absolute brighton

“We want all the fans
to feel a part of each
match here”
Derek Chapman who runs a local contractor and development company,
Adenstar Developments based in Portslade, joined the Board of the club not
long after Dick took over. Still a director of the club, he acts as Construction
Director. Martin explains: “It is his job to make sure that Buckingham, our
main contractor, deliver the project on time and within budget. Eighteen
months in and we are on target to do just that.
“When we came back to Withdean, I appointed Richard Hebberd as our
Operations Manager. He had just retired as the Ground Commander
at Wembley for the Metropolitan Police and before that he was the
Match Commander at Highbury. What he doesn’t know about the safe
management of events in large venues like this isn’t worth knowing. He is
making sure that the stadium is effi cient, safe, attractive and exciting, for our
supporters; particularly bearing in mind the growing numbers of women and
young families that want to attend our matches.”
It is this core team, which now including sales people, is over 12 people
strong and growing every day, that has helped Martin get the project to
where it is today. “We have talked to other clubs who are thinking of building
a new stadium and they look enviously at the people we have got in our
team.”
It was in 1997 that the Seagulls (as the Albion is affectionately known) had
to vacate the ground where they were based at the Goldstone site in Hove,
where Toys R Us and such are now based; following two years ground
sharing at Gillingham, they moved back to Brighton and have spent the
Chief executive of The Albion Martin Perry
ABSOLUTE FOOTBALL
ABSOLUTE 55