The Club is a not-for-profit association of members run by elected volunteers, and may act only in pursuit of the following Objectives:

i) to promote the cause of full-time professional football played within or adjacent to the City of Brighton and Hove at the highest possible level;

ii) to encourage and foster interest in Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club (hereinafter referred to as “the Football Club”);

iii) to support the Football Club’s teams in matches and to work to their greater success;

iv) to ensure the health and safety of members and other supporters when attending matches;

v) to promote equality and diversity among members and supporters in general regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation;

vi) to liaise on behalf of its members with the Football Club, and to work for the greater representation of its members and supporters in general in the decision-making of the Football Club;

vii) to liaise and co-operate with other supporters’ organisations on issues of mutual interest;

viii) to promote good behaviour at matches and while travelling to matches;

ix) to organise transport to matches and other events;

x) to organise social events for its members;

xi) to secure benefits for its members;

xii) to organise meetings for its members;

xiii) to work for the establishment of permanent premises for the Club;

xiv) to develop the Club and to work actively towards increasing its membership;

xv) to make representations on behalf of any of its members considered to be treated unjustly by any person or organisation or having any other problem arising while acting for the Club or supporting the Football Club;

xvi) to issue newsletters and other publications concerning the Club or the Football Club;

xvii) to encourage friendship with and respect towards supporters of other clubs, and to oppose intimidation;

xviii) to campaign against and take lawful action against any person or organisation considered to be acting detrimentally to the Club’s Objectives;

xix) to raise funds to carry out the Club’s Objectives;

xx) to undertake any other actions that further the general welfare of members, or which benefit the Club or the Football Club.

a) Membership shall be open to any person who, or supporters’ organisation which, agrees with the Objectives of the Club, agrees to abide by its Rules, and agrees to conduct themselves when associated with the Club, the Football Club or football generally in a responsible manner in accordance with the expectations set out in the Football Association’s Respect campaign from time to time.

b) Members shall pay an annual subscription, and shall receive a membership number and card as proof of valid membership. The membership year or season shall normally last from 1st July to 30th June. Members shall retain all rights until 30th September.

c) Subscriptions shall be decided by the AGM, and shall be payable by 30th September. Members joining after 31st March will be automatically included as members for the following season without further payment.

d) Persons under 16 years of age may only become associate members. They shall not pay a subscription, and cannot vote, seek an Extraordinary General Meeting or stand for any post. (N.B. This should not be confused with membership of the Junior Seagulls.)

e) The Club Committee may award life membership to any member who, in its opinion, has rendered outstanding service to the Club or Football Club. Life members shall have the same rights and privileges as other members, but shall not pay a subscription. The Club Committee may award honorary membership to non-members who have rendered outstanding service to the Club, with the right to receive a Newsletter.

f) The Club Committee may award other temporary memberships which assist with the efficient running of the Club, but with no rights other than those connected with that assistance.

g) The Club Committee may reprimand, suspend or expel any member (without repayment of subscription), or refuse membership to any prospective member, who:

i) has not acted in the best interests of the Club, or

ii) has violated the Objectives of the Club, or

iii) has brought the Club into disrepute, or

iv) has breached the Rules of the Club, or

v) has acted with violence towards another member of the Club, or

vi) has been convicted of an offence relating to his/her footballing activities in a court of law.

Such member or prospective member may present their case in person to the Club Committee. An offending member shall receive notice of the AGM and shall be allowed to appeal to the AGM, where a simple majority shall decide.

h) A member may resign from the Club at any time on application to the Membership Secretary, but no subscription shall be repaid.

i) The Club may send correspondence to members at either their registered email address or postal address. Members should ensure that any addresses, details and options kept by the Club are correct, either online themselves or by application to the Membership Secretary.

a) General meetings of the Club shall be open to all members, and shall be held at a venue within eight miles of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton.

b) Only a properly convened Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) or Extraordinary General Meeting (“EGM”), with quorum, may make decisions binding upon the Club. Other general meetings may be called by the Committee for the purposes of seeking guidance, disclosing information, hearing guest speakers, etc.

c) Any member of four or more months’ standing, except associates, shall be entitled to vote at a general meeting upon production of his/her valid membership card.

d) All decisions made at a general meeting shall take effect as soon as they are passed.

