Brighton's streets were alive with the sights and sounds of Gay Pride on Saturday.

Shops, bars, restaurants and hotels benefited financially as thousands of people flocked to the city.

The continued success of Pride must in some way be due to the superb support it receives from the local authority.

Albion's cause might be improved if they received the same level of help from Brighton and Hove City Council.

Some might say it is envy and I know the council are behind the Falmer project. A new stadium will boost the local economy, bring nationwide prestige and advertising. On that basis, the council could and should do more to help Albion realise their dream of moving into a new home.

When questioned about Falmer at a supporters' meeting last week, chairman Dick Knight and chief executive Martin Perry said the new stadium will cost £48 million. When the plan was first floated the price was £30m and subsequently went up to £40m. How much will it be when the stadium is finally built, hopefully according to Perry, in time for the 2005-06 season?

Knight and Perry are under tremendous pressure to deliver funding. Bearing in mind the benefits for the city and surrounding areas, is it too much to ask for the council to contribute £20m towards the cost of construction?

The Albion left The Goldstone in 1997. Were we a northern county with a predominantly working class, football-following electorate, a stadium would have been built long before now. But the thinking seems to be that because Sussex has a cosmopolitan population, sport isn't high priority.

A vibrant Brighton and Hove Albion doing well and playing in front of 20,000 fans every week can only be good. It is not on the same scale as Pride but, given that the season lasts nine months rather than one weekend, is every bit as important.

The Sussex non-League programme kicks off this weekend and exciting times are ahead for some of our local teams.

Burgess Hill Town embark on a new chapter in their history when they play in the Dr Martens League for the first time and, as their Sussex Charity Shield victory against Crawley testifies, Gary Croydon's men are ready for the job. I wish them well in their first season outside the Sussex County League.

The re-organisation of the non-League pyramid next year and formation of Conference Division Two means Sussex, after years of under-achieving, could have three or four teams playing at this level.

Crawley have Conference ambitions and Eastbourne Borough are not that far behind. In the Ryman league, those great West Sussex rivals Bognor and Worthing, given the right development off the field, could also play at the highest non-League level.

Could season 2003-04 be the start of a new era that long-suffering -fans deserve?