Brighton and Hove Albion, to give them their full and correct name, have down the years had their club badge dictated mainly by their nickname. In 1950 the nickname was believed to be “The Shrimps”, but oddly no one ever heard “Come on you Shrimps” reverberating around the Goldstone Ground, home to B&HAFC from 1902 to 1997. Nobody knows why they were called the Shrimps for so many years, because supporters would shout for the Albion or the Stripes. So in 1950, The Brighton Evening Standard started a competition for a new nickname, after all, who wants to be known as a shrimp! Southend are “The Shrimper’s”, but that’s the catcher, not the caught.
The ideas came flooding in like the tide and among them were the Dolphins, Holidaymakers, and Seasiders. The eventual winner was the Brovions, derived from Brighton and Hove Albion. The new nickname was announced at the Goldstone on the 9th December 1950 and the crowd were united in forgetting it by the 10th! “The Albion”, and occasionally “The Seasiders” were what the supporters stuck with until the summer of 1972. When on the advice from the Football League the club initiated a competition for a badge and nickname, with the view to increasing commercial revenue. Leaving out all heraldic aspects so as to gain sole copyright. Once again as they did in 1950 they asked supporters to send in ideas, this time through the Evening Argus. The ideas sent in reflected the coastal region and the royal connection of the Prince Regent, from the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. These being some, Coasters, Mariners, Regents, Sovereigns, Royals, and a number of birds, including Swifts, Seagulls, Bluebirds and Marlets.
The Marlet was a heraldic bird used in the crest of Sussex so that was out. By far the most popular choice was the Dolphins. This was made more popular by the recent opening of the Dolphinarium, which had opened at the historic Aquarium in 1969. The board took up the new name which was, ironically, suggested in the 1950 competition. The new badge was not adopted straight away and it was not until the start of 1974/75 season that the badge finally appeared on the front of the matchday programme, but it still did not appear on the shirts at the time. (PIC 1) However things changed big-time in the promotion-chasing season of 1975/76. Challenging them was Crystal Palace, who had themselves just gone through a nickname change. (See Palace page) They had changed their nickname from “The Glaziers” to “The Eagles”, and they had taken to it like a duck to water. Meanwhile the Ducks, sorry Dolphins were being out-chanted at every turn. Let’s face it “Come on you Dolphins” is no answer to “Come on you Eagles”.
As legend has it, on Christmas Eve 1975 a group of Dolphin fans outside the Bosun Pub, now 57 West Street, started to chant “Seagulls”, ironically suggested in the 1972 competition, only this time it caught on. This is also where the Brighton versus Palace rivalry was born. Then later in the season, on a date ever engraved in Brighton history, at 3 pm on 24th of February 1976, with 33,300 Brighton and Palace fans packed tightly into the Goldstone Ground, the promotion clash kicked off with the Palace fans screaming “Eagles” and the return chant “Seagulls” from the Brighton fans. The Palace fans were soon out-sung, out-chanted and out-played with Brighton winning 2-0. Well, the fans had found a new nickname, born not in a competition but on the terrace, and the club had to adopt it too. The badge had to change as well and it did in 1977 to a seagull silhouette. I was unable to find a copy of the silhouette so I mocked one up to give you an idea of how it may have looked. (PIC 2) It was also the first time the badge appeared on Brighton shirts on a regular basis. In fact there was no shirt badge at all from 1901, the year of their formation, until 1948. Various badges included the calligraphic BHAFC during the 1958/59 season. (PIC 3) Initials were used through the 60s including the incorrect B&HFC of the 1968/69 season. But the Seagull has endured, changing only from the roundel in picture 2 to the shield design in 1998. (PIC 4)
In the centenary year of 2001, Brighton celebrated by sporting the heraldic crests of Brighton and Hove. (PIC 5) But the good old Seagull, born from football legend returned in 2002/03, with the badge in picture 4. Then in 2011, the present badge was introduced, and as you can see it is very closely related to the 1998 badge. However, the seagull has changed direction and is now heading east. (PIC 6) Dean Court is long gone but the seagull remains and quite right too. The name Brighton comes from an Anglo-Saxon word for bright settlement, but got there by an evolution of words down the centuries. It stems from Beorhthelm’s farm, and Beorht means radiant or bright. Hove stems from the Anglo-Saxon word Hufe meaning, shelter, and the Middle English word, Hofe meaning, anchorage. Brighton now plays at the Falmer Stadium which was built in 2011. It is also known as the American Express Community Stadium or The Amex for short. The Amex has a capacity of 30,750. Brighton’s local rivals are Portsmouth, but there are and always will be the heated rivalry with Crystal Palace. Thanks go to the anonymous donor who replied to my letter from Brighton. For more on “The Seagulls” fly to www.brightonandhovealbion.com
