You may have noticed something new taking flight at Sussex.
This autumn, we’re starting to bring our new partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club to life across campus – and there’s much more to come. In August, we announced that Sussex has become the official Higher Education Partner of Brighton & Hove Albion, bringing together two organisations with deep roots in Brighton and a shared commitment to making a positive difference in our communities.
This is a four-year partnership, giving us time to showcase what we can achieve together and explore new opportunities for our staff, students, the University and the wider community.
So, what could the partnership mean for Sussex?
There’s much more to this than football. The partnership brings together the expertise, knowledge and networks of two Sussex institutions, creating opportunities across student opportunities, careers, research, innovation, education, sport and community activity.
For our students, this could mean new opportunities to engage with Albion and explore careers, education, research and more. For staff, there will be opportunities to connect our academic and professional expertise with the club’s knowledge and networks.
The partnership also gives us new ways to showcase Sussex expertise and impact, reach new audiences and strengthen our community and civic work.
The relationship itself is not new. Sussex and Albion have been collaborating for more than 30 years, including last year’s Play with Pride football tournament, hosted at our Falmer campus. This new partnership gives us the opportunity to build on that history and take our relationship further.
The Seagulls have landed
Over the coming weeks, you’ll start to see the partnership becoming more visible around campus.
And we have two very special visitors helping us do that…
Meet Gully and Sally, Brighton & Hove Albion’s mascots, who will be making appearances around Sussex during Welcome Week. Keep an eye out for them meeting students, exploring campus and getting involved in activities.
You’ll also see partnership branding appearing across campus and hear more through our staff and student communications. This first phase is designed to be fun and visible – but it’s just the beginning.
And this is only the beginning
As the four-year partnership develops, we’ll share more about the opportunities it creates and how staff and students can get involved.
We’ll also be asking what you would like to see Sussex and Albion do together, with your ideas helping to shape future partnership activity.
So, for now, get ready to spot the Seagulls.
Find out more about our partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion on the Sussex website.