Fatboy Slim is to rename the ground of his favourite football team, Brighton and Hove Albion, 'Palookaville' after his new album. The club's Withdean ground will be rechristened for their match against Sheffield United on 2 Oct and fans inside the ground will hear a preview of the album two days before its official release on 4 Oct.
Norman Cook has been a fan of the team for years and his record label Skint have sponsored the club for six years. Brighton players will wear a specially designed shirt carrying the 'Palookaville' logo for the match. He said: "I have been a Brighton And Hove Albion fans for years. 'Palookaville''s coming home!" .
The club have been campaigning hard in recent years to move away from their temporary home at Withdean - which has a limited 7,000 capacity, to a new permanent home. They ended up there when the club's previous owners sold their old ground in 1997 - they have since been campaigning for planning permission to build a 22,000 seater stadium.
Brighton chairman Dick Knight said: "We've had a great relationship with Skint Records and Norman for over five years, during which time, like every Albion fan, they've experienced the quaint idiosyncrasies of our temporary home. So when Norman came up with the name of his new album - 'Palookaville' (a place for bums on cold wet seats and no shelter) it seemed totally appropriate to re-christen Withdean for the launch home game. It's a bit of fun and the irony won't be lost on everyone who knows why we need a proper stadium."