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

There are times when a football club does something outstanding.  

For Brighton & Hove Albion, this is one of those moments.

Plans for a new 10,000-capacity stadium, purpose-built for the women’s side and nestled alongside the Amex, are not only ambitious - they are revolutionary.

In a landscape where women’s teams have so often been tenants, sharing space, compromising schedules and identity, the Seagulls are leading the way and choosing something different: a home of their own.

And writing as a lifelong Brighton supporter, and a gender equality expert, it is hard not to feel beyond proud.

The proposed ground at Bennett’s Field will be the first of its kind in the UK and Europe - designed specifically for women’s football, from the pitch surface to the facilities, to the food and more.

With the planning application work under way, the stadium is scheduled to open at 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."

That might sound like a detail, but it matters. For decades, the women’s game has adapted itself to environments never built with women in mind.

But here, the design starts through the lens of women. Finally.

There will be tailored changing rooms, bathrooms, recovery areas and performance facilities created with female footballers and fans of the women’s game at the centre - not as an afterthought or as a mini side event.

Brighton currently play their home games miles away in Crawley, often in front of modest crowds.

The new stadium offers something far more meaningful than extra seats - it provides an opportunity to strengthen the existing community, create new communities and build upon the togetherness which already exists in abundance at the club.

For the city of Brighton and Hove, this is an investment not just in sport but in identity. A statement that women’s football is not a sideshow or a stepping stone, but a central part of the club’s future.

Importantly, it will bring jobs, attract visitors, and deepen the connection between team and community.

It tells young girls that their game is worth building for - literally.

Women’s football has surged in popularity in recent years, but infrastructure has struggled to keep pace.

Too often, the women’s game borrows space from the men’s, inheriting the limitations that come with it. Empty stadiums. Lack of atmosphere. Fixture clashes. And more.

A dedicated stadium changes the equation.

It ensures the team plays when it should, where it should, and in an environment designed for its success. It gives the club a unique selling point – a platform to attract players, grow its fanbase and compete at the highest level domestically and in Europe.

And for those of us who have followed Brighton through the Goldstone challenges, the Withdean lows and the Amex highs, this feels like another step in a journey defined by a club that is so often quoted as one of the best run football clubs in the world.

Tony Bloom, the club chairman confirmed that he’s not looking at any outside investors – he believes all the clubs teams come under the same umbrella and like the Am ex, he will fund this project.

It is not often a football club gets the chance to change the narrative.

For too long, women in the game have spoken about feeling invisible. This project challenges that.

From the Brighton & Hove Albion Fan Advisory Board:

“To Tony and the board, thank you. You are putting women front and centre and turning gender equality on its head.”

A stadium of their own.

Built for her.

Written by Sally Freedman

FAB Member