September 11, 2001, joins the list of apocalyptic days that have changed the world.

As the first anniversary approaches it, like the Kennedy assassinations and similar events, evokes "Where were you when...?" sort of thoughts around the world.

But among Albion supporters, their personal memories of September 11 include the knowledge that one of their number is missing, never to see the Brighton Aces again.

Rob Eaton loved the Albion and, despite living and working in New York, remained devoted to the team. He was well known to many in the chat rooms and message boards and, although few people actually knew him in person, he was a friend to many.

In the hours after the devastating attack on the World Trade Center, when the scale of the disaster began to emerge, so did the news that Rob was one of the casualties.

It was Bill Shankly, that veritable pitchside philosopher, who said: "Some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I can assure them that it is much more serious than that."

Shankly's quote sums up the spirit of those fans who were determined that something positive had to be done in Rob's name which would demonstrate how football is much more than the sum of its individual teams and parts.

So, in the same way that Rob became a friend to many, the internet was the mechanism that provided the means to get some positive demonstration of this off the ground.

Initially, by a suggestion that supporters held a charity match with the proceeds going to support youth football in one of New York's more disadvantaged neighbourhoods. As soon as the match proposals appeared on the internet, Crystal Palace fans got in touch to offer themselves as opponents because they wanted to show that, in the worst of times, rivalry would not get in the way of a good cause.

From this commitment to do something in Rob's name, the Robert Eaton Fund (REMF) was created and has been incredibly successful, raising enough money to provide a two-year funding package to a youth soccer team in Queens, New York. The American college system provides football scholarships to talented young people and, for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, this can change their future lives and prospects.

For the REMF, this was a cause that perfectly matched their desire to provide a living memorial to Rob and the game he loved so much. The Eaton family have been incredibly supportive and, while remembering Rob on this September 11, there will be many others whose thoughts are with this courageous family.

Families and football go together like bad pies and half time and most early Albion memories involve trips with dads to stand on windy, wet terraces watching forgettable games. Those early football outings laid the foundation for each new generation of Albion support. From matches with dads, early tentative steps into the old North Stand helped the addictive process, until finally a fully fledged Seagull supporting adult emerged.

What chance of this today, though? How many dads can afford to buy season tickets to introduce their own children to the game? Those 2,000 extra seats at Withdean are not an instant solution but will make a difference and while opponents of this might not care for football themselves there are things they might care to think about.

Like what those life-long supporters would have done in memory of Rob Eaton if they had been denied their chance of joining their generation of the Albion family in the first place.

Roz South edits Brighton Rockz fanzine. Email roz@southspark.co.uk