| Brighton Bears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NBL D2 South |
| Established | 2014 |
| History | Sussex Bears (2014–2022) Brighton Bears (2022-present) |
| Arena | Sir Robert Woodard Academy |
| Capacity | 700 |
| Location | Lancing, West Sussex |
| Team colours | |
| Website | Official website |
The Brighton Bears are an English basketball club, based in the town of Lancing, West Sussex.
The Bears were formed in 2014. Former Worthing Thunder coach and local basketball legend Gary Smith was brought in to lead the club as chairman and first team coach, and with him he brought a number of former Thunder players to form the nucleus of the new team. [1]
The Bears' name is not a new one to basketball in the area - the Brighton Bears played in the top-flight BBL for many years until their final season in 2006. [2]
The 'new' club has since developed rapidly, increasing the number of men's, women's and youth teams representing under the Bears' name. The Bears have also risen through the divisions of the English Basketball League, reaching their current position in Division 2 in 2017. [3]
The Bears announced plans to build a new stadium at the Black Rock seafront area and return the Brighton Bears name to the top flight British Basketball League. [4]
| Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | National Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
| Sussex Bears | ||||||||||||
| 2014–15 | D4 SE | 5 | 3rd | 20 | 15 | 5 | 30 | 0.750 | 1st round | Did not compete | ||
| 2015–16 | Dev Sou | 5 | 1st | 12 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 0.833 | Semi-finals | 1st round | ||
| 2016–17 | D3 Sou | 4 | 2nd | 18 | 13 | 5 | 26 | 0.722 | Semi-finals | 3rd round | ||
| 2017–18 | D2 | 3 | 10th | 22 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 0.318 | Did not qualify | 2nd round | ||
| 2018–19 | D2 | 3 | 4th | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 0.550 | Quarter-finals | Did not compete | ||
| 2019–20 | D2 Sou | 3 | 9th | 17 | 4 | 13 | 9 | 0.235 | Did not qualify | 4th round | ||
| 2020-21 | D2 Sou | 3 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | D2 Sou | 3 | 2nd | 22 | 16 | 6 | 32 | 0.727 | Quarter-finals | 3rd round | ||
| Brighton Bears | ||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | D2 Sou | 3 | 2nd | 22 | 16 | 6 | 32 | 0.727 | Quarter-finals | 4th round | ||
| 2023–24 | D2 Sou | 3 | 11th | 22 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 0.227 | Did Not Qualify | |||
Brighton is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the city of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located 47 miles (76 km) south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book (1086). The town's importance grew in the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the early modern period, affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to London and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to France. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for sea bathing as a purported cure for illnesses.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. The club's home ground is the 31,876-capacity Falmer Stadium in Falmer, in the north east of Brighton.
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team will compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system in the 2024–25 season following promotion.
Falmer Stadium, known for sponsorship purposes as the American Express Stadium and more commonly referred to as the Amex, is a football stadium in Falmer, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. With a capacity of 31,876, it is the second largest stadium in all of South East England, and the 31st largest stadium in the United Kingdom. The largest in South East England is St. Mary's Stadium (Southampton) with about 800 seats more.
Eastbourne Borough Football Club is an association football club based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. The team competes in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system.
Brighton Bears was a British basketball team based in Brighton, Sussex. From 1984 to 1999 the club was known as the Worthing Bears and was based in the town of Worthing, 12 miles west of Brighton. The Bears played in the top-flight British Basketball League (BBL) until 2006 when the franchise folded. The final season was notable for the signing of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who played three games for the Bears. The league's franchise for the Brighton-area, originally put on hold, was intended to be occupied by the Brighton Cougars from the 2008–09 season but the Cougars bid was rejected, with the league favouring rival candidate Worthing Thunder.
Eastbourne United A.F.C. is a football club based in Eastbourne, England. They were formed in 2003 after a merger between Eastbourne United F.C. and Shinewater Association. In 2009 they were the Sussex County League champions for the first time in 53 years, 18 years after leaving the Isthmian League. They are currently members of the Southern Combination Premier Division.
