In June 1901, a man called John Jackson started the formation of BHAFC. Many ideas were thought of but this was the best. This was decided at the Seven Stars public house which is now called the Helsinki on exactly Monday, 24th June 1901...

 Season: 1901 - 1902

The start of the first season as Brighton & Hove Albion FC. It was going to be tough but they managed. The first team had been assembled over the summer and included players from the old club Brighton United. The first BHAFC team was made up from these men: Alf Sharp, C.J Mendham, Squire Whitehurst, Marley, Ned Collins, Jock Caldwell, Albert Smith, Paddy Farrel, Jim Sutherland, F. Mitchell, John Jackson (trainer- manager), Bert Baker, Frank McAvoy (Captain) Clem Barker, Ephraim Colclough and Jock Russell.

The first ever game played with the team as BHAFC was at Dyke Road Field on 7th September 1901. This was a friendly against a tough Shoreham side. A large crowd came along to cheer on the club and Clem Barker and Frank McAvoy scored the clubs first ever goals. The club won 2-0! This was a good season for Brighton & Hove Albion FC and they finished third in the league:

Season: 1902 - 1903

The second season was fast approaching, would it be as successful as the first? Firstly, the club moved to the Goldstone ground during the closed season because they needed somewhere more permanent and enclosed. There was a small wooden stand seating 400 spectators, a natural bank that the spectators on the east side and when large crowds were anticipated they got farm wagons and put them behind the normal stands. 

Also during the closed season, two important signings were made. Arthur Hulme from Bristol Rovers and Ben Garfield from West Bromwich Albion joined the team. Hulme began and association with the Albion that was to last for seven seasons. He was the clubs first serving professional.

The season kicked off and brought many different scores with it. By November the club was in 3rd position in the Southern League behind Fulham and Grays United, the same two clubs that had beaten them last season. As the season went on past Christmas 1902 and into Spring 1903, BHAFC beat Grays United 4-2 and Fulham 3-1. This meant that both rivals were seven points behind Brighton. In the end, both Brighton and Fulham got to share the honour of coming first in the league because there was not enough time to do a play-off when both teams ended up with the same points.

Season: 1903 - 1904

In the summer we brought in 7 new players including George Rushton, Billy Roberts and Ted Parsons. The season actually turned out to be a bit of a disappointment and we struggled through the league ending up in 17th position. We only won 6 games, drew 12 and lost 16 all season. The only good thing about the season was the increase in attendances. The largest crowd was 8,5000 against Southampton.

Season: 1904 - 1905

In the summer, Mr. Ryder became the new trainer coming from Stockport county. This season we finished 12th in the league with our new kit (above). Also, our manager John Jackson was about to be replaced. There were no complaints regarding his position as manager, but there were problems with the expenses just like what Chesterfield has been going through at the end of last season.

Season: 1905 - 1906

More new players including Buckley Brothers, Dick Jones and Harry Kent. There was also a new board of directors appointed because of the expenses troubles at the end of the last season (1904 - 1905). We finished 16th in the league.

Season: 1906 - 1907

7 New signings were made over the summer and we finished 3rd in the league. Also, a new ground record was set with 11,000 spectators coming to see Brighton play. We finished 2nd in the league behind Crystal palace.

Season: 1907 - 1908

After a successful 2nd place in the league we struggled a bit and ended up in 17th place at the end of the season.

Season: 1908 - 1909

A new manager was appointed and 16 new signings were made. These included Bob Whiting, Joe Leeming and Joe Jee. Although we had all these new players the season was pretty disappointing. We finished 18th in the league.

Season: 1909 - 1910

A good season... We finished 1st, 5 points clear!

Season: 1910 - 1911

Finished 3rd in the league.

Season: 1911 - 1912

3 new players were signed and we finished 5th in the league.

Season: 1912 - 1913

This season was difficult. Important players were transferred and hard to replace. We finished 9th in the league. 

Season: 1913 - 1914

This year was successful even though we finished 7th in the league... We came 1st in the Southern Alliance league!

