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One of English football’s best recent stories has been made into a documentary

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Stand or Fall, Brighton documentary 2024

Like all classic rags to riches stories, Brighton and Hove Albion have a tale worth telling. And they’re ready to tell it.

As the Sussex club navigates through its first season featuring European football, on top of the English Premier League and other UK-based competitions, it’s hard to believe where it has come from.

So Stand or Fall, the club’s long awaited documentary, will do just that.

The Seagulls are coming of their best ever Premier League campaign, finishing sixth and qualifying for the Europa League. It’s been a monumental rise from the bed of its once homeless, stadium-less ashes.

Owner Tony Bloom is at the centre of Brighton’s climb back to the pointy end of English football; a journey that’s seen as many twists and turns as it has colourful characters — from the jovial to the pivotal and those less seen that land somewhere in between.

Tony Bloom, Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom.

What is Stand or Fall?

Stand or Fall: The Remarkable Rise of Brighton & Hove Albion — that’s the full title.

The docco will chronicle the south coast club’s upward trajectory from near extermination all the way to England’s top league.

It’s a climb that spans some 27 years; from a terrifying final day in 1996-97 through a maiden Europa League tilt in 2023. The Seagulls emerged into the Premier League 20 years after the club literally nearly went out of business.

It’s directed by Ross Clarke and produced by Matthew Lorenzo Productions, whose fingerprints are on a bunch of football-related projects — including The United Way with Eric Cantona.

“The Brighton story has its highs and lows, heroes and villains, and every facet will be reflected – light and shade being essential to a proper narrative,” said producer Matthew Lorenzo.

“But we have found the story to be an intensely human one.”

Who is featured in the documentary?

Owner Tony Bloom is featured prominently, along with a number of other high profile characters, including former manager Graham Potter, former chairman Dick Knight, Chief Executive Paul Barber and even artist sensation Fat Boy Slim (Norman Cook), one of the club’s long-suffering fans.

Is there a trailer?

The football club released this quite some time back, which fittingly features a cover of fan Fat Boy Slim’s Praise You – ‘We’ve come a long way together’.

It was released a year and a half ago, but still applies. Producers took their time putting the finishing touches on the project, waiting to see how the Albion’s rise to the Europa would pan out.

When is Stand or Fall being released?

There was a private screening at the back end of 2023, in anticipation for the official release.

But unfortunately, we’re still waiting for information on the public release.

How to Watch it

Like the release date, information on this is still yet to be finalised and publicly communicated as well. We’ll be sure to update this story as anything new comes to hand.

stand or fall, brighton

The rise of Brighton & Hove Albion

The Sussex club has been one of the great stories in English football the last couple of years, having emerged to the Premier League for the 2017-18 season, after a second-place finish in the Championship.

The Seagulls only moved to Falmer Stadium – now known as the Amex – in 2011, after 14 years without a permanent home ground.

They’re coming off their most successful campaign yet, finishing sixth in the Premier League and qualifying for the Europa League — more recently, they qualified for the Round of 16 in the European competition, topping a group that featured powerhouses Marseilles and Ajax. The team also reached the Semi-Final of the FA Cup last season, losing to Manchester United on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

At the time of this story’s release, like several top 10 outfits, the southern coast club have dealt with a multitude of injuries through its current campaign, but still manages to sit seventh in the Premier League race.

The club is regarded as one of the best finders of talent in the world, with owner Tony Bloom’s unique method continuing to uncover young gems — a lot of which get turned into enormously profitable sales to football’s heavyweights. Current manager Roberto de Zerbi has also proven to be a mastermind across the last 13 months, since taking over from Graham Potter.

brighton, pedro, january transfer window
Successful summer transfer recruit João Pedro

What related content can I watch right now?

2023 proved to be incredibly generous with its offering of elite football documentaries.

For a more broader look, check out our Entertainment vertical.

Picture of Phil Prior
Phil Prior
Phil is the editorial lead at Only Sports, bringing more than 12 years of wide-ranging sports media experience to the team. But it’s his unrivalled passion that sets him apart. He also commentates AFL on SEN Radio, plus Rugby on Stan Sport. Find Phil on LinkedIn.

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