Derek Chapman on 25 years as an Albion director

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Long-serving Derek to depart in June.

Luke Nicoli

2024-05-28T07:15:00Z

Derek Chapman is stepping down from the Albion board after 25 years.

After 25 years, Derek Chapman is stepping down as a Brighton & Hove Albion director this summer, having played a key role in the evolution of the club. He looks back at his time, both as a fan and in the boardroom.

When did your love of the club first start, Derek?

I was taken to my first game by my next-door neighbour. It was in April 1968, against Barrow in the old Third Division, and we drew 1-1. A lot of my schoolfriends were there, which added to the occasion, and it was love at first sight I suppose. It made me want to go back for more and I’ve been a supporter ever since.

Who were the players you enjoyed watching as a youngster?

Kit Napier, Alex Dawson and Tony Towner, because he went to the same school as me; and as I got older, it would have been Peter Ward and ‘Spider’ Mellor, Mark Lawrenson and Michael Robinson. A little later, John Crumplin, Sergei Gotsmanov’s cameos and Dean Saunders caught the eye – although it’s a little harder to find star players from the late Goldstone and Gillingham eras to be honest with you!

What was your favourite period from the Goldstone days?

Alan Mullery with his squad ahead of the 1979/80 season.

It’s got to be from 1977 to 1980, the rise from the Third Division to the First, under Alan Mullery. ‘Mullers’ was an old-fashioned type of manager who had tremendous enthusiasm and will go down as one of the all-time greats at the club. Unfortunately, when we got to the top flight, it was actually a bit of a letdown for me as a fan – the crowds dropped and football was in the doldrums across the board, not helped by the hooliganism at the time.

Given it was the first place you watched football, is there a part of you that misses the Goldstone?

You always have fond memories of your first ground but you simply can’t compare the Goldstone to the Amex, can you? The food was awful, the terracing was decaying, and you’d often find your view obscured by a pillar or post. I can honestly say I don’t miss it at all when you compare it to what we have now.

Let’s talk The FA Cup final in 1983. What are your memories?

Having been brought up on supporting a Third Division club, it was just a great feeling to know that we were going to Wembley. I’m sure I would have had a tear in the eye as the players walked out of the tunnel, but the semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday at Highbury was also memorable for me and one of my favourite ever Albion games. Any game you win is going to be better than one you lose or draw!

The club then went into a state of decline. Was there a point when you actually feared for Albion’s future?

A 4-4 draw with Colchester was one of few highlights for the club during a troubled time in 1997, according to Derek Chapman.

Absolutely. Going to football in any division is better than going shopping on a Saturday afternoon, but the club going out of existence was looking a real possibility. Success during that period was measured by the club still surviving – and that meant playing at Gillingham. I went to nearly all the games there and the only decent one was the 4-4 draw against Colchester United on Boxing Day 1997 when we came back from 3-0 down, with Paul Emblen scoring a hat-trick.

You became a director in 1999. How did that come about?

The company I own, Adenstar Developments Ltd, was doing some of the building work to bring us back to Withdean; it was March 1999 and on the Saturday we’d lost 4-0 to Darlington. We were 18th in the division and Dick [Knight] and Martin [Perry] came to me and said they were struggling with money to get the building work complete – so I said I’d put some money in to help, which continued for several years until Tony came along. It’s my club, so of course I was going to help, and it’s the best money I’ve ever wasted!

How did you cope with the transition from fan to director?

Derek admitted the worst thing about the transition from fan to member of the board was having to wear a tie to games.

The one thing I really hated was having to put a tie on for away games – and now I have to do it for home games too! Other than that, the directors’ box etiquette isn’t a problem for me. I keep my emotions in check as I’ve seen it all with Brighton. I don’t let things like VAR and refereeing decisions rile me – and referees never cheat, contrary to what some people might think. I’ve seen us win 6-0, I’ve seen us lose 6-0, these things happen. I’ve seen us lose 8-2 actually!

You played a key role in the construction of the Amex. What was that like seeing the stadium evolve out of the ground?

I was just a member of a large team that together made the project work. It had to be done by a certain date, and it had to be done within budget, so you get it done. I was the project manager, the guy in day-to-day charge to deliver the stadium. I managed the builders and the costs. It’s what I do.

You also played a key role in the build of the training ground at Lancing. It’s a facility that must fill you with pride…

The American Express Elite Football Performance Centre.

When we built it, I looked around the country and there were only three better than ours: St George’s Park, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. You also have to remember that I was the interim CEO for a few months [before Paul Barber’s appointment] so made sure everyone stopped using the colour photocopier and I told them to turn off the TVs in the offices if nobody was watching – so all that money saved helped us in the build!

Talking of investment in the training ground and the Amex, we have to mention the chairman, Tony Bloom…

He’s a little magician, isn’t he. What he’s done for this football club is beyond words – I have to pinch myself sometimes at where we are now and the infrastructure we have. The added bonus is the fact that he’s also an Albion supporter through and through – he’s spot on in every way.

Are there players you have built strong relationships with down the years?

Kerry Mayo used to babysit for my wife and I when I first became a director, so I used to get on well with him and Gary Hart at the time. Before we had the new training ground built, Vicente spent more time in my indoor swimming pool than I did! Every time I got up in the morning and looked out, Vicente was in my pool! He might not have played many games but he did a few good lengths, I can tell you!

Some people might not realise, but you were also one of the fans who came up with the nickname ‘Seagulls’ in the 1970s, right?

It’s a bit unfair that I always get mentioned when this topic comes up because I was one of five or six lads, mates, who came up with the name. We were in the pub together and after a few beers, ‘Seagulls’ was the cry. Thankfully it’s stuck ever since.

You’re a keen advocate of women’s football, aren’t you?

I was chairman of the Brighton & Hove Albion women’s team in the season we got promoted to the WSL, and it’s fantastic to see the team – and the women’s game in general – going from strength to strength. I can’t wait to see the team playing in their own stadium in the city, and I know that Tony and the board are working extremely hard to make that happen.

So, supporter, director, with a hand in the building of Withdean, the Amex and the training ground – and a nickname to boot. It’s fair to say you retire with a job well done…

I don’t like to dwell on what I’ve done, but as a club, we can still do better and there’s still more to come. As long as we remain with the ownership as it is now, with a family whose love for the club goes back generations, we’ll be okay. As for me, I’ll still be in the stadium somewhere… it just won’t be with a tie on!