AFTER seven seasons as a family supporting the Seagulls, it is with regret that I'll be cancelling our season ticket for 2021/22.
It has nothing to do with the quality of the football, which under Graham Potter has been the best to watch in all the time we have been visiting the Amex.
Instead, the reason my children and I will not be attending is that I feel we have been driven away by a club that claims to welcome families, but instead is alienating them.
First was the ban on any bottles with a lid, including kids' water bottles.
That was closely followed by being told I could no longer take a flask of tea into the ground.
Apparently, it's a safety issue, although obviously you are welcome to buy a Fanta, Coke or over-priced
cup of tea within the ground.
Then the club decided to convert the Family Stand, where we and many other families who we know all
sat near each other, to more expensive seats. We were shifted into a tiny corner, with a significantly worse
view, with none of my children's friends sitting near us any more.
With all the will in the world, no family can make every match, and we used to give our tickets to other families
to enjoy while we were away. The latest plans mean that this would still theoretically be possible, if we pay an
upgrade fee AND they are club members (at a cost).
You'll have trouble convincing me that Albion is a "family club". I realise they have struggled with the stadium being
closed, but all the club seems interested in is maximising the revenue they can extract from their fans.
I wish Potter and the players all the best, but the "club" has lost any goodwill in this household. We'll take our
custom to Lewes, Whitehawk and Eastbourne instead, where the true spirit of football still lives on.
Iain Martin
Dyke Road
Brighton
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