Brighton & Hove Albion were forced to make a late change to their preseason preparations after pitches reserved for the Premier League club were damaged during the recent G7 summit in France.
Fabian Hürzeler’s squad had been scheduled to train in Évian-les-Bains from July 23 until August 1. Club staff travelled to the area in advance, only to discover that the playing surfaces were no longer suitable for professional football.
According to Edward Elliot of the Press Association, the pitches had been used by helicopters carrying heads of state during the summit and were considered a potential injury risk.
World leaders leave their mark
The G7 summit took place in Évian-les-Bains from June 15 to 17 and brought some of the world’s most powerful political leaders to the French resort town.
Helicopters transporting figures including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and then British prime minister Keir Starmer reportedly landed on or close to the pitches Brighton had planned to use.
The repeated landings damaged the surfaces badly enough for the club to abandon the camp rather than risk injuries during an important period of physical preparation.
Brighton had initially announced the trip as a private training camp featuring behind-closed-doors matches against Annecy and Strasbourg. According to the club’s original preseason announcement, the camp was intended to prepare the squad for both the Premier League season and their upcoming European play-off.
Annecy friendly cancelled
The damage also led to the cancellation of Brighton’s friendly against Ligue 2 side Annecy, which had been scheduled for July 25.
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Instead, Hürzeler’s players remained at the club’s training centre in Lancing before travelling to an alternative camp in Austria.
Brighton reportedly had a contingency plan in place, limiting the disruption caused by the unexpected change. The cancelled Annecy fixture was replaced by an internal training match, allowing the coaching staff to maintain part of the squad’s original workload.
The club’s second match in France, a behind-closed-doors friendly against Strasbourg on August 1, is still expected to take place, although it will be played at a different venue.
Busy schedule remains unchanged
Brighton will return to the Amex Stadium for their final two public friendlies of the summer.
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They are scheduled to face Roma on August 8 before hosting Bologna on August 15. Both matches are due to begin at 3pm and will provide Hürzeler with his final opportunities to assess the squad before competitive football begins.
According to Brighton’s official fixture announcement, the two Italian clubs were selected as the final tests of the team’s preseason programme.
Brighton’s first competitive match will come in the UEFA Conference League play-off round on August 20. The second leg is scheduled for August 27, with the winners advancing to the league phase.
According to UEFA’s official draw schedule, Brighton will discover their opponents when the play-off draw is held on August 3.
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European return raises the stakes
Brighton qualified for the Conference League after finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, securing only the second European campaign in the club’s history.
Their league season begins at home to Aston Villa on August 23, just three days after the first leg of the European play-off. The return match will then be followed by a scheduled visit to Chelsea on August 29, although domestic fixture dates remain subject to television and European scheduling changes.
The compressed calendar explains why Brighton had carefully arranged an extended camp in France. Hürzeler must prepare his players for two competitions almost immediately, with little room for delays or fitness problems.
The sight of world leaders arriving at the G7 summit may have underlined Évian-les-Bains’ international importance. For Brighton, however, the diplomatic gathering produced a rather different legacy: ruined pitches, a cancelled match and an unexpected journey to Austria.
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