Bibliography - Sport: Football
Bibliography Home

The Rise of Brighton and Hove Albion, by Sidney Thornton Shaw, published 1929 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. III no. 12, article, pp.825-828) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2307] & The Keep [LIB/500140]

Amateur Football in Sussex, by W. H. D. Barnard, published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 11, article, pp.762-764) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]

Association football in Brighton before 1920: a case study in the development of popular recreation, by B. G. Wilkinson, 1971 at Sussex University (M.A. thesis)

Seagulls!: Story of Brighton and Hove Albion F.C., by Timothy Carder and Roger Harris, published 1 August 1993 (328 pp., Goldstone Books, ISBN-10: 0952133709 & ISBN-13: 9780952133704) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Build a bonfire: how football fans united to save Brighton and Hove Albion, by Stephen North and Paul Hodson, published 11 October 1997 (230 pp., Edinburgh: Mainstream, ISBN-10: 1840180250 & ISBN-13: 9781840180251) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

This is an account of what happened to Brighton and Hove Albion FC, a club that nearly died and which was saved by its fans. In July 1995 the club owners, Bill Archer and Greg Stanley, announced that with the support of the chief executive, David Bellotti, they had decided to sell the club's 95-year-old Goldstone Ground to a property developer for £7.5 million. With no new site to go to, the club was to share Portsmouth's stadium for the 1996-97 season, requiring a round trip of anything up to 200 miles for fans wishing to watch "home" games. All this was done without consulting anyone connected with the club. To combat this move supporters mounted a campaign to save their club. Using interviews with people involved in the struggle, this book traces the events leading up to the sale of the ground and charts the progress of the fans in their fight against the board. The battle culminated in Dick Knight's group gaining a controlling interest in the club at the end of the 1996-97 season. The book also explores possible implications for other clubs.

Albion A-Z: Who's Who of Brighton and Hove Albion F.C., by Timothy Carder and Roger Harris, published November 1997 (368 pp., Goldstone Books, ISBN-10: 0952133717 & ISBN-13: 9780952133711) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Brighton and Hove Albion 1998/99: Soccer Yearbook (Superteams), edited by Roger Kean, published 1 September 1998 (95 pp., Bristol: Dempsey Parr, ISBN-10: 1840840714 & ISBN-13: 9781840840711) accessible at: British Library

One Hundred Years at Woodside: a pictorial history of Worthing Football Club, by Ron Kerridge, Paul Damper and Wilf Hugill, published 2001 (Laceys Printers) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15270] & West Sussex Libraries

The Albion: The First 100 Years of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, by Paul Camillin and Stewart Weir, published 10 September 2001 (ix + 243 pp., Sports Pavilion, Brighton, ISBN-10: 0953204502 & ISBN-13: 9780953204502) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Gullhanger: Or How I Learned to Love Brighton and Hove Albion, by Mike Ward, published 12 September 2002 (222 pp., Edinburgh: Mainstream, ISBN-10: 1840186453 & ISBN-13: 9781840186451) accessible at: British Library

"Gullhanger" tells the tale of a man who set out to try and rekindle his passion for the game, shunning the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal - the team he still technically supported - for his local side, Brighton and Hove Albion, the newly promoted champions of Division Three. This title charts the author's developing passion for the "Seagulls", a team that he had never before given a monkey's about, rarely glancing at their match reports and unable to name more than one of their current players. To him, Albion had previously been no more than an anagram of albino. Suddenly, though, after years of struggle, the club looked to be on a roll and he found his long-lost sense of fervour for football returning upon deciding to become a Gullhanger. Hitch a ride on the Albion bandwagon and experience an irreverent account of the author's adventure as he follows Albion and rediscovers the important things in life. It is a personal diary of nine extraordinary months.

A centenary celebration of Ringmer Football Club: 1905-2005, by David Ruffles, published 2005 (175 pp., published by the author) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502390] & East Sussex Libraries

A few good men: the Brighton & Hove Albion dream team, by Spencer Vignes, published 1 September 2007 (192 pp., Derby: Breedon, ISBN-10: 1859835732 & ISBN-13: 9781859835739) accessible at: British Library

Few English football clubs can boast such a varied history as Brighton & Hove Albion. From FA Cup Finalists in 1983 to being within half an hour of crashing out of the Football League altogether in 1997, their story is like a Hollywood screenplay. Including the explosive sale of the Goldstone Ground for retail development before a replacement had been found, it's been a memorable if frequently bumpy ride. The story features a cast of top players including Peter Ward, Steve Foster, Mark Lawrenson, Gary Stevens, Brian Horton, Frank Worthington, Jimmy Case, Bobby Zamora, Danny Wilson, Michael Robinson, Dean Saunders and Joe Corrigan. All are interviewed about their time at the club offering fascinating insights into the goings on at this famous old south coast club

Match of My Life Brighton and Hove Albion: Sixteen Stars Relive Their Greatest Games, by Paul Camillin, published 15 September 2009 (150 pp., Know the Score Books, ISBN-10: 1848180004 & ISBN-13: 9781848180000) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

Written by sixteen of the club's most-famous players, Match of My Life - Brighton & Hove Albion features these stars' greatest matches for the Seagulls. Each chapter features each player's unique story behind their chosen matches and reflects upon their time with the Albion. Peter Ward, Brian Horton and Steve Foster look back to games from the club's golden era of the late 1970s and early 1980s - which culminated in the 1983 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. That match is covered in great depth by defender Gary Stevens, who was voted by BBC viewers as Man of the Match. All of the key moments in the club's history are covered - including every promotion, the club's four championship wins as a Football League club, while Robbie Reinelt recalls the day his goal saved Albion from extinction, and Hove-born Adrian Thorne, relives a final-day five-goal haul helped clinch the Albion's first-ever championship in 1959, lifting the club to then unprecedented heights of Football League Division Two. Norman Gall's chapter features Albion's Division Four title triumph of 1965; while from the current era Danny Cullip and Bobby Zamora focus on the back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002. Each player's personal account includes new revelations and unique insight making Match of My Life - Brighton & Hove Albion the definitive book with which fans can relive the Albion's greatest triumphs.