Season: 1914 - 1915

We finished 10th in the league and an important international rugby match was staged at the Goldstone on 31st October 1914.

WAR - 1915 - 1919

No matches were played between 1915 and 1919 because of the war. The ground got dilapidated and the stands got over grown.

Season: 1919 - 1920

Many players returned after the war and we finished 16th in the league.

Season: 1920 - 1921

Improvements were made to the Goldstone and 7 new players were signed. We finished 18th in the league after the southern leagues merged to make Division 3.

Season: 1921 - 1922

Even though we finished 19th in the league, this year was the year the attendance record was broken again. 22,241 people went to see a goal-less draw against Huddersfield.

Season: 1922 - 1923

After a poor start we got better and finished 4th in the league. Also, the attendance record was broken again with 23,642 people going to see the match against Crystal Palace. 

Season: 1923 - 1924

A new season, a new record! 27,450 people went to see the Everton game which gave Brighton a record profit. We finished 5th in the league.

Season: 1924 - 1925

Finished 8th in the league. Not much happening this year!

Season: 1925 - 1926

5th in the league. Again, not much happening!

Season: 1926 - 1927

During this season, we got a reputation as being the 'best side in the southern league.' We finished 4th.

Season: 1927 - 1928

Between 1922 and 1936, Ernie ' Tug ' Wilson played more games for the Albion than any other player. We finished 4th in the league.

Season: 1928 - 1929

This was a disappointing season with average attendances about 6,000. We finished 15th in the league.

Season: 1929 - 1930

Finished 5th in the league. Nothing much happened this year!

Season: 1930 - 1931

Sadly, Noah Clark passed away on 4th November 1930. He was an Albion director. We finished 4th in the league.

Season: 1931 - 1932

Finished 8th in the league.

Season: 1932 - 1933

Finished 12th in the league.

Season: 1933 - 1934

Finished 10th in the league.

Season: 1934 - 1935

Finished 9th in the league.

Season: 1935 - 1936

This season was prone to injuries. Even though, we finished 7th in the league.

Season: 1936 - 1937

This was the most successful season since they joined the football league in 1920. Finished 3rd in the league.

Season: 1937 - 1938

This season the club came closer to promotion than ever before. We finished 5th. 

Season: 1938 - 1939

This season was one of the last regular seasons because of the wars with Germany. Conscription was introduced and people had to fight for their country. Attendances went down and we finished 3rd in the league. Quite good really! 

Season: 1939 - 1940

Councilor Albert Hillman saved the club from liquidation. We finished 9th in the  league 'B' and 10th in the league 'D'.

Season: 1940 - 1941

Battle of Britain began and Brighton suffered from some daylight raids. We finished 1st in the Southern league.

Season: 1941 - 1942

We finished 12th in the league.

Season: 1942 - 1943

Supporters were devastated when they turned up for a game and the North Stand had been hit by a German Bomb. It took ages to clear up and the stand didn't get a new roof for many years to come. Still, we finished 12th in the league.

Season: 1943 - 1944

In August, Herbert Ridge passed away and Alec Ridge took his place on the board of directors. We sadly finished 16th in the league.

Season: 1944 - 1945

Finished 14th in the league.

Season: 1945 - 1946

This was the year that Hitler committed suicide and the war finished. We finished 4th in the league.

Season : 1946 - 1947

Things finally returned to normal after the war and we finished 17th in the war.

Season: 1947 - 1948 

A very bad season... We finished last (22nd) in the league.

Season: 1948 - 1949

The club spent alot of money on a new player during the closed period before this season. They spent £5000 on Johnny McNichol from Newcastle. We finished 6th in the league.

Season: 1949 - 1950

In this closed season, Chelsea made an offer of £6,000 for Stan Willemse. He was transferred to the club later that summer. This money went mainly towards the re-building work at the Goldstone. We finished 8th in the league.

Season: 1950 - 1951

This was the season when people got tired of Brighton in the 3rd division. The attendances fell to 11,163 which is the lowest for four years. We fell into 13th place in the league.

