LONDON, April 28 – Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday unveiled plans to build the first purpose-built women’s football stadium in Europe, with at least 10,000 seats and scheduled to open by the 2030-31 season.
Work has begun on a planning application for the proposed stadium, described by the club as “built for her”, at Bennett’s Field next to the men’s American Express Stadium.
Brighton, whose teams are currently sixth in the Premier League and Women’s Super League respectively, said the site was acquired in 2025 and would allow shared operations and facilities on men’s and women’s matchdays.
Once completed, the ground would be one of only three dedicated women’s football stadiums globally, following two NWSL club grounds – Kansas City Current’s CPKC Stadium and Denver Summit’s planned venue.
The CPKC Stadium opened in 2024 as the first in the world to be purpose-built for a professional women’s football team.
“It will help us push forward our ambitions to compete both domestically in the Women’s Super League, and also in European club competition, while helping to attract key staff and grow a passionate fan base,” Brighton Women’s Managing Director Zoe Johnson said in a statement.
“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.”
The club said the stadium would be designed around the specific needs of female athletes, including pitch standards, changing rooms and recovery facilities, rather than adapting venues historically built for the men’s game.
“Our new women’s stadium is a powerful statement of our ambitions and will be integral to driving further momentum for the growth of women’s and girls’ football, not just in the UK but across the world,” Brighton Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman Paul Barber said.
“With a capacity aligned to Women’s Super League regulations, the stadium reflects our clear belief in ‘right sizing’ the stadium to grow the fan base sustainably.”
A small but growing number of Women’s Super League clubs now play their home fixtures at their men’s first-team stadiums, reflecting rising attendances and greater institutional backing.
Chelsea announced last week that they would play all their home games at Stamford Bridge from next season, joining the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa and Leicester City who hold their women’s home league games at the men’s first-team ground.
Arsenal are the most established example, staging every WSL home match at the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium following record crowds and sustained demand.
Everton have followed suit, moving permanently into Goodison Park after the men’s side relocated to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, giving the women’s team one of English football’s most historic grounds.
Aston Villa and Leicester City have also committed to hosting all league games at Villa Park and the King Power Stadium respectively.
Most other WSL clubs split women’s fixtures between smaller dedicated venues and occasional games at their main grounds. REUTERS