Brighton news: Opinion - Fan writer on transport problems at Amex Stadium
Those who do show up are leaving early in increasing numbers. The ground is now often half empty by the time the final whistle blows. Even Fabian Hurzeler spoke about it following the 3-2 win over West Ham. On that occasion, those who left early missed Albion goals in the 89th and 93rd minutes.
Brighton are still in the race for European football next season - so why are so many season ticket-holders staying away or leaving early?
The answer lies in transport. The Amex relies on public transport. For Saturday games, the train service tends to be good. But on a Sunday or midweek, it turns into carnage.
This is obviously an issue when TV demands butcher the fixture list. Many people are evidently deciding the chaos is not worth the bother.
I live 12 miles from Amex Stadium. I have made it home from watching England at Wembley this season - 88 miles away - faster than getting back from some Albion games.
Roadworks currently taking place on the A27 just before Falmer are admittedly not helping. Some fans reported getting on a Park & Ride bus in Portslade at 1pm and only making it into their seat at 2.37pm on Sunday. A 7.7 mile journey taking 97 minutes and meaning they missed the opening half hour of the game.
Yet even when the A27 is fully open again, the problems with public transport will remain. It feels at times like the club are unaware of quite how bad it can be.
Maybe if Hurzeler and the Albion decision-makers who seem perplexed by the early leavers and no-shows tried the time-consuming and arduous journey themselves after a home game, they would better understand why people find it off-putting enough to dictate whether they attend games or not.
Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
No EMR Trains from Sheffield to northwest due to bridge works
East Midlands Railway trains will not stop at any stations northwest of Sheffield for 21 days due to a major project to replace a bridge, the service operator will be suspended from Saturday until 22 August due to the demolition of the bridge at Greek Street in which usually run between Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street will terminate in Sheffield, and customers who have tickets to Stockport, Manchester, or Liverpool will be able to use them on other operators at no extra replacement bus services will also run between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly. No trains will stop at Stockport during the works and services that would normally pass through the station will follow a diverted Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: "We'd like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding while this important work takes also said the replacement of the bridge was "essential to securing the long-term safety and reliability of services on the West Coast Main Line"."We're working closely with our industry partners to keep disruption to a minimum and ensure customers can continue their journeys with as little inconvenience as possible," she added. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Staffordshire Armed Forces Memorial being prepared for VJ Day anniversary
Part of the National Memorial Arboretum will temporarily close to the public from next Friday, to allow preparations for the 80th anniversary of VJ Armed Forces Memorial will be a centrepiece for the commemorations on 15 August and it will remain closed to the public until 17 rest of the arboretum, near Alrewas in Staffordshire, will stay the closure, visitors will be able to lay wreaths and tributes in a temporary location near the Armed Forces Memorial and they will be placed on the memorial by arboretum staff at the end of each day. The arboretum said it expected thousands of visitors at the commemoration event and the temporary closure was to allow the safe erection and dismantling of infrastructure for the closure is due to begin at 09:00 on 8 Ellis, National Memorial Arboretum lead, said "Visitors can continue to explore the rest of our 150-acre estate, learn about the inspirational stories behind many of our other more than 420 memorials, participate in our fantastic Wondrous Trees summer activity programme, and our daily activities including land train, buggy tours, and our VJ Day guided walks will all be available."The service on 15 August will be attended by Second World War veterans, VJ association members, senior politicians and military personnelThey will pay tribute to the British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war and the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories. The service will feature 400 members of the Armed Forces and include music from military bands, plus flypasts from the Red Arrows and The Battle of Britain Memorial service will be open only to those with invitations, but there will be a live screening at the nearby Naval Review. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wiltshire man who lost dad at 10 raising thousands for charity
A man who lost his father aged 10 is aiming to raise thousands of the charity that supported him through his loss. Josh Preece, 31, from Bradford-on-Avon, is set to run a 25km course along the Somerset coast on Saturday as part of the SW Coast 50 Ultra Challenge. He has already raised more than £1,000 for Winston's Wish, the UK's first dedicated bereavement charity for children and young people. In January Mr Preece marked the 20th anniversary of the loss of his father Andrew in a road traffic incident, and said he wants to give back to the charity for the "massive difference" it made to his life. "It was a big shock," said Mr Preece, describing how his family only found out about his father's death when police knocked on the door. "I'll never forget that night," he added. But while he and his family struggled to come to terms with their sudden loss, by a "complete, weird coincidence" one of Mr Preece's best friends at primary school was the son of the founder of Winston's Wish. This meant he and his sister were able to access the help they needed quickly, and were supported throughout the rest of their adolescence by the Gloucester-based charity. As well as support in school and at home, Mr Preece said was able to make use of the charity's trips to camp or weekends away to meet other young people who had experienced bereavement. The sessions, he said, helped him to make sense of his emotions. "They make you realize that you're not the only one going through it," he said. "As a 10-year-old, you start to realise there's quite a big world out there, and there's lots of people going through things."Dealing with grief at a young age does teach you a lot," he continued. "It teaches you a lot of lessons in its own way, and as an adult in its own way too." Describing his father as a "big Bruce Springsteen fan", Mr Preece said: " I always think it's quite funny because on his gravestone it says "born to run"."It was obviously one of his favourite songs, but he definitely wasn't born to run - he was of a similar height to me [...] but carried a bit more weight."Now, in light of his fundraising challenge, that famous lyric has taken on a new poignancy. "That's quite nice, running now, and thinking about that," he joked.