Season: 1951 - 1952

The old manager of Brighton left in the summer and there was a vacant space. More than 50 applications were received but caretaker Billy Lake was the successful candidate. He re-introduced the blue and white striped shirt (above) and this was popular with the fans. We finished 5th in the league. A big improvement on last season!

Season: 1952 - 1953

We finished 7th in the league. Not much happened this season!

Season: 1953 - 1954

This was the most successful year of Billy Lanes career as manager. We finished 2nd in the league 3 points behind Ipswich town. 

Season: 1954 - 1955

A new south stand was built during the summer as part of the on going improvements to the ground. We finished 6th in the league, Division 3.

Season: 1955 - 1956

Again, we finished 2nd in the league this time behind Leyton Orient but only 1 point!

Season: 1956- 1957

We finished 6th this season.

Season: 1957 - 1958

This was the season when we finally WON the league! We got promoted into Division 2 where we are now! Lets stay there...

Season: 1958 - 1959

The new central section of the West Stand was now ready and open for the new season. We finished mid-table (12th) in the league (Division 2).

Season: 1959 - 1960

The southern section of the West stand was now also complete and open at the start of the new season. We finished 14th in Division 2.

Season: 1960 - 1961

As the club was short of money they only signed one new player, Bobby Laverick. We finished 16th in the league.

Season: 1961 - 1962

This was the year when we got flood lights. Our manager Billy Lane had always been opposed to night time football and we were one of the last clubs to get them installed. We finished last in Division 2 (22nd). We were now back in division 3.

Season: 1962 - 1963

We finished 22nd in the 3rd division league and you would have never guessed were were in division 2 last season!

Season: 1963 - 1964

Another blue and white stripy kit... We finished 8th in division 4.

Season: 1964 - 1965

Brighton signed Bobby Smith from Tottenham for £5,000. He lead the team to win Division 4 and go back into division 3.

Season: 1965 - 1966

The aim of this season was to gain mid-table by the end of the season. This was achieved... We came 15th in the league division 3.

Season: 1966 - 1967

This was not such a successful season. We finished 19th in the league.

Season: 1967 - 1968

We got back into form and got back into mid-table. We finished the league in 10th place. 

Season: 1968 - 1969

Again, we finished in 12th position in division 3.

Season: 1969 - 1970

Half-way through this season we were first in the league. We blew our opportunities and ended up in 5th place.

Season: 1970 - 1971

This was the year of the Mexico cup, where most of the football attention had been turned to. We finished 14th in the league.

Season: 1971 - 1972

After seven years away, the blue and white strip (above) finally made a come back. All the fans were glad to see it back. We finished 2nd in the league 5 points behind Aston Villa. We were promoted back into division 2 with Aston Villa.

Season: 1972 - 1973

Sadly, we straight away went to the bottom of the table and finished last. We were back in division 3...

Season: 1973 - 1974

This was another disappointing season as we finished 19th in the league division 3. Also, we were lacking cash which meant we couldn't get more players.

Season: 1974 - 1975

Many familiar players left and the club had to gets many replacements. This lead to us ending the season in 19th place.

Season: 1975 - 1976

We finished 4th in the league.

Season: 1976 - 1977

A good season with us ending in 2nd place, 3 points behind Mansfield town. We were promoted again to division 2.

Season: 1977 - 1978

This was the season where Brighton could get into division 1. They tried their hardest but ended up in 4th position, just under the promotion point.

Season: 1978 - 1979

Another chance at division 1... They did it! We finished 2nd 1 point behind Crystal Palace. Division 1 here we come.

Season: 1978 - 1979

Division 1 was the hardest but they tried their best. We finished the league in 2nd place, only 1 point behind Stoke City. Well done!

Season: 1979 - 1980

This year was not as successful as the last, but at least we didn't go back to division 2. We finished 16th in division 1. This was also the year of the South stand fire. The stand re-opened the next season as an all seater.

