Brighton plan Europe's first purpose-built £80m women's stadium

[davieG]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ce8p01x34pyo

 

 

Emma Sanders

BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

 

 

Brighton and Hove Albion have released their plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, which will cost £75-80m.

The club say the new stadium will "provide a permanent home and identity for the women's team" in an attempt to drive long-term fan growth.

Located at Bennett's Field, a site adjacent to the Amex Stadium - the home of Brighton's Premier League side - it will hold an initial capacity of 10,000 and will be connected to the Amex via a bridge walkway.

With work under way on a planning application, the club hope to officially open the stadium for the start of the 2030-31 season.

"The prospect of a bespoke stadium, built exclusively for women's players, staff and supporters, is incredibly exciting," said the club's managing director of women's and girls' football, Zoe Johnson.

"It is a project that is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and one of only three in the world, and will capture the imagination of stakeholders across the women's game, not just here, but globally."

Brighton say changing rooms, pitch standards and recovery spaces will "support elite female players", while the matchday experience will be "designed to be especially welcoming for families and first-time attendees".

There will be breastfeeding rooms, baby changing areas and 'buggy parks' for prams, as well as social spaces on the concourse to host events and underground car parking.

Johnson added the stadium will help the club "push forward our ambitions to compete consistently both domestically in the Women's Super League (WSL), and also in European club competition", while attracting "key staff and growing a passionate fanbase".

"We also hope the stadium can support academy and development fixtures, giving more of our younger players valuable experience of playing in a purpose-built stadium environment," she said.

Brighton have played at the Amex on occasion but currently host the majority of their WSL matches at Crawley Town's Broadfield Stadium, about 20 miles away.

 

Ten of the 12 clubs in the WSL are affiliated with a Premier League side, and many are moving into the men's team's grounds as they expand.

Chelsea Women made Stamford Bridge their permanent home this month, following moves by Arsenal, Aston Villa and Leicester City, who all play their WSL matches at the club's main stadiums.

But Brighton's new stadium will be the first purpose-built ground in the top flight of women's football in England.

While a new concept in Europe, the world's first bespoke women's football ground opened in the United States. Kansas City Current have played at the CPKC Stadium for the past two seasons. And new US franchise Denver Summit are building their own stadium, with a planned opening for the 2028 season.

"To have a stadium designed specifically for the women's team is a significant moment for the game," said Brighton manager Dario Vidosic.

"It shows real intent and it tells players across the world that we are serious about high performance and long term success."

Backed by owner Tony Bloom, the club first announced they hoped to build the new stadium by 2027-28 but they encountered setbacks in their search for land.

In 2025, chief executive Paul Barber told BBC Sport the club were exploring the safety of various surfaces as part of their stadium plans, with a view to reducing injury risk.

They undertook their own research in partnership with local universities, to ensure the surface of their new women's pitch would be suitable.

Bloom confirmed the club are not currently seeking outside investment in their new stadium.

"Environment is crucial for me, every day, and I have seen the impact of the club's multi-million-pound investment in the state-of-the-art training facilities," Vidosic added.

"When players feel valued in the spaces they train and compete in, standards rise. This creates the conditions to push the team forward and continue to compete at the highest level."

In 2021, the women's team moved into training facilities at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre - a result of an £8.5m investment.

At their disposal is a gym, medical centre, changing areas, recovery facility and swimming pools, as well as state-of-the-art training pitches.

 

 

Was a switch to the Amex considered?
The Amex Stadium has hosted a number of women's football matches, including the Lionesses' historic Euro 2022 quarter-final victory over Spain.

However, Brighton did not consider the Amex to be a suitable home for their women's team because of plans to expand its capacity to 33,000.

Brighton have an average crowd of just over 3,000 in the WSL this season.

"Around 10,000 is a really good capacity for what I think will be the demand for when we bring women's football home to Brighton, to be playing at our own designated stadium," said Bloom.

"The Amex is the most magnificent stadium. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well for women's football because it will become a 33,000 capacity when we finish."

Brighton CEO Barber added: "The right size is really important for women's football at the moment. It's about being ambitious, but not overly ambitious.

"Putting top-class football matches on at stadiums that are too big can be detrimental, because it can give a sense to the crowd that's there that not everyone cares as much as they do.

"If you have the right sized stadium which is full, noisy and atmospheric, then everyone feels it's a major event they want to be at, which women's football is.

"If it explodes and we get to that lovely position where we're regularly selling out, then we have a neighbouring stadium that we might be able to switch to for bigger games if we get to that point."

 

[AKCJ]

What a ridiculous waste of money.

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, AKCJ said:

What a ridiculous waste of money.

you wait till they sell the women's team and stadium for FFP, won't look silly then!

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

I'll be there backing the Seagulettes week in, week out

[davieG]

Leicester City women might have won a match by the time it’s built

[filbertway]

There's gonna be some mad angle to this that benefits the men's team.