e) Votes shall be conducted either by a show of hands or by secret ballot as decided by the Chair. Votes received by mail will be added if votes cast in the room result in a majority of less than two to one. The Chair shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.

f) Notice of the time, date, venue and business of general meetings shall be sent to all members of the Club by the Secretary. Notice of AGMs and EGMs shall be at least 14 days. Notice of other general meetings shall be as soon as practicable.

a) The Annual General Meeting of the Club (“AGM”) shall normally be held in August or September of each year. All AGMs are deemed to have a quorum.

b) The outgoing officers shall present reports to the AGM. An audited set of accounts to 31st May of that year shall be made available to all members present. Written summaries of the reports and accounts shall be sent to all members.

c) Proposed resolutions must be forwarded in writing to the Secretary at least seven days in advance of the AGM. The Chair may also allow the AGM to vote on any emergency resolution.

a) The Secretary shall arrange an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club (“EGM”) upon the written and signed request of either half of the Club Committee or one-tenth of the voting membership of the Club. Those requesting the EGM shall declare the business to be discussed to the Secretary. The Secretary shall verify the validity of the request as soon as possible to those making it.

b) The EGM shall be held not more than 21 days after the verification of the request. At least one-fifth of the voting membership of the Club must be present within 15 minutes of the advertised start time of the meeting to form a quorum. No other business other than that declared may be voted upon. The Chair may allow discussion of other business after the vote(s).

a) The Officers of the Club shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer. They shall be responsible for the proper, efficient and lawful running of the Club. The Chair and Vice-Chair may, as they wish, adopt any similar title, e.g. “Chairman”, “Chairwoman” or “Chairperson”.

b) The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Committee, and shall ensure their proper and impartial conduct.

c) The Vice-Chair shall advise and assist the Chair and shall act as Chair in their absence.

d) The Secretary shall be responsible for seeing that the Rules of the Club are observed. They shall be responsible for the general correspondence of the Club and shall keep copies of all such correspondence. They shall attend all meetings of the Club and Committee and take minutes. In the absence of the Secretary from meetings, another member of the Committee shall take minutes.

e) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the funds of the Club and shall provide a statement on them at Committee meetings. They shall keep accurate records of all transactions.

f) The Membership Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining membership records and for related correspondence. They shall provide a membership report at Committee meetings.

g) The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer shall be responsible for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion within the Supporters' Club. They shall provide a report at Committee meetings.

h) If a vacancy should occur in the post of Chair, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair. Any other vacancy among the Officers shall be filled by one of the elected members of the Committee.

i) The Chair or Vice-Chair may act for the Committee in emergencies or other matters of extreme urgency, but they must inform other Officers of their actions as soon as practicable, and must inform the Committee at its next meeting.

j) Only the Chair, Vice-Chair or Secretary may make statements, give interviews, publish articles, speak or correspond generally on behalf of the Club, except for those Committee members who are required to correspond or publish material in pursuit of their delegated duties.

k) All Officers are all authorised to sign contracts binding upon the Club as instructed by the Committee, and such instruction is recorded.

l) All Officers shall retire at the AGM but may stand for re-election. All candidates must have been members for at least one year, and must declare their intention in writing to the Secretary at least seven days before the meeting. Elections of Officers, where contested, shall be by a series of secret ballots which eliminate the person with the fewest votes on each occasion.

a) The Club shall be governed day to day by a Committee comprising the six Officers and up to ten “general” members of the Club. The Committee shall run the Club in a manner consistent with these Rules; with any resolutions passed at AGMs or EGMs; and with its own resolutions. The Club shall indemnify the Committee and its members against any personal liability incurred in the proper running of the Club to the extent of the Club’s financial and realisable assets.

b) All general Committee members shall retire at the AGM but may stand for re-election. All candidates must have been members for at least one year, and must declare their intention in writing to the Secretary at least seven days before the meeting. Elections of general Committee members, where contested, shall be decided by a single secret ballot of all members present having ten votes each. In the event of there being fewer nominations than vacancies, nominations may be accepted at the AGM by the Chair.