Farewell to the County 1945-51: The History of Horsham Football Club, by Adam Hammond, published 1 December 2009 (viii + 360 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0956454100 & ISBN-13: 9780956454102) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries

It has taken a long time, but Brighton & Hove Albion is constructing a new stadium that will feature a spectacular arched roof structure, published 2010 in New steel construction (vol. 18, no. 1, article, pp.12-15)

Brighton & Hove Albion: A spectacular steel arch roof will top Brighton and Hove Albion's new football stadium, published 11 February 2010 in New civil engineer (article, pp.18-20)

Brighton & Hove Albion On This Day: History, Facts & Figures from Every Day of the Year, by Dan Tester, published 19 September 2011 (192 pp., Worthing: Pitch Publishing, ISBN-10: 1905411650 & ISBN-13: 9781905411658) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

Brighton & Hove Albion On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's rollercoaster past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable Seagulls diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's formation in Ship Street in 1901 through to the Falmer era, the blue-and-white faithful have witnessed ups and downs, colourful chairmen, triumphant titles and raw relegations, plus the 14-year battle to secure a new home - all are featured here. Timeless greats such as Jimmy Case, Charlie Oatway, Peter Ward, Bobby Zamora and Gordon Smith all loom larger than life. Revisit September 5th 1910, when Albion beat Aston Villa to be crowned 'Champions of All England'. October 31st 1973: when Brian Clough signed a five-year contract! Or May 3rd 1997: Hereford away, and homeless Albion just 29 minutes from non-League oblivion.

Dripping Yarns: A Season with Lewes FC, by Stuart Fuller, published 1 November 2011 (250 pp. + 10 pp. of plates, Ipswich: Blackline Press, ISBN-10: 0956323871 & ISBN-13: 9780956323873) accessible at: British Library

Three years ago I was a happy man, sitting in my plastic seat at Upton Park, being told when I could stand up and cheer, what I could and could not drink, and paying a kings ransom for the pleasure of it. And then I stumbled upon non league football, and more particularly, Lewes FC. A club with a big heart, who were punching above their weight in the highest level of non league football. Two games later I was hooked. Mixing with fans who enjoyed a beer and a view on the game that was as far from the sterile political lines that dominate our media today. Two years later, with the club celebrating its 125th birthday they moved into the heart of the community with the adoption of a supporters-owned model. This is the story of that first season and the struggles that went along with it written as an outsider looking in on a very special football club.

We Want Falmer: How Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, and Its Fans, United to Build a Stadium, by Stephen North and Paul Hodson, published 30 November 2011 (192 pp., Stripe Publishing, ISBN-10: 1907158162 & ISBN-13: 9781907158162)

May 3rd 1997; Brighton & Hove Albion drew 1-1 at Hereford United to stay in the Football League. The nail-biting contest took place at the end of a two year struggle by the club s fans to save their club from extinction after chairman Bill Archer sold the Goldstone Ground, with no new stadium in place, leaving the club homeless. We Want Falmer, by Paul Hodson and Stephen North and published by Brighton-based Stripe Publishing, chronicles, through the words of the main protagonists, the next 14 years and the extraordinary, ingenious, humorous, emotional and unique campaign that included marches, petitions, a referendum, soaking Des Lynam, forming a political party, bombarding John Prescott with flowers, a top 20 hit … that, ultimately, ended in a beautiful new home for the football club they all love.

Stadium Yes!: Building the Dream, by Paul Hazlewood, published 1 December 2011 (235 pp., Hove: Step Beach Press, ISBN-10: 1908779004 & ISBN-13: 9781908779007) accessible at: British Library

Mad Man: From the Gutter to the Stars, the Ad Man who saved Brighton, by Dick Knight, published 11 November 2013 (372 pp., Vision Sports Publishing, ISBN-10: 1907637583 & ISBN-13: 9781907637582) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

When Dick Knight took over in 1997, Brighton & Hove Albion were on the brink of extinction. The Goldstone Ground had been sold without any proper plans for a replacement, a groundshare agreement had been signed for the team to play 75 miles away in Kent, fans were furious … oh, and the club was two games away from relegation out of the Football League!
When Knight stood down 12 years later in 2009, construction had begun on a stunning 23,000 capacity community stadium and the club had won three promotions in four seasons. Mad Man is the story of how the maverick advertising guru behind Wonderbra's famous 'Hello Boys' poster campaign led Brighton & Hove Albion back from the brink, then home to Brighton and eventually into the new Amex stadium.
The inside track on two decades at the club - from the struggles to take over the failing club to the seemingly endless battle for Falmer, not to mention 10 managers and numerous rollercoaster seasons - Mad Man is a fascinating, inspiring and often hilarious insight into this critical period in the history of the club, and also into what it's really like to be chairman of a modern football club.

Pulborough Football Club: A History of 'the Robins' 1898-2010, by Mick Hatchard, published 18 April 2015 (210 pp., Woodfield Publishing, ISBN-10: 1846831636 & ISBN-13: 9781846831638) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries