Message from Tony Bloom ahead of our 125 anniversary game

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

The chairman remembers the past and looks ahead to the future.

2026-09-19T09:00+01:00

Brighton & Hove Albion v Tottenham Hotspur 20SEP25 054

Good afternoon, and a very warm welcome to the Amex Stadium.

I would like to also extend that welcome to the supporters, players, directors and staff of Arsenal Football Club, who join us today for what is a very special occasion in our history.

Today is a day when we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Brighton & Hove Albion. A day when we can reflect on just how remarkable this football club is. A day when we have good reason not only to look back proudly on our history, but also to appreciate where we stand today, the achievements made, and to look ahead to what comes next.

When you pause to truly consider that number – 125 years – it is extraordinary. A century and a quarter of highs and lows, moments of sheer joy and unbridled ecstasy, but also at times, heartbreak, hardship and despair. And we’ve come through it all to where we are today. Above all else, though, that number and our history represents community.

Since 1901, this football club has been part of the fabric of our city and the broader county of Sussex. It has connected generations of families and communities. For 125 years, people have fallen in love with the Albion.

Grandparents have brought their children and grandchildren to matches. Lifelong friendships have been forged on terraces, in stands and on away trips. Through good times and bad, Brighton & Hove Albion has provided so many of us with some of the most memorable moments of our lives.

For me, the Albion is inextricably linked to my family. This club is in my blood. Some of my earliest and most cherished memories are wrapped up in the sights and sounds of the Goldstone. I can still remember sitting in the West Stand, completely captivated by the players on the pitch and the noise of the crowd around me.

My grandfather, Harry Bloom, served as vice-chairman during the 1970s, an unforgettable era when the club reached the old First Division for the first time. He passed on to me not only a love of the Albion, but also an understanding of how much this football club means to the people who support it. My Uncle Ray continued that close family connection for many years and, when I had the privilege of becoming owner and chairman, it felt less like taking on a role and more like being entrusted with something precious to safeguard and help develop for the future.

Indeed, to this day, more than just being an owner in the financial sense, I see myself as a proud custodian of this amazing football club. Brighton & Hove Albion existed long before any of us and will be here for generations to come. My responsibility is to continue to enhance the strong foundations of the club, continue to connect with our community and to make our fans proud of who we are and what we stand for.

To fully appreciate where we stand today, hosting a Premier League fixture against the current champions, we must never forget the journey that brought us here. We cannot celebrate 125 years of history without recognising the periods when simply surviving felt like the greatest challenge of all.

Many of you reading these words will remember those difficult years. The loss of the Goldstone. The long journeys to Gillingham. The challenges of the Withdean era. At times it felt as though the odds were stacked against us.

What got this football club through was the determination of its fans. The bucket collections. The protests. The refusal to accept that the Albion should disappear. This anniversary belongs as much to those supporters as anyone. Quite simply, without them, we would not be here today.

When we finally opened the doors to the Amex in 2011, it represented the culmination of years of hard work, persistence and belief. I will never forget that opening day. Looking around and seeing a permanent home filled with Albion supporters was an emotional moment for so many of us. It was a statement that we had not only survived but that we were ready to dream again.

What has followed since has exceeded what many outside of the club may have thought possible, but together we believed. Promotion from the Championship. The unforgettable victory over Wigan that secured our place in the Premier League. Ten consecutive seasons in the world's most competitive league. European football. Historic victories against some of the biggest clubs in England and Europe.

As fans stood on the terraces at the Goldstone, travelled to Gillingham and endured those difficult years at Withdean, who really imagined then that we would one day experience nights hosting European games under the lights at a packed Amex?

📷Paul Hazelwood

Those nights and those memories are now part of our history — and there will be many others to come. But we should never accept them as our final destination, the ceiling on what we can achieve. They should simply inspire us to keep striving for more, and towards our ultimate ambition to win silverware.

One thing I have learned throughout my time at the club is that ambition never stands still. Every target we achieve creates a new challenge. Every milestone becomes the starting point for the next journey. That is exactly how it should be.

Through outstanding work on and off the pitch, top quality players, first-class coaching and an unwavering commitment to doing things our own way, we have earned our place in the Premier League. Brighton & Hove Albion is now recognised and respected throughout world football and maintaining that position remains a central part of our ambition.

While today is a day to celebrate our history, my focus remains firmly on the future. The next chapter of Brighton & Hove Albion is arguably the most exciting yet and it is a chapter that embraces every part of our football club.

The growth of the women's game has been phenomenal and we are determined that Brighton & Hove Albion will remain at the forefront of that progress. Our women's team continues to develop and our plans for a purpose-built women's stadium at the Amex site represent another hugely important step in our journey.

This will be a landmark development, not only for our club but for women's football more broadly, creating a dedicated home for our women's team and inspiring future generations of players and supporters across Sussex.

The next chapter is full of opportunity. We have a young and exciting men's squad, a women's programme with enormous potential, world-class facilities, a growing fanbase and some of the most talented people in football working throughout the club.

I know our fans feel a sense of pride. Pride in the people who saved this football club when it needed saving. Pride in the generations who carried it forward. Pride in what Brighton & Hove Albion has become. While our 125th anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect, it should also remind us how much there is still to enjoy.

To our supporters, players, staff, partners and everyone who has played a part in this journey, thank you. Thank you for making the past 125 years possible. It is a huge honour and a privilege to be chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Enjoy the occasion today, let’s celebrate our history and let's continue to create special memories together.

Here's to the next 125 years!