c) The Committee shall meet (in person or online) as and when necessary or at the request of three members of the Committee to the Secretary. The Secretary shall do their best to inform all members of the Committee of the time, date and venue of any meeting of the Committee as far in advance as practically possible, and shall advise them of any special business to be discussed. Six members, three of whom must be Officers, shall form a quorum. In the event of a meeting being inquorate, those present may make decisions which will be enacted two days after every member of the Committee has been sent minutes or other notice of the decisions; and if any Committee member objects, a vote of all Committee members must be taken. Relatively minor decisions may be made more informally provided that all Committee members are afforded the opportunity to comment and a vote of all Committee members is taken. All decisions must be recorded, and the Secretary shall send minutes to all members of the Committee as soon as practicable.

d) Any member of the Committee, including Officers, who fails to attend three consecutive Committee meetings without adequate reason shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee.

e) The Committee may co-opt other members of the Club to fill any vacancy among the general Committee members.

f) Any member of the Club, or any other person invited by the Committee, may attend and speak at a Committee meeting but they shall not vote. Only matters deemed to be of the utmost sensitivity by the Chair may be discussed in secret.

g) The Committee may form sub-committees from among its members or other members of the Club for any purpose it sees fit. Minutes of meetings shall be kept and the workings of sub-committees shall be reported to the Committee.

h) The Committee may delegate duties as necessary among its own members.

a) The Club shall operate at least one bank or building society account. All withdrawals or cheques must be authorised or signed by two officers. An auditor, appointed by the AGM, shall inspect and audit all financial records.

b) The Club is an unincorporated association. Its assets shall be regarded as being in the joint ownership of all paid-up members, to be managed by the Committee for the benefit of all members according to these Rules, and in accordance with any resolutions passed at General Meetings and with its own resolutions.

The Committee shall produce a free Newsletter for all Club members except associates at least three times a year. Any major actions, decisions or expenditure undertaken by the Club or Committee shall be reported in the Newsletter. The Newsletter shall carry contact details of all Committee members.

Minutes of meetings, details of transactions and accounts, and summaries of membership records shall be made available for inspection by any member of the Club upon application in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall respond within 28 days. No personal data shall be revealed. Items deemed by the Chair to be of the utmost sensitivity may be redacted.

The Club shall affiliate to the Football Supporters’ Association if in the best interests of its members, as determined by the Committee. If so, the Club shall send a delegate or delegates to Association meetings whenever possible. Such delegate(s) shall report to the Committee. Any other affiliations must be approved by members at an AGM or EGM.

The Club may be wound up only by a vote of at least three-quarters of those present and eligible to vote at an AGM or EGM. No subscriptions shall be repaid. Any monies, property or other assets remaining after the settling of all debts shall be given to a charity, amateur sports club or other similar body as decided by the AGM or EGM which wound the Club up.

a) While the Club may be recognised as an “official” representative body for supporters by the Football Club, the Club shall remain independent of the Football Club. No director or employee (apart from match-day-only staff) of the Football Club may be a member of the Club. The Football Club has no right to examine any records of the Club, nor attend its meetings. This Rule does not preclude the use of Football Club premises or facilities by the Club, nor co-operation between the Club and the Football Club.

b) The Club shall not donate money in any form to the Football Club. Any payment or part-payment of equipment or services for the Football Club must be made directly to the equipment or service provider involved. All such expenditure must be expressly reported to the AGM and in the Newsletter.

a) These Rules may be changed only at an AGM or EGM of the Club at which there is a quorum, and only if two-thirds of those present and eligible to vote decide in favour of the proposed change. Proposed changes to Rules must be notified to the Secretary in writing at least seven days before an AGM.

b) The Club may have a Privacy Policy and an Equality Policy, decided from time to time by the Club Committee, which shall apply as if they were part of these Rules. Approval shall be obtained at each AGM, and members shall be informed of any changes in the interim.

c) In the event of any situation arising which is not covered by these Rules, or where there is a conflict within these Rules or an interpretation required, the Committee shall decide the matter. In all cases the Committee shall ensure that the Objectives of the Club are complied with. They shall then use common sense, normal good democratic and open practice, and natural justice to decide the issue.

d) The Committee may suspend any of Rule 3 (Membership and Subscriptions), Rule 5 (Annual General Meetings), and Rule 10 (Newsletter) as necessary in truly exceptional circumstances which prevent the normal operation of the Club, but must inform all members of the decision as soon as possible. In such circumstances the Committee may spend only minimally and must not make decisions that would normally require the authorisation of members at an AGM or EGM. The Committee shall inform all members when any suspension of Rules ends.