Eighty year or so years ago, if you had bought a season ticket at the Goldstone Ground, you’d have received a card that would have looked something like these. And what exquisite items they are! They’d have fitted easily into your wallet, purse or even your cigarette case… and probably quite easy to lose as well.
Presented with some classy gold lettering, this is the burgundy and green season ticket for the South Stand and Enclosure from 1928/29.
With a single horizontal fold, they opened up to list the terms and conditions in blue ink, not to mention the signature of Charlie Webb, Brighton boss from 1919 to 1947.
By 1930/31, the colour of the card had changed to a suspiciously Crystal Palace-like red-and-white combination. Having said that, although in the same division, Palace were yet to become arch rivals and, anyway, they played in claret and light blue at the time, so it’s the first card that most matched their colours, not this one.
As you can see, the price for a season ticket for Ladies was £1 7s 6d (I wonder if this was the same price for men) which, using the thoroughly useful Measuring Worth website, suggests it would be the equivalent to somewhere between £71.33 (using the purchasing power calculator) to £449.20 (the economic power value). Interestingly, the latter value is roughly what my current season ticket at the Amex Stadium costs today.
And what joyous football entertainment was Miss Repington able to enjoy in those two seasons in the Football League Division Three (South)? In 1928/29, Brighton dropped eleven places to fall to 15th position but at least she would have enjoyed some formidable performances in the home matches as the Albion won fourteen of their 21 League matches at the Goldstone. By 1930/31, the team had arrested their decline despite losing then record scorer Hugh Vallance in October (for ‘serious misdemenour’) and surged back up to fourth position. Again, the Albion had turned the Goldstone Ground into a fortress, with thirteen victories being recorded there.
Due to the fact you had to be Champions to get promoted, chances of going up were severely limited. It took another twenty-seven years for this to be achieved by Brighton. I hope Miss Repington got to see it!
(Many thanks to southasp for supplying me with the season ticket cards).
The Goldstone Wrap 