Whitehawk are determined to press ahead with attempts to change the club’s name to Brighton City.

And chairman John Summers hopes the exposure from their excellent FA Cup run will help gain support for their plans.

Club officials believe the name Whitehawk is holding them back, partly due to a common albeit maybe unfair conception about the east Brighton estate which they represent and more significantly because few people outside the area know where the place is.

The originally wanted to be called Brighton and Hove City but amended that to Brighton City to represent the fact that they have always been based in Brighton since the club’s formation in 1945.

One application to the Football Association to change the name failed amid objections from Brighton and Hove Albion, who are adamant they do not want another team using the name Brighton.

Summers knows he has hurdles to clear, most notably with Albion’s opposition but also in persuading some of their own supporters that it is the right move for the club.

Summers, though, will not be deterred in a move he feels is necessary to help the long-term sustainability of a club that have come a long way in a short space of time.

Whitehawk have been on an upward curve since Summers and Peter McDonnell began investing in the club in 2007. From being County League champions in 2010, they are now playing in Conference south, the sixth tier of English football.

They have a goal to play in the Football League in the future, in a new stadium, and a name change is fundamental to their ambitions, insists the chairman.

Summers, pictured, told The Argus: “We have assessed that we are held back by the name. We are in this position now simply because we have financed the growth since 2007.

“If Ned (McDonnell) or I decided we wanted to retire tomorrow – I’m not saying we are – we have got to be thinking where are we leaving the club from where we got it.

“We want to be able to say we have done everything we can to make the club sustainable and if we do retire we can say that we have more people coming through the gate, the club has growth potential, it can grow organically, the fans are enjoying themselves and can feel happy about the way the club is growing.

“At the moment, we have heard a few fans say ‘Let’s see where Whitehawk takes us’ but what has taken the club from the County League to here is a lot of investment, a lot of time and effort, a lot of volunteers doing a lot of work. That is really not sustainable. It is sustainable all the time we are here. We want to make it sustainable when we are not here. The name change is fundamental to that.”

Summers pointed to the examples of Manchester City and United plus Atletico Madrid and Real sharing names.

He also highlighted the case of Langney Sports who were allowed to become Eastbourne Borough despite the presence locally of more established clubs Eastbourne Town and Eastbourne United.

Since their previous application was rejected, the FA have changed the rules so that no two club names can sound similar.

Summers added: “We have no interest in treading on Brighton and Hove Albion’s toes. They are a different kind of club, they are much more corporate.”