Brighton announced today plans for a UK and Europe first, a purpose-built stadium for its Women’s team. The proposed 10,000 seater will be built on the site of the underused Bennett’s Field car park, with a bridge linking the two grounds. It’s set to welcome the Women’s team in the 30/31 season.
Brighton’s 2030 Vision
This project coincides with Albion’s 2030 vision, which is the goal that by that year, Albion will be:
- An established top-half Premier League Side
- Pushing for European Football annually
- Cementing the women’s team as a top-four WSL Side
This project falls under the third point, with the goal of establishing Brighton as a dominant force in the women’s football landscape.
Since their first appearance in the modern first division, The Women’s Super League (WSL), in the 18/19 season, Brighton have maintained their spot ever since, where they are currently on track for a successive top six finish in a league where the top three teams gain at least some level of European Qualification.
With things already looking upward for the women’s team, this looks to be the final piece of the puzzle for the 2030 push.
Brighton is already a big centre for women’s sport, with games played recently at the Amex drawing big crowds, as well as it being a recent host for both the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2022 Women’s Euros.
The current home for Albion Women, Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium, is far from ideal in terms of distance from Brighton, with the hopes that a local ground can massively improve the just over 3,500 average currently seen at Women’s First team games.
Brighton will now become Europe’s first professional Women’s team with a dedicated stadium, and could lead the path to the team becoming a powerhouse in the Women’s football landscape.
The Stadium
The Bennett’s Field Stadium, with an impressive 10,000 capacity, is set to be built adjacent to The Amex, with a bridge linking the two, likely to link hospitality lounges and stadium tours.
As a result of the construction falling on a current car park, the club have reassured that ‘the sloping nature of Bennett’s Field will allow the stadium to accommodate underground parking facilities’.
The design of the stadium is very much that of a smaller, single-tiered Amex, with a bowl design, alongside the incorporation of the sloped roofs in the North and South ends, and two arch-shaped main stands.
The club has also said that this ground will also host select academy games:
“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.” -Zoe Johnson, Women’s Managing Director
This could also potentially pave the way for other lower-capacity events at the Amex, such as the Sussex Senior Cup Final, to be hosted in the new ground.
It goes without saying how massive this development is, and it shines a huge spotlight on our Women’s team, and will hopefully give them a huge boost in both performances and attendance, with future European adventures not looking at all unlikely in the near future.
