Seagulls over London with Tony Bloom

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Around 80 members heard the chairman discuss a range of topics at their recent meeting.

2026-04-24T14:25+01:00

Tony Bloom met Seagulls over London members earlier this week for a two-hour q&a.

Around 80 members of Seagulls Over London (SOL) gathered at the Horniman pub near London Bridge for an informal evening of discussion with Albion chairman Tony Bloom, who spent close to two hours talking openly and candidly across a wide range of topics.

Leadership and the board: Asked about recent board changes, Tony paid a warm tribute to both Ray Bloom and Peter Godfrey, acknowledging the significant roles they have played in the club’s journey. Ray was described as ‘a huge inspiration’, not only to Tony personally but to many members of the board.

Peter Godfrey’s commercial acumen was also highlighted as having brought substantial benefit to the club over many years, helping to drive sustainable growth and stability.

Tony confirmed that Carina Bauer has joined the board, strengthening leadership at board level, while our new CMO Jerry Newman has joined the club’s senior leadership group (SLG).

Jerry brings extensive experience from Paris Saint‑Germain and will play a key role in developing and marketing the Brighton & Hove Albion brand on a global stage.

Reflecting on the season: Tony pointed to the home win against Liverpool as his personal highlight, citing both the quality of the opposition and the atmosphere that afternoon (although this was before Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Chelsea!) Across the campaign as a whole, he also referenced the character shown by Fabian and the players.

Tony also addressed the emotional nature of football support, acknowledging that reactions can fluctuate match to match. Referencing the Crystal Palace game, he noted that some of the negativity during the 90 minutes can be detrimental to the team’s performance, but accepted fans are entitled to their opinions.

He explained the club’s decisions are made over time, based on performances, and a broad set of metrics rather than emotion or short‑term pressure. That consistency of approach, Tony reiterated, has remained central to Brighton’s progress.

Investment and recruitment: Questions around spending were met with context around net investment and sustainability. Tony confirmed the club will continue to invest in players within its means, using global scouting.

He cited the number of former Albion players now performing well across the EFL, seeing that as a reflection of the environment and culture they experienced at the club.

Questioned on why we don’t do much in the January transfer window, with the context that our January signings in the past have been very successful, Tony explained that mid‑season recruitment is often difficult to get right. While acknowledging the point that Brighton have had success in that window in the past, he made the point that many of those transfers were strategic rather than players being brought in immediately for the first team.

He referenced Moises Caicedo, whose loan spell at Beerschot formed part of a longer‑term development plan, underscoring the club’s patient approach to squad building.

On more recent recruitment, Tony discussed Babis Kostoulas, stressing both his potential and the need for patience. At 18, Babis is still developing, and the club remains confident he and Stefanos Tzimas will both make significant contributions in time.

In this special episode (recorded before Spurs away), Glenn Murray and Adam Webster meet up in Florida for Premier League Mornings Live, a huge fan festival bringing the matchday experience to the US. With thousands of supporters turning up from across the country, they take in the incredible mix of shirts and stories on show. From the atmosphere, to the scale of the event, it’s a real eye-opener into just how global the Premier League has become. Across the episode, they discuss everything from the growth of football in the US, to the excitement building ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Webster also gives an honest update on his injury recovery, talks about staying connected with the squad and looks ahead to a huge run in for Albion, with European hopes, key players hitting form and big games still to come.

Facilities and the women’s team: Tony acknowledged the challenges facing the women’s team regarding stadium and coming back to Brighton. Playing at Crawley is not ideal, while using the Amex for smaller crowds presents difficulties both financially and in terms of atmosphere, something the players don’t like (playing in a part-empty stadium).

The club has been exploring options for a dedicated stadium for some time, although progress has been challenging.

Tony confirmed the club remains hopeful and committed to finding a solution and will share updates when possible.

Regarding the Amex more broadly, when asked, he reconfirmed minor capacity increases are currently in progress, but large‑scale expansion is not feasible. At around 33,000 (which is where we’d be following latest works), the stadium is considered appropriate given the local population and demand.

Ambition and outlook: Tony spoke about the competitiveness of the Premier League, noting the overall strength of all 20 clubs and the challenge of sustaining success. Brighton’s aim remains to consistently compete in the top half and challenge for European football every season.

When questioned if the Conference League was desirable, Tony said the club would be delighted to compete in any European competition.

A range of other topics were also covered, including away ends at Newcastle and Sunderland; VAR (which Tony said it’s here to stay, and it will continue to get better with time and therefore much of the noise around it will die down); proud moments such as Jason Steele’s England call‑up; and near‑miss signings, Tony told fans it was too painful to be specific about a number of top players we’ve targeted and not succeeded with, but did reference Virgil van Dijk as an already well‑known example.

Tony concluded by speaking about the club’s upcoming 125‑year celebrations, with a variety of events planned to mark the milestone.