New exhibition will tell Albion's 'unique' story

Jody East is one of the curators who will be setting up the Albion exhibition at Brighton and Hove Museums

A new permanent exhibition will detail the "unique and phenomenal" rise of Brighton & Hove Albion from near extinction to European football.

The 93 sqm (1,001 sq ft) gallery, which opens in late August 2026, will be on the upper floor of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery near the Royal Pavilion.

The exhibition will explain Albion's rise from being without a ground and playing 70 miles away in Gillingham in 1997, to reaching the Premier League and qualifying for Europe in 2023.

Jody East, creative programme manager at Brighton and Hove Museums, said the exhibition will be about how fans came together to save the club.

She said: "It's a really unique and phenomenal story. It's all about how the fans came together to save the club when they almost went extinct and then weren't even playing in Brighton for two years.

"Next year is the club's 125th anniversary so we really wanted to celebrate the club's heritage and some of the history.

"It's a story that's important not to forget, we're going to be taking lots of objects like programmes and shirts and tell the stories around them. We want to hear people's stories, it's going to be a very fan-led gallery."

Cultural consultancy firm Barker Langham was chosen to design the exhibition following a formal tender process and competitive pitch.

Albion's museum closed earlier this year for stadium redevelopments including the expanded club shop.

Albion played at the Goldstone Ground from 1902 to 1997

"I was delighted to hear it was moving to the museum here, I donated my 2004 play-off winner's medal to the museum so hopefully that will be on show," said former Albion defender Guy Butters, who made nearly 200 appearances for the club between 2002 and 2008.

"I remember we went on a couple of demonstrations as players, I remember playing at Wycombe away and after the game we got the banners out and stood with the fans.

"We knew what it meant for the local community to get their own stadium and identity back in the city of Brighton."