Happy 125th Birthday Brighton & Hove Albion
On Saturday 19 September, Brighton and Hove Albion celebrated 125 years since playing their first ever match in September 1901.
And what better way to mark the occasion than by welcoming the reigning Premier League champions, Arsenal, to the Amex?
It was a fixture that perfectly illustrated just how far the club has come since the days of the Goldstone Ground.
Inside the Amex stadium, every seat was adorned with a commemorative 125-year flag. Before kick-off, the Amex erupted in noise and colour, with pyrotechnics, an impressive tifo mosaic and an eye-catching 125-year flag in the centre circle.
The players wore a commemorative anniversary kit based on the club's original 1901 strip, featuring a classic blue shirt and cream shorts.
There had been plenty of disapproving comments from fans when the kit was first launched.
I suspect there are a lot more people queuing up for one now!
Why?
Because the Seagulls produced one of the most memorable performances in the club's history, beating Arsenal 3-0.
After coming from 2-0 down to beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the League Cup earlier in the week – the first time a team had achieved that feat since 1976 – the victory over Arsenal provided the perfect finale to an extraordinary week for Albion fans.
A record crowd of 31,944 packed into the Amex to witness the birthday celebration.
The in-form Pascal Gross fired Brighton in front before 19-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time with a powerful strike. Chema Andrés headed in the third after the break.
And there could have been more.
Former England striker Alan Shearer summed up Arsenal's afternoon when he told BBC Sport:
“It could have been six or seven.”
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler was equally delighted with his side's performance.
"It was a special one, not only because we played against maybe the best team in England but because of the performance.
"The boys started really intense, they won their personal duels, played good in possession and created chances.
"I'm really proud of my team, hopefully they enjoy it today because these kind of moments are important to enjoy."
And perhaps that is what makes Brighton's 125th birthday so special.
Because there was a time when simply having a home to call our own was far from guaranteed.
The Seagulls were forced to leave the Goldstone Ground in 1997 and endured two years sharing a 'home' with Gillingham – 120 kilometres away from Brighton.
Then came Withdean Stadium.
If I tell you it was where my school held its sports day, you might get an idea of what it was like.
With a capacity of just 7,000, the makeshift stadium had temporary buildings serving as changing rooms and corporate hospitality spaces. There was a discus net, a 400-metre athletics track and a long-jump pit – not exactly the desirable facilities for a modern Premier League stadium.
Yet Withdean was home.
It remained the Seagulls' home from 1999 until 2011, when Brighton finally moved into the Amex.
Fast-forward to 2026 and sometimes I have to pinch myself.
The Seagulls are playing in Europe for the second time. The Amex is packed week after week. And the club has plans to build the first women's-only stadium in Europe by 2030.
For those who remember the Goldstone, the years at Gillingham and the makeshift surroundings of Withdean, it’s no wonder, the Amex can sometimes feel like a fantasy!
I was there when the Goldstone was still standing. I worked as a catering assistant from 1994 to 1997. So perhaps it's no surprise that I often find myself watching us play and thinking:
“Is this really Brighton?”
To celebrate 125 years by beating the reigning Premier League champions 3-0, in front of a record crowd while competing in Europe for the second time, feels beyond remarkable.
And, even after all these years in the top-flight, a little bit unbelievable.
Happy 125th birthday, Albion.
Written by Sally Freedman | 21 September 2026
