Mr Tugwell (The Argus, April 16) suggests that football “sold its soul to the Devil”, and that television companies “do not give a damn about supporters”.

Neither comment is fair or true.

Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, football stadia were dilapidated, hooliganism was rife, and attendances were falling. Families were staying away and the game’s future was in doubt.

The creation of the Premier League and the restructure of the lower level professional leagues run by the EFL, including a re-distribution of significant financial benefits to those clubs, has reversed each of these trends at every level of the game.

Furthermore, the FA’s own separate TV agreements for the FA Cup and England internationals have provided increased and much needed funding for grassroots football enabling investment in facilities at all levels and the game to grow further, including for women and girls which is a fast growing area that is a very important part of our club’s, as well as football’s, future.

Current regulations to protect attendances and participation at grassroots levels mean that games selected for live TV cannot be shown at 3pm on a Saturday so, as a consequence, they must be played at other times.

Clearly, some of these re-scheduled kickoff times will be inconvenient for some fans but they will also be more convenient for others, including for many thousands who wouldn’t otherwise have got to see the game if it wasn’t being shown live on TV.

Far from fans “being the last thing on the minds” of TV companies, broadcasters want full stadia, great atmospheres, and great games – so a lot of thought is given to the games selected for live broadcast and, I’m very pleased to say, it’s one of the reasons Albion games have, for several seasons now, featured prominently.

It’s not so long ago that we received regular complaints from our fans about never being selected for live TV!

Finally, far from the perception that top level football doesn’t exist at 3pm on a Saturday any more, 26 of our 38 Premier League games will have taken place on a Saturday at 3pm – or, if not, at the time originally scheduled in the fixture list (some games will always be played midweek or on a bank holiday in any season, regardless of live TV), while 12 fixtures (eight at home) have been selected (and kick-off times moved) for live TV coverage.

Interestingly, some of our highest “no shows” of the season (i.e. where fans that have bought tickets for a home match but not actually come to the game) have been for our games at 3pm on a Saturday, suggesting perhaps that this more traditional fixture slot is not as popular with all fans as it once was.

Paul Barber Chief Executive Brighton and Hove Albion