Board Statement re Brighton v FC United

FC United can confirm that despite the best efforts of the club, Saturday’s ticket allocation at Brighton remains 845 and the game will be closely policed. Brighton have asked us to inform supporters that the match is all-ticket and that no tickets will be available on the day.

The board takes this situation very seriously and shares supporters’ frustration and concern about these decisions. We are continuing to make representations to the various authorities about the reasons for these decisions as we believe they are unfair and unrepresentative of our club.

A fuller statement will be made by the board at the appropriate time, once we have taken these representations as far as we can, and responses from the different authorities have been considered. We will not shy from defending the reputation of our supporters where necessary but nor will we neglect our responsibilities as a football club.

It also needs noting that our club will be under the microscope more so than ever this weekend. Our undoubted strength is that we are a ‘club’ in the truest sense. There is no separation between ‘club’ and ‘supporters’, we are all FC United. As such we all hold collective responsibility for the actions of those who attend our games. We all know what is acceptable and we know what is not, what is permitted and what is prohibited. Let our actions before, during and after the match on Saturday reflect our good name.

We hope all supporters who are travelling to Brighton enjoy the trip and get behind the team in what remains the biggest match in our short history. Brighton fans have campaigned hard over a number of years to ensure the survival of their club and there is a strong tradition of supporting fans at other clubs doing likewise. Everyone at FC United is looking forward to meeting old friends, renewing acquaintances and highlighting common fans’ causes with Brighton supporters.