Season: 1980 - 1981

This was the year that the North Stand had been demolished. This was because it failed a safety test. It was re-build during the summer and the attendance quickly went back up to its full capacity. We ended the season in 19th position. If we had 2 points less be would have been relegated back into division 2.

Season: 1981 - 1982

An improvement this season as we finished in mid-table (13th).

Season: 1982 - 1983

This is the season that will always be remembered to Seagulls fans. The FA cup and the fourth year in division 1. 

FA Cup Final: 1983

The Seagulls flew to the stadium by helicopter to greet the fans. The match started at 3pm. Albion went 1 up against Manchester United and there was only 13 minutes to go in the first half. Final score 2-2... Extra time is required! Sadly, Brighton had not won the cup but this was a brilliant experience that no fan could ever forget. Lets hope we get there again soon!

Season: 1983 - 1984

At the start of the season, Chelsea thugs invaded the Goldstone pitch and launched a vicious attack on police. By the late 1980's, hooliganism had largely been excised from the matches at Hove and the rest of the country. We finished 9th in division 2.

Season: 1984 - 1985

This was a good season and we finished in 6th place.

Season: 1985 - 1986

Again, we did better in this season but just failed to regain their position in division 1. We finished 11th in the league.

Season: 1986 - 1987

This was a disappointing season compared with the last couple. Brighton had come last in division 2 and once again ended up in division 3.

Season: 1987 - 1988

Hooliganism had died out by the end of this season because of the membership scheme set up by the governors of the club. You had to be a member in certain areas so this ment if you caused trouble, they could stop your membership and stop you going to the matches. This is pretty similar to what they do now with the away match scheme. We finished 2nd in the league 9 points behind Sunderland. Once again, we were in division 2. Congratulations, but how long was it to last?

Season: 1988 - 1989

On 11th July 1988, Mike Bamber former chair-man of the club passed away at his home. This was the man who guided Brighton through their most successful times but suffered terribly at the end. We finished  19th in the league.

Season: 1989 - 1990

For the second season running, the manager Barry Lloyd didn't spend anything on new players. Instead the money went into making a new area in the Southern section. We finished 18th in the league.

Season: 1990 - 1991

This is the time when the play-offs came into the leagues. Brighton got into 6th place which meant they got into the play-offs. Sadly, we didn't win...

Season: 1991 - 1992

This was a terrible year for the Albion as they were relegated back into the 3rd division. They were second to last at the end of the league table. Come on Seagulls!

Season: 1992 - 1993

Luckily, because of the new F.A. Premier league Brighton found themselves still in Division 2. They managed to stay out of the relegation zone and get into mid-table. We finished 9th in the league. The webmaster went to his first match, 2-1 win at home to Bolton!

Season: 1993 - 1994

An average team failed to excite the crowd and struggled near the bottom of the league. However, relegation was avoided but there was little to cheer over the course of the season.

Season: 1994 - 1995

A mundane non-descript season ended with the Seagulls in mid-table and little knowledge of how bad things were inside the club. Little did we all know of the trauma that was to come.

Season: 1995 - 1996

The bad news came out that the Goldstone ground had been sold followed by lies and more lies about a new ground that would be built. Fans mounted a campaign against the board with pitch invasions and protests. Jimmy Case became manager and the clubs fortunes plummeted even further. The fans finally found out that there would be only one more season at the Goldstone although even this news was only confirmed at the last moment. The home match against York City was abandoned after another pitch invasion and the Seagulls were relegated to Division 3 for the first time in 31 years. Things were looking increasingly bad.