Whitehawk F.C. is a semi-professional football club in Whitehawk, a suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, England, which plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Whitehawk's home is the 3,126-capacity Enclosed Ground, within East Brighton Park. Nicknamed The Hawks, the club's traditional playing colours are red and white. Before 2010, the club had never played above County League level, but after three promotions in four seasons reached Conference South in 2013, and the second round of the FA Cup in 2015.
The Sussex Senior Cup is an annual association football knockout cup competition for men's football clubs in the English county of Sussex; the winning team is presented with the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, the county senior cup of the Sussex FA. For sponsorship purposes the trophy is also known as the Sussex Transport Senior Challenge Cup, after a new sponsorship deal was agreed in 2023.
Worthing Thunder are a British professional basketball team based in Worthing, West Sussex, England, and compete in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team was originally founded in 1999 as the Worthing Rebels. They switched to their current name in 2000. The team has played their home games at the Worthing Leisure Center since their inaugural season.
Team Birmingham Elite are an English basketball club, based in the Longbridge area of the city of Birmingham.
The Brighton Cougars are an English basketball club from the city of Brighton. The Cougars play at Dorothy Stringer School and attract a broad-based membership of boys and girls from five years old through to adult men and women.
Brighton & Hove Albion Women Football Club is an English women's football club affiliated with Brighton & Hove Albion. The club currently compete in the Women's Super League and the first team play at the Broadfield Stadium, home of Crawley Town F.C.
John Herbert Edwin Shepherd was an English professional footballer who played as a inside forward. He played for Millwall, Brighton & Hove Albion and Gillingham between 1952 and 1961.
The Sussex Thunder are an American football team from England based in Sussex. The club entered the league for the first time in 1997 when the Crawley Raiders merged with local rivals the Brighton B52s to form a new club – Sussex Thunder under inaugural Head Coach Jim Jasicki. The Thunder reached the BritBowl Final in their second year led by current Head Coach Ian Ellis, narrowly losing to the London Olympians. Success continued to allude the club afterwards, but on 20 September 2008, led by Head Coach Len Scott, the Thunder won the Division 1 national championship in an overtime win against the Redditch Arrows.
The history of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. began in 1901. It first played in the Southern League, and was elected to the Football League in 1920. They won promotion to the First Division in the 1978–79 season, but were relegated in the 1982–83 season. They returned to the top flight for the 2017–18 season playing in the Premier League.
Hastings United Football Club, previously known as Hastings Town, is a semi-professional football club based in Hastings, East Sussex. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division and have played their home games at The Pilot Field since 1985, after the demise of the previous Hastings United, whose identity they took on following a name change in 2002.
A wide variety of sport in Worthing has been played, which has a long and interesting history.
Sport in Sussex forms an important part of the culture of Sussex. With a centuries-long tradition of sport, Sussex has played a key role in the early development of both cricket and stoolball. Cricket is recognised as having been formed in the Weald and Sussex CCC is England's oldest county cricket club. Slindon Cricket Club dominated the sport for a while in the 18th century. The cricket ground at Arundel Castle traditionally plays host to a Duchess of Norfolk's XI which plays the national test sides touring England. The sport of stoolball is also associated with Sussex, which has a claim to be where the sport originated and certainly where its revival took place in the early 20th century. Sussex is represented in the Premier League by Brighton & Hove Albion and in the Football League by Crawley Town. Brighton has been in the Premier League since 2017 and has been a League member since 1920, whereas Crawley was promoted to the League in 2011. Brighton & Hove Albion W.F.C. play in the FA Women's Super League from 2017. Sussex has had its own football association, since 1882 and its own football league, which has since expanded into Surrey, since 1920. In horse racing, Sussex is home to Goodwood, Fontwell Park, Brighton and Plumpton. The All England Jumping Course show jumping facility at Hickstead is situated 8 miles (13 km) north of Brighton and Hove.
Football in Sussex refers to the sport of association football in relation to its participation and history within Sussex, England. Football is one of the most popular sports in Sussex with over 500 football clubs and 38,000 players in the county.
