Two board members of Brighton and Hove Albion will be stepping down this summer, the club confirmed today.

Derek Chapman and Marc Sugarman will be stepping down as non-executive directors of the club on 30 June 2024, after a combined 40 years on the board.

Chairman Tony Bloom said: “We have benefitted hugely from a stable and consistent board of directors for many years.

“By the time Derek and Marc, who have both made exceptional contributions to the club, step down next summer it will be eight years since Michelle Walder joined our board and we last made any change to our non-executive directors.

“Derek joined the board when the club was playing at Gillingham in the old Third Division in 1999, and will have served the club as a director for 25 years when he steps down.

“As a lifelong fan, Derek helped fund the move back to Withdean and to keep the club afloat during the early 2000s, and is credited along with several others with coming up with the club’s famous Seagulls nickname in 1975.

“Derek’s expertise and experience in the construction industry was pivotal for the delivery of the American Express Stadium and the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, both of which he project managed and delivered on time and on budget.

“Derek also acted as the club’s interim chief executive early in 2012, was a trustee of Albion in the Community (now Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation) for six years, and chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion women’s football operations, when the team was promoted to The FA Women’s Super League.

“Now that the club’s main infrastructure is in place, Derek feels that it is the right time for him to step down from the club’s board.

“Marc, a chartered accountant and another lifelong Brighton fan, joined the club’s board in 2009. With a background in banking, Marc’s considerable experience as a media analyst for Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, has provided the club with invaluable insight in to the value of sports media rights during his time on the board.