Brighton announced plans to build England’s first purpose-built women’s football stadium, a £75 million to £80 million project projected to open by the 2030/31 WSL season.
The Brighton women’s stadium will sit on Bennett’s Field, directly next to the men’s team’s Amex Stadium. The venue will hold a minimum capacity of 10,000, while connecting to the Amex via a bridge walkway.
Chairman Tony Bloom is funding the project, though the club remains open to government contributions. Brighton is targeting a 2030/31 WSL season opening, pending approval.
The facility becomes just the third purpose-built women’s stadium globally, following the NWSL’s Kansas City and Braga’s Amélia Morais Stadium in Portugal. No English has a newly built dedicated women’s football stadium, while teams like Chelsea and Arsenal opted to move games to their men’s stadiums.
Brighton designed every aspect through a women’s football lens — from pitch surfaces that could prevent certain injuries to dressing room configurations and family-friendly amenities. The club currently draws 2,000 to 3,000 fans per match.
“It will help us push forward our ambitions to compete consistently both domestically in the Women’s Super League and also in European club competition, while helping us to attract key staff and grow a passionate fan base,” managing director Zoe Johnson said in a team statement.
Former Chelsea and current Brighton star Fran Kirby called the stadium a “big attraction” for retaining and recruiting elite talent.
“We strongly believe it will strengthen our ability to attract elite talent, help develop our younger players for the future, support the growth of our fan base and create a genuine sense of belonging around the women’s game,” Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said.
The club plans to still shift bigger matchups to the 33,000-capacity Amex, while also building long-term fan engagement at its dedicated women’s venue.