Brighton played a friendly match against the New Zealand national team at The Goldstone; the game ended 2-0, to New Zealand.
Since that game, many changes have occurred at the football club, including stadium changes (the final match at The Goldstone was played in April 1997) and Premier League promotion. One constant, however, has been The Seagulls’ relationship with New Zealand.
New Zealand promotes an active and healthy outdoor lifestyle, which has produced top-tier athletes for decades. Over the years, Brighton has signed multiple footballers from New Zealand, with one of the most recent examples including the women’s team signing international defender Rebekah Stott in 2020.
This has further contributed to strong relations between the two countries as this move benefits both parties: Brighton have acquired a stellar player and naturally, news of the signing would have dominated Kiwi/international news channels, raising awareness as to her profile and her origins.
This would, in turn, likely impact New Zealand’s gambling industries, providing grander opportunities for bettors, with online casinos providing exclusive bonuses and promotions such as tickets to prolific sporting events in VIP programmes as part of their welcome offers.
The country also has several major television broadcasting companies like Sky that stream local and global live sports. Since Brighton announced in September 2020 that it had signed Stott, Google search trends for Brighton & Hove Albion in New Zealand have increased, with regions Canterbury and Otago leading.
The globalisation of sport, especially English football teams, has meant that there’s widespread interest in domestic teams. Indeed, with international players come international fans, fame, and revenue.
For example, a recent survey by Nielsen Fan Insights demonstrated this after finding that 21% of South Koreans consider Tottenham their favourite international football team because of Son Heung-Min.
𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙎𝙄𝙂𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘼𝙇𝙀𝙍𝙏
We have completed the signing of New Zealand international Rebekah Stott on a one-year contract.
Welcome, @stotty_13!#BHAFC | #FAWSL
— Brighton & Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen) September 2, 2020
Australia
The club also has long-standing ties with other countries below the equator, including Australia. The club has had several Australian players, including David Clarkson, who made 13 appearances for the club in the 1990s, and goalkeeper Andy Petterson.
In recent years, Brighton’s squad list has included Perth-born midfielder Nick Ward, who joined for the 2006-2007 season, and goalkeeper Matthew Ryan, who departed the club in 2021 after signing in 2017.
He signed a six-year deal with Valencia in 2015.
But keeper Matthew Ryan has joined Brighton for a club-record fee.https://t.co/9sul1txGnh pic.twitter.com/JmbitVtp10
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 16, 2017
Zambia
Adding to this relationship is Brighton’s recent signing of 23-year-old midfielder Enock Mwepu, who was born in Lusaka, Zambia, another country below the equator. Mwepu joined Brighton in July 2021 and spent most of his career at Red Bull Salzburg.
He has Champions League experience, making his debut in a match against Liverpool, and could be the latest signing from Zambia set to improve the Brighton team this season.
The Premier League is full of diverse nationalities, and each team has a unique relationship with countries around the world: from the Wolves and Portugal, and West Ham and the Czech Republic. Brighton, unknown to many, has had a long-standing relationship with New Zealand as well as other countries below the equator.
