Supporters club funds disability football team

North West Sussex Seagulls (NWSS) launched in the run-up to the Albion’s first-ever season at the American Express Community Stadium and saw fans based in the Horsham area group together to organise coach travel to and from home games.

In the seasons since, the number of coaches ferrying fans to the stadium from the Horsham area each game has leaped from one to five and sees almost 300 fans travel down to each home match.

NWSS, which has approaching 500 members, also holds regular meetings where fans hear from Albion-themed guest speakers and in recent years the club has welcomed Paul Barber, Tony Bloom and a number of past and present Seagulls stars.

And the group has become a regular supporter of Albion in the Community’s (AITC) work, donating more than £5,000 to the charity during the Albion’s Amex era.

Representatives of NWSS committee recently visited the American Express Community Stadium to hand over a cheque for £2,000, which will support Brighton & Hove Albion Cerebral Palsy FC (BHACPFC) – one of AITC’s disability-specific teams that compete in a national competition.

Dave Owen, NWSS committee member, explained: “As Brighton & Hove Albion fans we are always keen to do whatever we can to help AITC. The work the charity does across Sussex is something Albion fans should be incredibly proud of.

“One of our members, Callum Budd, plays for BHACPFC and we have seen the hugely-positive impact being involved with AITC has had on him.

“Callum is a popular member of NWSS and as a group we were keen to provide support for BHACPFC; Callum also helped raise part of our donation by helping with our golden goal competition on his coach throughout the season.

“AITC is a fantastic charity and we are delighted to be able to continue to support its work.”

Louis Potter Jones, who plays for BHACPFC with Callum, was on hand to collect the cheque alongside AITC coaches Hayley Templeman and Stewart Teeder and the charity’s chief executive Matt Dorn.

Thanking NWSS for the donation, Matt Dorn said: “The support we receive from Albion fans is amazing and we are always grateful to groups like NWSS for their help.

“Donations like this help us continue to run our football sessions for people with a disability and I would like to thank NWSS and all its members for their continued generosity.”