Seagulls Over Burwash

Seagulls Over Burwash Article – August 2025

Champions, Local Favourites, Benefactors and New Season

While most of their Brighton and Hove Albion colleagues were sunning themselves on a beach during their well-deserved break following the completion of the 2024-2025 football season, Jack Hinshelwood and James Beadle packed their bags and headed off to Slovakia to join the England Under 21 team and compete in the UEFA U21 European Championship. England U21s were defending the title they won in 2023 and, after six gruelling matches, they clinched the Championship by beating Germany 3-2 in a dramatic, extra time final. Beadle was goalkeeper throughout the tournament while Hinshelwood was deployed as a right back where his 120 minute lung-busting performance in the final was outstanding. Congratulations to Jack, James and the rest of the England U21s. Hopefully the senior England team can replicate their success at next year’s World Cup.

Jack Hinshelwood was born in Brighton and joined the Albion Academy at the age of seven. For the supporters of any football club, it is always special when a ‘local lad’ comes through the ranks and plays for the first team. As Brighton and Hove Albion supporters, we have had a few over the years including the stalwarts of our lower league struggles, Kerry Mayo and Adam El Abd, and current players, Solly March and club captain Lewis Dunk. However, in the past, Sussex’s most talented youngsters were lured away by ‘bigger’ clubs which offered more than lower league football and training on the University playing fields in the rain. Since the training centre at Lancing was completed in 2014, this has started to change. Officially entitled the American Express Elite Performance Centre, the training facilities at Lancing are of the highest standard and provide the optimum conditions for young talent to flourish and develop. Not only does the lure of the Premier League and world class training facilities attract Sussex prospects to the club but the club can attract and recruit young players from all over the UK as well as from abroad. Furthermore, the club’s philosophy of trusting young players to perform in the Premier League demonstrates to potential academy scholars that, if they are good enough, they will get a chance of playing first team football at the club.

Over the last few years, the Albion’s academy has really started bearing fruit. In recent months five academy players have made the first team squad. Jack Hinshelwood was a regular in the first team last season and, during the last home game of the season against the Champions, Liverpool, he was joined by his cousin, Harry Howell. At seventeen years and 29 days old, Harry was the youngest player to have played in the Premier League for Brighton. Sussex-born academy graduates also joining the first team matchday squad last season were Charlie Tasker and Joe Knight, both 19 years old and 17 year old Freddie Simmons. Simmons has already had an impact at junior international level and has captained England at both under-16s and under-17s. Whilst the latter three have yet to make their first team debut, the fact that they were on the bench demonstrates that the head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, believes they are good enough to play in the toughest league in the world and it is very likely that they will feature on the pitch during the forthcoming season.

As well as developing players through the Academy, Brighton have been busy in the summer transfer market again. As is the general policy of the club, most of the incoming players are young, relatively unknown and with lots of potential. Attackers  Charalampos Kostoulas (18) and Stephanos Tzimas (19), have swapped the Greek sunshine for the Sussex coast while Tom Watson (18), Diego Coppola (21), Do-young Yun (18) and Maxim De Cuyper (24) have arrived from Sunderland, Verona, Daejeon Hana Citizen (South Korea) and Club Brugge, respectively. In addition to these, experience French defender, Olivier Boscagli (27), joined the club on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven. The cost of these signings was just over £60 million. 

So how was such a large sum of money raised by ‘little ol’ Brighton’? Well, simple really. A quick call to their favourite benefactor, Mr Todd Boley of Chelsea, West London, and Bob’s your uncle! Brighton received a fee that, with staged add-ons, will reach £60 million in return for striker, Joao Pedro, who had missed the last five games of last season for violent conduct on the pitch (three match ban) and fighting with a colleague during training (two match club suspension). The sale of Pedro to Chelsea brought the total amount of money received by Brighton from Chelsea buying Albion players and poaching coaching staff to nearly £300 million since Boley and Clearwater took over Chelsea after Roman Abramovich’s ignominious departure. 

Before the Premier League kicks off, Brighton play a final pre-season friendly against German Bundesliga team, VfL Wolfsburg, on Saturday 9^th August, kick off 5.00 pm. These friendly matches are usually very entertaining and it will be the first time to see the Albion’s new signings play at the Amex. Also, for the avid supporter, it is an opportunity to enjoy a game without the stress exerted by the importance of the final score that is ever present for Premier League matches. Seagulls Over Burwash are running a coach to the game and we currently have a few spare spaces. So, if you would like to come down to experience a match at the Amex, please drop us a note and we will try and squeeze you on board. You never know, you might get hooked!

The following week, the first Premier League game of the season for the Albion will be at the Amex on 16^th August against Fulham. Seagulls Over Burwash will again be running a standard coach and a double decker to each home game during next season. Throughout last season we took over 120 supporters from the Burwash and Heathfield area to each game and this coming season looks to be just as popular. We have again sold all of our coach season tickets but we do hold back some seats for match-by-match supporters. Again, if you would like to travel with us to any games, please contact us on the details below.

For further information on joining Seagulls Over Burwash and details of forthcoming events, meetings or coach travel, please visit our website at www.seagullsoverburwash.co.uk or email me at simon.forster@seagullsoverburwash.co.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to contact our Chairman, Mr Teskey O’Neil, on 01435 884344 or tesbar80@btinternet.com. 

Simon Forster

Seagulls Over Burwash Article – July 2025

Summer, Long Haul Travel, Injuries and Sapphires

We are in the midst of the long, hot, football-less summer, when football club supporters can forget fixtures, scores and league positions and turn their minds to picking runner beans, smoking out the neighbours with barbecues and sipping Pimm’s on the lawn. Well, it may or may not be a hot summer, and you may or may not grow beans but the close season is not that long and there is plenty of footie-related activity to keep the avid supporters glued to their sport news websites. During the twelve weeks between the Champions League final and the resumption of the Premier League, not only are there numerous international World Cup qualifying matches and pre-season friendlies, there is the annual pantomime of the summer transfer window. This is the time of year when, traditionally, ‘teams like Brighton’ get all of their best players poached by the clubs that are bank-rolled by uber-rich club owners, or, in the case of Newcastle United, oil-rich countries. However, in recent years, there have been efforts to curtail clubs spending beyond their income and to ensure they are viable businesses and don’t simply buy success no matter what the cost. To this end, the Profit and Sustainability Rules were introduced to restrict the losses each club can accrue over any three-year period. Put simply, Premier League clubs are only allowed to lose £105 million over three years on a rolling basis. If this is exceeded, sanctions such as transfer embargoes and points deductions can be imposed. Fortunately for Brighton and Hove Albion, the club has been run so well that they have made record Premier League profits of £208.4 million over the past two years, so they can, theoretically, lose up to nearly £300 million without breaching PSR. Other clubs are not in such a secure position. Aston Villa, for example, can only lose £15 million before PSR sanctions apply. Given that most clubs financial years end during the close season, expect some frantic selling of players by clubs that are sailing close to the PSR wind in a bid to raise money, reduce their losses and avoid sanctions.

Over the past few years, Brighton and Hove Albion have earned deserved accolades for their shrewd transfer business. Rather than chase the established, proven Premier League players that will cost huge sums of money in terms of both purchase cost and salaries, the club tends to identify young talent from around the globe and develop them into top players at the Amex. This way they benefit from the players while they are at Brighton and, if they are sold on to other, more high profile, clubs, they make a significant profit. However, this does mean that the first team is truly multinational. The current Albion men’s senior squad represents 23 countries, including five north and south American countries, six African countries, seven European countries, Japan and, oh yes, England. Given the standard of football Brighton are playing these days, it is not surprising that a large proportion of these players represent their national teams. In fact, Brighton has more long-distance (beyond Europe) internationals than any other Premier League club. Whilst this is a feather in the club’s cap, it does mean the preparation for league games is disrupted following international breaks and players need time to recover from the inevitable jet-lag before they can perform at their best. Such was the case with the FA Cup quarter final this year when Brighton faced Nottingham Forest following the international break in March. A number of first team regulars were not in the starting line-up and Brighton lost on penalties after a gruelling, if uninspiring, 0-0 draw following 120 minutes of football. Had players not been playing half way around the world a few days beforehand would they have won? Who knows, but the jet-lag would not have helped their cause.

Not only did The Albion top the ‘overseas internationals league’, they also finished the season at the top of the ‘time lost due to injury’ table. Yep, the total amount of days lost with players being unable to train or play was a mammoth 1,407!! So much for the appointment of Professor Doctor Florian Pfab as the head of medicine at the beginning of the season! This contrasts with the injuries incurred by Nottingham Forest who lost only 475 days to players being on the treatment table. Why was there such a gulf in the susceptibility of Forest and Albion players to injuries? I have no idea…..that’s what Professor Doctor Pfab needs to work out, but the absenteeism from the first team inevitably effected the performances and, hence, the results. Without such an abysmal injury record, would the Seagulls have qualified for Europe rather than missing out tantalisingly on the final day of the season? Again, who knows?

Looking back at the 2024-2025 season from a Brighton supporter’s viewpoint, there are many ‘ifs, buts and maybes’ but in true Albion fashion, it was a rollercoaster of highs and lows yet continued the upward trajectory of the club. Excitement for the coming new season is already building and, with Fabian Hurzeller now used to the Premier League, the young players having improved hugely over the last year and new players joining the club, next season is full of promise and optimism. I am absolutely confident that the 2025-2026 season will be the most successful in the club’s history and that our sparsely occupied trophy room (cupboard?) will have some nice shiny silverware to adorn its shelves come next May. But, then again, I think that every year……!

For further information on joining Seagulls Over Burwash and details of forthcoming events, meetings or coach travel, please visit our website at www.seagullsoverburwash.co.uk or email me at simon.forster@seagullsoverburwash.co.uk. Alternatively, please feel free to contact our beloved and much respected Chairman, Mr Teskey O’Neil, on 01435 884344 or tesbar80@btinternet.com. This month, Teskey and his dearly beloved, Barbara, celebrate their Sapphire wedding anniversary. That means for 45 years, Barbara has had to put up with Teskey’s Albion obsession and his travelling to matches all over the country, not to mention the vast array of blue and white memorabilia that fills his house. For most couples, such a passion for something other than a wife would be grounds for divorce but this is where our Teskey has got lucky. Barbara is as football mad as he is! It’s a match (home and away) made in heaven! Congratulations to you both!

Simon Forster

The new SOB/BHA Scarf has made it to Japan! The scarf is being held by skiing Instructors at the resort of Furano Japan. Will Napier-Brown (end left) is an Instructor at the neighbouring ski resort of Tomamu. Will travelled to all the Albion home games on the SOB coach for many years from a young age with Dad Andy until embarking on a new career as a Skiing Instructor. The nine hour time difference does not deter Will from streaming the live Albion games whatever the kick-off time. That’s dedication!

ACCOUNT: SEAGULLS OVER BURWASH SUPPORTERS CLUB

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 65456835

SORT CODE: 08 92 99

WHEN MAKING A PAYMENT PLEASE USE YOUR NAME AS REFERENCE TOGETHER WITH THE GAME YOU ARE ATTENDING

Hi All,

COACH TRAVEL – 2024-2025 Season

Thank you to those who came to the AGM last week. Over 100 members squeezed into the Bear function room – a great turn out for a Monday night.

For those who couldn’t make the AGM, the key points regarding the coaches were:

 – The cost of hiring the coaches has increased again this year by £50 per coach per trip;

– After all expenses were taken into consideration, Seagulls Over Burwash retained a surplus above that needed to cover unforeseen expenses (such as coaches for cancelled games etc). This was due mainly to additional funds generated by spare seats being sold to non-season ticket holders, so, please, if you cannot go to any game, let us know, and it will help us maintain our low season ticket fares;

– Given that everyone is feeling the cost of living pinch and that this is the membership’s money, it was agreed to use this surplus to subsidise the coaches for another year and retain the fares that were charged last season;

– Therefore, this season’s fares for the 19 Premier League matches are:

Coach season ticket holders: £190 adult, £95 U16 (all 19 Premier League home games)

Non coach season ticket holders: £15 adult, £10 U16 per match

Please make season ticket payments by 1st August. If paying in a single instalment is a problem, please let us know and we will makes alternative arrangements.

Please make season ticket payments by bank transfer using the following details:

Account Name – Seagulls Over Burwash Supporters Club

Account Number – 65456835

Sort Code – 08 92 99

IMPORTANT – Please reference your payment with your surname.

If you cannot pay by bank transfer, please contact Teskey (01435 884344 or tesbar80@btinternet.com) to arrange alternative.

Thanks and all the best,

Simon

-- Simon ForsterSeagulls Over BurwashWebsite: www.seagullsoverburwash.co.ukEmail: simon.forster@seagullsoverburwash.co.ukIf you no longer wish to receive emails from Seagulls Over Burwash please reply to this email stating "unsubscribe"

Hi All,

Two things………

1. Coach fares.

Thank you to all who have paid the coach season ticket fares already. If you haven’t, could you please transfer the payments to the SOB account by 1st August (next Tuesday) using the following details:

Account Name – Seagulls Over Burwash Supporters Club

Account Number – 65456835

Sort Code – 08 92 99

IMPORTANT – Please reference your payment with your surname.

If you cannot make the fare payment online or in a single instalment, please contact Teskey (01435 884344 or tesbar80@btinternet.com) to make alternative arrangements.

2. Attendance at August matches

We are aware that many people will be taking holidays in August. If you know that you will not be attending any of the home matches due to holidays, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can plan the coach allocations in advance. Thanks.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. 

All the best,

Simon