Albion unveiled the new fanzone outside The Amex at the end of March, and the reactions have certainly caused a division.
The fanzone, named ‘The Terrace’, which I will not mention again to avoid a nice lawsuit, is currently the largest in the country, with indoor and outdoor space for up to 3000 people.
There’s nothing quite like a shiny new multi million pound toy sitting outside the ground you’ve been going to every week, as long as it’s novelty doesn’t wear off too quickly.
What is ‘worth it’?
The club have made an effort to upgrade the food and drinks capabilities as opposed to your standard fish and chips (which are still available in the Bennetts Field car-park at the back of the South Stand). 2013 Masterchef winner and owner of Etch restaurant in Hove, Steven Edwards’ food is available as ‘BITES’, offering hotdogs.
Other mixtures of chicken and chips dishes, amongst toasties and Asian foods are also available. Of course, actually attaining these can be difficult on a busy match-day. Large screens, similar to most fast-food spots these days exist to order from in an attempt to minimise the queues.
On first visit, it’s busy. Very busy. Large, bright screens illuminate the exterior, which has proven helpful to watch the early kick-off before heading into your very rare 3pm game. Being able to catch up with mates whilst grabbing a pint and watching other football in a nice space is the way to go before football, and its is that part of it that largely appeals to me.
Having access to somewhere near the stadium is certainly welcomed. The fan-zone offers somewhere closer to drink after the game to cut down the initial chaotic queues back to Falmer station, which will definitely be a factor utilised by most fans. Not having to run back down towards the North Stand does make it a much easier process to meet up with that mate to talk about the 0-0 draw we’ve just had against Burnley.
You can also catch away games that are not [legally] available to watch if not on Sky Sports or TNT etc. £6 for a ticket, including a free pint to watch an away game you couldn’t get tickets to is a nice idea though. Soaking up a match-like atmosphere at your home ground with a few pints is probably the next best alternative, and one that could certainly be enjoyed with good company.
The venue opens up a great host of potential events, and evenings to enjoy external of the football. Treating it like the club’s own Boxpark is how it’ll likely be viewed, and with two Univercity’s within it’s vicinity; it appears to be a match made in East Sussex.
What isn’t so good?
Albion have also publicised external events and various nights at ‘The Terrace’, which have certainly had their mixed reviews. Most notably, the Players’ Awards Evening has been met to a great deal of criticism over the price for a ticket, for an event annually streamed for free on the Club’s YouTube Channel.
Brighton slapped a £65 price tag on the night, to watch the awards via a live stream shown at the fan-zone, with Fatboy Slim in attendance for a fan party. You’d also have a portion of food and a drink (pint) as part of the fee. The night was cancelled as part of fans taking back a bit of power and deciding enough is enough when it comes to spending money at the football club. Money isn’t easy, and football is very expensive anyway. The consistent friction between the two have proven to be an ongoing battle between the club and its fans for some time now.
To be honest, it is quite nice to see a small win for the fans for once.
As well as the events, you have the worry over local businesses and its impact on them. By all means enjoy the Fan-Zone, but give that money to the local pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars that will be needing it over in the city centre. Losing out on business is inevitable, as a monopoly forms a touch in favour of Brighton with the new Fan-Zone.
Finally, the segregation between top and bottom halves of the building were taken to in mixed manners. To an extent, I get it. You have a place to squeeze into downstairs, and then head upstairs for somewhere a bit more out of the way and to sit down in a quieter space. The fact you have to have an Amex card to go upstairs was the sticky one for fans initially, but perhaps a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.
Ultimately the price point and accessibility will be its major telling points. So long as fans don’t feel like they’re being totally taken the mickey out of, they’ll probably do it. Whether you could argue that we are already at that stage yet remains to be seen.
As Dogma alluded to very well on social media though, some fans wanting to leave early to grab an early seat in the new place does seem like a sad new normal for football.
