Albion's Europa League season to be celebrated in Brighton & Hove Museum

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The exhibition will open on Saturday 19 October.

2024-09-21T08:00+01:00

Albion topped their group in their debut campaign in the Europa League. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

In 2023/24, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club played in their first ever European championship, the UEFA Europa League. A new exhibition at Brighton & Hove Museum, Brighton & Hove Albion: A First Year in Europe opening on Saturday 19 October will commemorate that historic season with a unique exhibition celebrating the rollercoaster drama for the players and fans.

The fascinating display will record the exhilarating highs and the heartbreaking lows of an extraordinary year in the history of the Seagulls.

Photographs, ephemera and kit tell the memorable story of matches against AFC Ajax, Olympique de Marseille, AEK Athens and AS Roma as the club competed in the UEFA Europa League.

Brighton & Hove Albion Chairman, Tony Bloom said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to re-live some of the highlights of one of the best seasons in the club’s history. Our fans who attended any of our Europa League games will have made memories that will last a long time. See our first campaign in Europe come to life again in this great exhibition.”

A successful 2022/2023 season saw Brighton & Hove Albion qualify to compete in the UEFA Europa League. They were drawn into a tough group with competitors Athens AEK, Olympique Marseille and AFC Ajax. In an emotional ride, the Albion came top in their group stage, before being knocked out by AS Roma.

The display highlights the grit and determination of the players and the unswerving support of their loyal fans as the season progressed from hope to disappointment but ultimately finishing with pride at their historic journey. Photos are provided by official BHAFC photographers Paul Hazlewood and Danny Last. Shirts from the three group competitors (not Roma) plus an Albion Europa kit, pennants, tickets, programmes and gift will also be on display.

It was a year ago that the Albion played their first competitive game in Europe at home against Athens AEK. After an exciting game, the final score was 2-3 to the Greek team who landed their third goal in the 84th minute. Fortunately Brighton & Hove Albion went on to win the away game in Athens 1-0 in November 2023, and eventually topped the group.

Deputy chairman and chief executive Paul Barber said: “This exhibition reflects so well the highs and lows of our first campaign in European football, from the moment we found out in Monaco who we’d playing in the group stage all the way through to the two games against AS Roma. I’m sure our fans will love it and I hope it can help inspire us to qualify for Europe again.”

This is a collaboration between Brighton & Hove Museums and Brighton & Hove Albion. The two organisations were linked when Brighton & Hove Albion’s Europa League Away kit was specially designed by Nike for the Albion’s Europa League Away games. It features the Royal Pavilion and celebrates both the club's accomplishments and the city's culture.

Brighton & Hove Museums CEO Hedley Swain said: “Brighton & Hove Museums are all about telling the story of the city and its people. The Albion and their first campaign in Europe are very much part of that story and we are so pleased to be partnering with the Club in putting on this exhibition to capture some of the key moments both on and off the pitch.”