Season: 1996 - 1997

Things went from bad to worse as the club struggled with no good news about a new stadium in sight. The club were soon bottom of the league with no end to the troubles looking likely. The fans campaign was getting stronger. Supporters walked out of the Hereford match 15 minutes before the end and they voted for a complete boycott of the match against Mansfield on November 9th. To show how bad things were on the pitch, Brighton were even knocked out of the FA cup by non-league Sudbury town. When the team were 9 points adrift at the bottom of the league, Jimmy Case was sacked. Steve Gritt became the new manager as news came out that the club was seriously in debt. A landmark day in British football history with fans united day when thousands of supporters came to the Goldstone to express their disgust at the way the club was being run. It was a festival of defiance which inspired the players to a 5-0 win over Hartlepool. Home form continued to be good and the gap between the teams above the Albion was narrowing. Dick Knight came onto the scene at a possible saviour but things were still looking desperate. Finally, after many ups and downs a deal was done for Dick Knights consortium to take over the club. The final ever match at the Goldstone was against Doncaster Rovers. Stuart Storer scored the last ever goal at the ground in a 1-0 win while Hereford lose 2-0 against Orient to allow the Albion to climb off the bottom of division 3 for the first time in months. Brighton now just had to draw at Edgar street to stay up on goal difference. An unbelievably tense afternoon ended in a 1-1 draw with Robbie Reinelt scoring the all important goal. The fans and the players celebrated as though they had won the premier league, European cup and world cup all rolled into one. Things however were still looking bad as a ground sharing scheme at Gillingham had been arranged for next season. With no ground of their own and no money, things needed an awful lots of improving still!

Season: 1997 - 1998

Fortunes on the pitch hardly improved while the club were playing seventy miles away from home at Gillingham. Crowds were sparse and money was tighter still. The standard of football was still very poor but the Albion never looked in danger of relegation due to the poor showing of Doncaster rovers who themselves were having severe internal difficulties. Although finishing second to bottom wasn't as traumatic as the season before, things weren't looking good and a return to a ground in Brighton wasn't looking any closer.

Season: 1998 - 1999

Things improved slightly on the pitch, managers came and went but there was little excitement until news came out that the club would be returning to play at Withdean Athletic Stadium. Despite local opposition, the plans were finalized and the fans were pleased to wave goodbye to the Priestfield Stadium. An average season ended on an overly optimistic wave of better things to come.

Season: 1999 - 2000

A move back to Brighton was finally established with the Albion playing at Withdean Stadium. With Mickey Adams in charge things on the pitch were improving but the club struggled to find a consistent winning formula. However, just playing in Brighton was a massive boost, and the fans looked forward to the next season with relish.

Season: 2000 - 2001

This was a very successful season. The Albion were in the top 3 for most of the season playing fantastic football with Bobby Zamora scoring for fun. After the match had been postponed and date changed many times, the league deciding match against Chesterfield at home came on May 1st. 6,847 people watched as Cullip scored for Brighton in the second half. They held off until the end and got the Division 3 Championship trophy. Well done lads! For all this season fixtures and other facts, head over to the facts and figures page.

Season: 2001 - 2002

The season started as the previous one had finished, with the Albion performing much better than expected back in Division Two. Everyone at the club was stunned when Micky Adams resigned to go to Leicester but Peter Taylor was brought in to replace him and carried on the good work of the previous two years. Brighton were rarely out of the top 3 all season and an unbeaten running secured the Division Two title while all the challenging teams faltered. In the end, we won the title by 6 points and became one of only a few teams to win back to back championships. Everyone is looking forward to the new season in Division One and the chance to renew some old rivalries. You can get all the facts and fixtures for this season in our centenary '01-02' section.

Season: 2002 - 2003

At the start of this season we won, 3-1 against Burnley! Then we drew... The next game was lost, and the next 11. It was too much for Martin Hinshelwood to carry on and he was removed and replaced with Steve Coppell. The results improved, and after some new players were brought in and we climbed off the bottom of the table, and had great hope that we might stay up. That hope carried on until the last game of the season away at Grimsby, but unfortunately other results conspired against us and we went down to where we had come from the previous season. If the right decision had been made and Coppell had started as manager we might well have not been relegated as the record under his control was far superior to that of the other relegated teams. When it comes down to it, if we had known in 1997 that right now we would be looking forward to a good season chasing the Division two championship, then we would be perfectly happy with our position.