10,000-seat ground to be built next to existing Amex stadium
Brighton and Hove Albion FC have unveiled plans by KSS to build Europe’s first purpose-built football stadium for a women’s team.
The £80m stadium would be located at Bennett’s Field adjacent to the club’s Amex Stadium, the home of its Premier League team, which was also designed by KSS and completed in 2011.
The new stadium would be connected to the Amex by an elevated walkway and have an initial capacity of 10,000.
A full planning application for the scheme is currently being drawn up with the club aiming to open the ground by the start of the 2030-31 season.
Brighton said the stadium would have dedicated spaces to support female players and matchday facilities designed for families, including breastfeeding rooms, baby changing areas and parking areas for prams.
The stadium, only the third of its kind in the world, has been praised by leading figures from the women’s game including former Lioness Karen Carney.
“With the amazing summer we had with the women’s game last year, getting the right infrastructure is key to its future. So, it’s brilliant to see Brighton’s commitment to purpose-built facilities and a dedicated women’s stadium,” Carney said.
Nikki Doucet, chief executive of the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, said plans for the stadium sent a “strong message about the commitment, belief and value that does exist in the women’s game”.
“It is a massive moment for the team, the fans, and the wider sport. Brighton are building more than a stadium, they are building a society where equitable opportunity isn’t an ambition, it’s the standard,” Doucet said.
Brighton and Hove Albion are currently placed sixth in the Women’s Super League, having beaten Manchester City 3 - 2 last Saturday.
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