Hi everyone, hope you are all well and able to keep the blood circulating whilst we endure this cold snap. There’s been quite a bit of change in and around SheGulls since I began the site not all that long ago now – so I feel an update is needed to let fans know where we are.
Overall Ethos – Fan’s Voice
When I started this blog my intention was simply to create conversation about Brighton & Hove Albion Women both online and in-person. The public presence of our fan base compared to other clubs is very small and I wanted to help grow support and allow others to interact with a common source. I very quickly realised though that there was no focal point for almost anything related to BHAFC Women. No supporters club, no meet-ups, no away fans (bar a few hardy loyals who I heartily applaud), no club guidance – nothing.
So I began to make explorations into this area. The FSA have been very helpful and I am proud to be a part of their Women’s Network, which has contact with the likes of the FA and WSL as well as other supporter groups. We are officially ‘Associate’ members of the FSA and are listed on their own website.
At this stage it would be safe to say that SheGulls is no longer simply a blog, but an umbrella for Brighton & Hove Women’s supporters to have their say and hopefully make some strides in the right direction in terms of fan and club engagement.
We’re more than a blog now, we are a representative of the fans, which makes us more like a collective, and I encourage people not to see SheGulls as simply one man (as it stands), but an opportunity to do something more meaningful.
Website
If you haven’t seen it already, we are now SheGulls.com rather than the long WordPress subdomain we had originally. I think it is important to be visible and having a branded website should allow those who are looking for us to do so a lot more easily.
You may or may not have noticed that some photography may have been removed from previous posts. This is not a response to any specific request, but more so that we have been made aware that football clubs and media owners have looked to recoup fees from sites using images without their permission. Fortunately we may embed images from Getty without charge so that is what I will be doing in the future. In fact it will likely mean I can use more photos per post – so in a weird way it’s good news!
Stated Goals
Now I’ve been doing this for a while I am starting to get a sense of what is and isn’t achievable, certainly in the short term. Therefore I believe it is appropriate to set some goals for SheGulls to aspire to in the medium to long term.
Medium Term
- Produce a funded SheGulls banner with assistance from the FSA and in agreement with the club that can be displayed at Home games.
- Lobby the club to agree to travel to at least one away game either this season or next.
- Arrange for a fan meet-up to be held and attended by at least 20+ people.
- Produce at least 1-2 pieces of merchandise that can be used to raise money for charitable purposes but also to show other fans that you are aware of, and support, SheGulls.
Long Term
- Have at least some input into the potential new women’s specific stadium – assuming it is approved.
- Build a relationship with the club that is mutually beneficial, perhaps engaging with a key or sole point of contact.
- Build a long-standing self-sufficient community of passionate Brighton & Hove Albion Women’s fans.
Rules
Whilst we aren’t obliged to have a specific set of governing rules, I do believe some need to be set and I’ll be drawing up an official list as soon as possible. There won’t be all that many, but there are some things that can’t be tolerated so it is best they are made clear up front and centre.
Contact
The best way to contact me is over on X (Twitter) @SheGulls – via DM. You can also email shegullsbhawfc@gmail or use the Contact form on this website. If you have any queries or concerns about the information above, or the site/group in general, do let me know.
Appreciate the support as always,
Duncan
SHEGULLS - BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION WOMEN FANS 
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