BRIGHTON, England (AP) 鈥� Brighton’s players are paying the cost of match tickets for their fans who are traveling to the Arctic Circle for Thursday night’s UEFA Conference League playoff match against Norwegian team Troms酶.
The Premier League club said Wednesday that the 407 fans making the trip will get ticket-cost refunds as well as scarves and t-shirts as a special thanks for their dedication.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said players wanted to recognize their supporters’ commitment.
鈥淭he fans didn鈥檛 know where they were going until the last minute. It鈥檚 a long trip for the them, last minute to organize,鈥� Dunk said on the club’s website. 鈥淲e thought we want to start the season off well for the fans and make a gesture by refunding their tickets as a group.鈥�
Brighton’s eighth-place finish in the Premier League last season put the team into a two-legged playoff in Europe’s third-tier club competition.
Troms酶 advanced to play Brighton by completing a 7-1 aggregate victory over Romanian club Cluj last Thursday.
The game in northern Norway is Brighton’s first competitive match of the season.
Brighton said the fans will receive their refund in the days after the game.
鈥淗opefully the fans appreciate this gesture from the players and it鈥檚 a good start to a good season with them and we can all enjoy it along the way,鈥� Dunk said.
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