[JonnyZeroFox]

2 minutes ago, filbertway said:

There's gonna be some mad angle to this that benefits the men's team.

I would have thought so, it is a lot of money they are investing into it here 

[Voll Blau]

5 hours ago, AKCJ said:

What a ridiculous waste of money.

It is. But it will also wind up all the worst people in the country.

 

So, while I hope it's an unmitigated disaster, I also hope it's an unmitigated success.

[Mike Oxlong]

Surely they've got to build an £80m trans stadium too 

[foxfanazer]

2 hours ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

I'll be there backing the Seagulettes week in, week out

Surely they're called the Shegulls 

[davieG]

It'll be used for other events.

[The Fosse Way]

The reasoning for it is right there and makes perfect sense. Our club is a great example of why, if you have the money, this is a good idea. Unless you just don't want any money to be spent on women's football.

[davieG]

44 minutes ago, The Fosse Way said:

The reasoning for it is right there and makes perfect sense. Our club is a great example of why, if you have the money, this is a good idea. Unless you just don't want any money to be spent on women's football.

If we'd built our 5K seater arena the women could have been using that and still take advantage of all the other new stuff in situ.

[Nick]

19 hours ago, AKCJ said:

What a ridiculous waste of money.

I may disagree there. Its a new growth market - its quite a shrewd move and positive for the women's game.

[ajthefox]

20 hours ago, AKCJ said:

What a ridiculous waste of money.

I see why you might think that and others will too, but the research and trends on women's football suggest otherwise.

 

I was in a lecture recently with bigwigs from KSS, Populous and a German company who did the Bernabeu re-work and Populous in particular spoke at length about where they see the market going for stadium complexes. The potential growth in the market for the women's game in general is massive and their feelings were that in the long term this is going to reap rewards.

 

[everton carr]

What kind of crowds do Leicester Woman's side get?Be surprised if they get more then 15K tbh

[purpleronnie]

4 minutes ago, everton carr said:

What kind of crowds do Leicester Woman's side get?Be surprised if they get more then 15K tbh

LOL.  Divide that by 5 and you'll be around their average.

[everton carr]

1 hour ago, purpleronnie said:

LOL.  Divide that by 5 and you'll be around their average.

Seriously thought they got fairly decent crowds

[Parafox]

Sorry, it stinks of a tax scam or something that will avoid some PSR or whatever. Like Chelsea selling their hotels to avoid tax/PSR investigations 

 

Also, I can't see the women's game, as popular as it is with the obvious supporters and rightly so, ever being as robust as the men's game. 

 

I guess that, over time, it will develop further but I doubt it will ever attract the audience numbers that men's football does.

Edited 30 April by Parafox

[Asha]

23 hours ago, foxfanazer said:

Surely they're called the Shegulls 

Why did I laugh so much at this 

 

[Muzzy_no7]

Yeah, stinks this

[ajthefox]

2 hours ago, Parafox said:

Sorry, it stinks of a tax scam or something that will avoid some PSR or whatever. Like Chelsea selling their hotels to avoid tax/PSR investigations 

 

Also, I can't see the women's game, as popular as it is with the obvious supporters and rightly so, ever being as robust as the men's game. 

 

I guess that, over time, it will develop further but I doubt it will ever attract the audience numbers that men's football does.

No-one said it is about being "as robust" as the men's game. You are missing the point comparing the two.

 

Arsenal's women are averaging 30k+ at home. This is better than several mens PL teams. They have some honking numbers in there but also hit 50k+ against Man City recently. It's not about any specific number though, it is about growth.

 

The women's game is growing massively. I don't watch it and I'm not advocating for it especially, that is simply what numbers say in terms of revenue, attendances and eyeballs.

[Jattdogg]

I appreciate the thought but a complete waste of money.

[AKCJ]

20 hours ago, ajthefox said:

I see why you might think that and others will too, but the research and trends on women's football suggest otherwise.

 

I was in a lecture recently with bigwigs from KSS, Populous and a German company who did the Bernabeu re-work and Populous in particular spoke at length about where they see the market going for stadium complexes. The potential growth in the market for the women's game in general is massive and their feelings were that in the long term this is going to reap rewards.

 

10k is hardly a ceiling though.

 

All this is doing is putting a firm cap on the growth. They should be aiming to get more people watching womens football at the Amex. With the way womens football is growing, it shouldn't be long until that 10k is too small. What happens then?

[purpleronnie]

3 hours ago, AKCJ said:

10k is hardly a ceiling though.

 

All this is doing is putting a firm cap on the growth. They should be aiming to get more people watching womens football at the Amex. With the way womens football is growing, it shouldn't be long until that 10k is too small. What happens then?

It's being built with the ability to expand if needed.

 

The owner explained why they needed a womens stadium.