'I'll be thinking of dad at Albion play premiere'

The director of a new play charting Brighton & Hove Albion's journey from losing their home to European nights says he will be thinking of his father when he performs it after sharing many of his footballing memories with him.

Stand Or Fall - The Play, which will premiere in September, follows a family of Albion supporters through their experience of the club's near extinction to fighting in Europe.

Mark Brailsford, said he wished his father, Fred, could have seen the show before his death earlier this year, but that it will now be "a tribute to him as well".

He said: "A lot of what we went through watching the Albion is in this play."

Brailsford, who also wrote the play and plays eight roles in it, added: "It's driven by my memories of my father. He took me to the football, and his father took him, so there are three generations in it.

"He would have loved it. I wish he would have seen it, but he knew I was doing it. I will be thinking of him when I do the show."

Stand or Fall, which is due to play at the Theatre Royal in Brighton for the club's 125th anniversary, follows on from the success of plays such as Dear England, about Gareth Southgate and the England men's football team.

The show follows the lows, which include the loss of Brighton's Goldstone Ground in 1997 and the move to ground-sharing with Gillingham at Priestfield in Kent, and then playing for more than a decade at the 7,000-capacity Withdean Stadium.

It also explores the highs, including reaching Wembley, the construction of the Seagull's new home, the Amex Stadium, and playing in the Europa League in 2023/24.

Sarah Mann, who plays mother Sally in the play, said: "It's not just a play about football. It's about a family and their journey.

"The Albion story is such a heartwarmer for anyone. They come from nowhere and they have suddenly become a massive team."

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