It
all started one day when I was looking at North Stand Chat at Christmas time in
2000. Fans were talking about all the Brighton sites that there were and were
discussing why doesn't someone make one that has everything they want in one? As I
just started to understand how to use FrontPage and Dream weaver I chose to give
it ago. I got in contact with other fans that had websites and got them to help
me out with information, as well as getting in contact with lots of different
people from different websites. They helped me make my first ever version of the
site back in February 2000.
After not too long I got bored with updating it constantly and chose to
design myself a new site for the centenary and the new season. Before long,
August came along and the site was ready to launch. I had chosen to call it the
Seagulls Centenary Site because of the Centenary, 100 years of the Seagulls
(below).
All
the shirts had to be made and alot of research was done into finding out
information about every season since 1901.
Finally the site was ready to launch. Straight away the hit counter was going
up and up. All the fans were coming along just to see what the site was about
and what it was like. As the season went on, so did the site. More and more got
added until there was room for no more.
In January 2002, the media started to get involved with the site as well. The
local newspaper in Gloucester where I live did an article on myself and the
site, along with the BBC adding a feature about me to their new website. More
information is available about this in our media section.
In March 2002, it looked certain that we would be going into the first
division and we needed a new professional look to the site. That's where Flying
High begins (below).
Relegation took us back down into Division Two, however
not for long. That season saw us win the playoff final against Bristol
City in the last ever game in Division Two.
Flying High has been keeping fans updated throughout the
first season in the new Championship league which is now run by Coca Cola.
The site also saw its biggest number of visitors ever, as more and more
football fans get onto the Internet. After managing a draw at Ipswich in
the last game of the season, Brighton are staying in the Championship -
and Flying High its staying too.
Through the closed season a small revamp of the site
took place to make the site easier for fans to use. A new server was also
now being used to improve performance, improve the amount of space
available, and generally improve the overall experience visitors have to
the site.
Flying High has now been around as a Brighton fan site
for over three years, and has no plans to go away just yet!
