Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club is due to receive “the freedom of the city” at a special council meeting next week.
The 122-year-old club is being honoured after the team finished sixth in the Premier League last season and qualified for European football for the first time.
And while Albion recorded their highest ever league finish, the club also contributed more than £600 million to the local economy last season.
A report to members of Brighton and Hove City Council said that the club’s success on the pitch boosted the profile of Brighton and Hove off the pitch – all around the world.
The report also praised the charitable work of the Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation, formerly known as Albion in the Community.
The report said: “The Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation has for more than 30 years been using the power of football to engage and inspire people to make good life choices, helping to reduce inequalities in our local communities and across Sussex and inspiring individuals to reach their full potential.
“They deliver award-winning educational and outreach programmes that improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing, support learning and offer inclusive opportunities for everyone to get active and play football.
“The club has shown a continued commitment to sports development within our local communities and it is an inspiration to its fans and to the people of Brighton and Hove.
“They are widely regarded as running one of the best football community programmes in the country, with a large team of community coaches working tirelessly every day in 35 towns across Sussex, supporting over 5,000 children, young people and adults every week.
“The club has had a positive and meaningful impact on many of our local communities through support for grassroots sport, health work and being a positive role model for so many people.”
Conferring the freedom of the city will not give the club any extra rights. The civic honour is a way of recognising the achievements of individuals and organisations of distinction who have rendered eminent service.
The freedom of the city is due to bestowed at a special meeting of the full council at Brighton Town Hall at 4.30pm next Tuesday (28 November). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
