The 2019-20 Premier League Top Half Finish

Lore & Background

Founded in 1901, Brighton played their early professional football in the Southern League. They were later elected to the Football League in 1920. Between 1979 and 1983, they played in the First Division, and reached the 1983 FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United after a replay. They were relegated from the First Division in the same season.

In 1990, the club officially adopted the women's team ahead of the launch of the Albion in the Community scheme, and the restructuring of women's football which the club became a founding member of in 1991/92. By the late 1990s, Brighton were in the fourth tier of English football and having financial problems. After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Football League to the Conference in 1997, a boardroom takeover saved the club from liquidation.

Successive promotions in 2001 and 2002 brought Brighton back to the second tier, and in 2011, the club moved into the Falmer Stadium after 14 years without a permanent home ground. In the 2016–17 season, Brighton finished second in the EFL Championship and were thus promoted to the Premier League, ending a 34-year absence from the top flight. In the 2022–23 season, Brighton finished sixth in the Premier League, their highest top flight finish ever, and qualified for the UEFA Europa League; their first participation in European club football.

Reader's Guide

Brighton are nicknamed the Seagulls and have played in blue-and-white striped shirts for most of their history. The club's fiercest and longest-standing rivalry is with Crystal Palace, which emerged in the 1970s for competitive reasons.

Did You Know?

• Brighton won the FA Charity Shield in 1910 by defeating Football League champions Aston Villa.
• The club's 1983 FA Cup final featured an infamous miss by Gordon Smith with the last kick of extra time.
• Brighton played home matches 70 miles away at Gillingham's Priestfield stadium for two seasons after selling the Goldstone Ground.