Hundreds of people have signed a Brighton photographer’s petition calling on Brighton and Hove Albion to stop lighting up the night skies around the Amex.
The club has been using lights and heaters to promote grass growth in the winter months so it can meet Premiership pitch standards for the last three years. But the light spills into the night sky, and the orange glow can be seen as far away as the Long Man of Wilmington – a distance of more than eleven miles. Scientists have now made a link between lights such as these and the deaths of insects which are vital to our eco-system.
Brighton and Hove Albion said “Like most businesses, the football club must balance its concern for, and responsibility to help protect, the environment with our need to practically run our business as a Premier League football club watched by tens of millions of people across the world. You will appreciate that, with millions of pounds worth of athletic and footballing talent on display each home match day, we must not only meet and maintain league regulations for the quality of our playing surface, but we also have a duty of care to our players and those of visiting teams. Beyond our responsibilities to the athletes, and to the fans who pay to expect to watch a high quality football match, the quality of our pitch can significantly influence our performance and therefore our results. Indeed, its quality can create a (legally) competitive advantage – or a disadvantage. Our results on the pitch govern the overall health of our business, and with it the thousands of directly and indirectly created jobs (90% of which are local), not to mention the overall local economic impact, independently measured as being worth £212 million in the 2017/18 season alone.”
Brighton and Hove Albion said “In the winter months, whilst we may at times experience high rainfall and high winds, with little or no natural sunlight, a grass pitch misses a key element of its natural ability to re-generate and grow after use. We must therefore replicate that loss of light artificially. Clearly, we will always limit the use of artificial light – for all the reasons highlighted – but I’m afraid we are unable to further limit or eliminate its use completely. To do so, would be to significantly neglect the other responsibilities. Please be assured that we take our responsibilities for the environment very seriously indeed, but like airlines, car manufacturers, supermarkets, consumer goods factories, and other businesses we all use every day, it is impossible for us to eliminate our environmental footprint altogether.”
Dutch company Stadium Grow Lighting is using glasshouse technology to provide the ideal spectrum of light needed to grow good grass, when natural day light is limited. The result is a better and more reliable surface to play and train on during winter. Reseeding bare patches is also made possible, as the system provides conditions in which seed can germinate even in cold months. In the UK light has always been the limiting factor in winter – but now it doesn’t have to be.
Brighton and Hove have permanently signed loan signing Aaron Mooy on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
Brighton and Hove Albion said: “Brighton and Hove Albion have secured the permanent signing of midfielder Aaron Mooy from Huddersfield Town on undisclosed terms. The Australian international has signed a three-and-a-half year contract after impressing during an initial loan spell during the first half of the season.”
Graham Potter said “We are delighted to have agreed a permanent deal with Aaron Mooy and Huddersfield. He’s been an important player for us and will have a key part to play going forward. We knew what Aaron Mooy would bring and he’s proved to be an excellent addition to our squad and a great professional both on and off the pitch.”
Aaron Mooy had previously joined Huddersfield Town on loan and in his first season helped the terriers win promotion to the Premier League – alongside Brighton And Hove Albion – and was named in the PFA and EFL Championship teams of the season. That prompted Huddersfield to make the move permanent and Mooy was Huddersfield Town’s standout performer during their two-year stay in the top flight.
Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter has called on his squad to stick together following their painful 3-1 loss at Bournemouth last Tuesday.Defeat against their relegation rivals increases pressure on Graham Potter’s team who are now just two points above the Premier League drop zone.
Graham Potter said “That’s the challenge. My responsibility is to help us do that. There is no shortage of effort. We have to stick together, we have to find solutions. Nobody said it would be easy in this league but we’re disappointed because for the first 30 minutes tonight (Bournemouth) I felt we were in control. We have to learn and be better than that.”
One piece of good news this week was Dan Burn’s contract extension. The 6ft 7in defender, who is currently recovering from a fractured collar bone, agreed new terms that will see him through to 2023.
