Premier League Summer Series: Brighton's brand building will also be useful on the pitch for De Zerbi

Once again it speaks volumes about how far the Albion have travelled on their football journey that little over 20 years ago an Albion pre season tour of the Republic of Ireland was almost viewed as the height of sophistication given the financial precarious position the club had found itself in after the sale of the Goldstone.

But earlier this week the Albion departed for this year’s pre season tour, a high profile series of games, ‘The Premier League Summer Series’ against fellow EPL clubs in the USA.

Roberto De Zerbi’s team will take on Chelsea in Philadelphia on Saturday, then Brentford in Atlanta on 26th July before finishing off in New Jersey against Newcastle two days later (28th).

For the purists it probably goes against the grain, but as the saying goes ‘it is what it is’.

Back in the days of the trips to the Emerald Isle the Albion were in the fourth tier of domestic football, they now find themselves in the higher reaches, on last season at least, of the biggest league on the planet.

The trip across the pond is as much about brand building as getting important minutes on the pitch.

But for anyone getting too hot under the collar this is not the Albion first ‘Rodeo’ when it comes to the States. Back in day Mike Bamber regularly took the Albion to the US either at the end of season or preseason.

Matches were against various teams in the long gone NASL and if you speak to any ex Albion player of a certain age, these trips are remembered with great affection.

Back to the present day, whilst the Sussex based fanbase is a constant, developing support around the globe is an integral part of todays game at the level Albion now find themselves at.

As I touched on last week, just look at the sales of Albion shirts in Japan since the arrival of Kaoru Mitoma!

I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled both to Chicago and Australia and hooked up with the specific supporters groups in those places, a far cry from BISA (Brighton Independent Supporters Association) meeting at the Concorde back in the ‘War Years’.

When it comes to the Albion, the phrase ‘Johnny Come Lately’ really grinds with me, we’ve all been ‘JCL’s’ at some point, I come from a generation in the dark days of 95/99 the Albion struggled to get 3,000 for homes games.

Any fans whether they come from Tongdean or Tokyo, Littlehampton or Los Angles, they are still a fan and very welcome in the Albion family, long may it continue.