October 14 – Brighton & Hove Albion Chairman Tony Bloom has said plans for a new, purpose-built stadium for the club’s women’s team have faced delays beyond the club’s control – though he insists that they remain central to the Seagulls’ long-term vision.
BBC reports that Bloom has reaffirmed Brighton’s commitment to creating a permanent home for their women’s side within the city, calling it “vitally important”.
The club’s ambition to build a bespoke venue was first approved in principle by Brighton and Hove City Council in October 2023, with a targeted completion around the 2027/28 season.
However, two years later, progress has been slower than hoped.
“We are really committed to bringing the women’s team back to Brighton full-time,” Bloom told BBC Sussex. “We don’t have a stadium outside of the Amex in the Brighton and Hove area to be able to play the games, and unfortunately the Amex — the wonderful stadium that it is — can’t host all of the games because of Premier League scheduling.”
Brighton’s women’s team currently play most of their Women’s Super League (WSL) fixtures at Crawley Town’s Broadfield Stadium, around 20 miles from the city, though select matches are held at the 36,000-seat Amex Stadium. They currently sit seventh in the WSL after six games, having most recently lost 1-0 to Arsenal away from home.
Bloom conceded that the scale of the men’s ground doesn’t suit the regular women’s fixtures, which typically draw crowds of between 4,000 and 6,000.
“We do it sometimes because we want to have games in Brighton but having four, five or six thousand in a 36,000 stadium isn’t great for atmosphere. A designated stadium for women players, for the fanbase which is a very different demographic to people watching our men’s team, I think it’s vitally important to this football club and this city,” Bloom added.
The club revealed in January that it had identified a site for the new ground but stopped short of naming the location. Bloom suggested that “delays” have been caused by “things outside of our control,” but gave no further details.
For Brighton, the project reflects the club’s broader strategy to expand their footprint in the women’s game — a commitment that has seen significant investment in facilities, coaching, and community engagement over recent seasons.
While timelines remain uncertain, Bloom’s comments underline that Brighton intend to join a growing number of top-flight clubs — including Leicester City and West Ham — in developing stadiums tailored to their women’s sides.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]