Brighton players covering fan tickets for Arctic Circle game

BRIGHTON, England -- Brighton & Hove Albion 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 Tromso.

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.

"The fans didn't know where they were going until the last minute. It's a long trip for the them, last minute to organize," Dunk said on the club's website. "We thought we want to start the season off well for the fans and make a gesture by refunding their tickets as a group."

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.

Tromso 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, and the club said fans will receive their refund in the days after the game.

"Hopefully the fans appreciate this gesture from the players and it's a good start to a good season with them and we can all enjoy it along the way," Dunk said.

Brighton begin play in the Premier League at home against Aston Villa on Aug. 23.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.