Brighton reveals plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium

Architecture studio KSS has designed a stadium for the women's team at Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club in England, which would be the first of its kind in Europe if built.

Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club announced this week that it is working with KSS on a planning application for a 10,000-capacity women's football stadium next to the Amex Stadium.

The club plans to complete the stadium by 2030. If built, it will become Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium and the third in the world, following the CPKC Stadium in Missouri and a stadium in Colorado for Denver Summit Football Club that is currently under development.

Facilities will be tailored to female athletes

With a planned minimum capacity of 10,000, the stadium will become a permanent home for Brighton's women's football team, which competes in the Women's Super League.

In KSS's design for the stadium, a bridge connects to the adjacent 31,876-capacity Amex Stadium, aiming to form a link between the women's and men's venues.

Facilities will be specially designed for female athletes and their supporters, including changing rooms, recovery spaces and social spaces.

"For too long, women have had to adapt to facilities that weren't designed with them in mind," said Women's Super League chief executive Nikki Doucet.

"Now, players, managers, staff and fans will be able to experience a stadium designed through the lens of her and reimagine what inclusive, high-performance spaces can look like for everyone, because when we build for her, we build better for all," she continued.

Purpose-built women's stadium "sends a strong message"

Doucet added that the plans mark "a massive moment" for women's football.

"It sends a strong message about the commitment, belief and value that does exist in the women's game, and it is a massive moment for the team, the fans, and the wider sport," she added.

"Brighton are building more than a stadium, they are building a society where equitable opportunity isn't an ambition, it's the standard."

In building a dedicated stadium, the Brighton football club hopes to reflect the women's team's identity, encourage repeat attendance from fans and further assist the growing interest in women's football.

"The prospect of a bespoke stadium, built exclusively for women's players, staff and supporters, is incredibly exciting," said Zoe Johnson, who is managing director of the women's team at Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.

"It is a project that is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and one of only three in the world, and will capture the imagination of stakeholders across the women's game, not just here but globally," she continued.

"We also hope the stadium can support academy and development fixtures, giving more of our young players valuable experience of playing in a purpose-built stadium environment."

Other football venues planned for the UK include Foster + Partners' design for Manchester United's stadium, which will become the country's biggest, and plans for a stadium in Oxford that will be fully powered by renewable energy.

The images are by Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club.

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