At a glance
- Bloom became chairman on 18 May 2009
- Falmer Stadium funding was fully secured
- Era led Brighton from League One to Europe
On Monday 18 May 2009, Brighton & Hove Albion entered a new era. That was the day Tony Bloom officially took over as chairman of the club. It was a moment that would go on to reshape not just Brighton’s future, but their entire identity across the next 17 years.
At the time, the club confirmed full funding for the long-awaited move to the Falmer Stadium had been finalised, with the total project cost set at £93 million. It marked a turning point after years of uncertainty, campaigning and financial struggle.
A major part of that transformation came through the stability brought by Bloom’s arrival, while outgoing chairman Dick Knight stayed on as life president. Knight saved the club in 1997 and kept it alive through its darkest years.
Knight and Bloom exchange legacy messages
Knight summed up his tenure on the day of the handover, saying: “Being chairman of the Albion has been the most rewarding period of my life. To be able to give something back to the club I’ve supported since I was a boy, has been a privilege.
“Thanks to Tony’s support, the club was now financially secure. The stadium was on its way, and now the club has the opportunity to reach its full potential.”
Bloom, a lifelong Brighton supporter with deep family ties to the club, was quick to pay tribute in return.
He said: “I would like to pay tribute to Dick. Nobody should be in any doubt that he saved the club from almost certain extinction at a time when no one else was willing to come forward.
“Under his leadership, we have had some very memorable times, including our successful nine-year battle to secure the go ahead for Falmer. I want to fulfil the dreams of so many of our great fans just as my grandfather Harry Bloom did in the glory days of the 1970s with Brian Clough, Peter Taylor, and Alan Mullery.”
Tony Bloom’s Brighton connection
That connection to Brighton’s history has always been central to Bloom’s leadership. His grandfather, Harry Bloom, served as vice-chairman during the club’s 1970s era, while his uncle Ray Bloom also held a role at the club.
Brighton went on to secure promotion from League One as champions in 2011, before establishing themselves in the Championship and eventually reaching the Premier League in 2017 after finishing second under Chris Hughton.
From there, the rise accelerated. Strategic recruitment, data-led scouting and smart investment became hallmarks of the Bloom era. Players such as Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma became symbols of Brighton’s modern identity. They became known as a club capable of identifying elite talent before the rest of the league.
READ MORE: Brighton tracking Dutch winger Myron van Brederode – Read Brighton
From crisis to European football
Premier League stability followed, then progress. Brighton finished ninth in 2021/22 with a club-record points total at the time, before breaking new ground again by qualifying for the Europa League in 2022/23, the first European campaign in the club’s history.
From near extinction to European football, Bloom’s ownership has redefined what Brighton can be. Seventeen years on from that announcement, the club’s trajectory remains one of the most remarkable transformations in English football.
Follow all the latest Brighton & Hove Albion news through Read Brighton.
