Why Tony Bloom's new £80m Brighton stadium will prove the critics wrong

Brighton Women and their fans have spent the past few years trekking up the motorway to Crawley.

Crawley Town’s Broadfield Stadium has served them well and helped Brighton establish themselves in the Women's Super League.

Dario Vidosic's team are currently sixth in the top flight and on May 10 they take on Liverpool in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

Victory against the Reds would see Brighton to a Wembley final on May 31 and boost the profile of their women's team even further.

It's impressive progress for the club but chairman Tony Bloom is determined to take a hugely significant step forward.

Historic day for Brighton

Yesterday's announcement of the new £80m women's stadium felt like a historic day for the club. The 10,000 seater arena will be built smack-bang next door to the existing Amex Stadium and will even be connected via a footbridge. They hope to complete the build by 2030.

It's only the third bespoke women's football ground in the world and the first in the UK and Europe. In the US, Kansas City constructed the first purpose-built women’s stadium in 2024 and Denver Summit are also on track for 2028 as their 14,500 build takes shape at the Santa Fe Yards.

I was at the announcement yesterday at the Amex Stadium and the club stated how the changing rooms, pitch standards and recovery spaces will "support elite female players".

Fans will also notice a difference on matchdays too as it will be designed to welcome families and "first-time attendees".

There will be breastfeeding rooms, baby changing areas and 'buggy parks' for prams.

"We want to rethink the audience that come to the women's stadium," said Brighton chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber. “We need to look at this through the lens of women, girls and families and that’s quite different to the way we designed the Amex.”

Some say it’s ‘a waste of money’

Many Brighton fans were delighted with the news but some stated, "It's a waste of money," and a few then took the opportunity to knock the women's game. That's kind of missing the point though and as always, chairman Bloom is taking a long-term view.

Bloom plans to finance the build himself and as yet there's no talk of investors or naming rights for the new stadium. American Express currently sponsor the main stadium and the training ground at Lancing.

Brighton Women have attracted an average crowd of around 2,500 this season at the Broadfield. They have the sixth highest attendance in the WSL but fans have to travel the furthest distance in the league away from a club's main stand.

The Broadfield is 22 miles from the Amex and the average in the WSL is around six miles. Extra travel time and poor facilities have been blamed for stunting the growth of the women's game. Brighton will continue to play at Crawley for the next few seasons, until their new home is ready.

Arsenal average 35,000

Arsenal women play their home matches at the Emirates and have average attendances of around 35,000. Chelsea also plan to move to Stamford Bridge in future.

Brighton women have previously played at the main Amex but if it's not full, the atmosphere is quite hollow and echoey. It's like a training session as opposed to a matchday feel.

The new stadium will give the team and the fans a permanent base and identity.

Women's football remains on the rise and this proposed new stadium will help Brighton remain at the forefront.

It makes sense on many levels. Bloom is not only doing what he thinks is best for the club, he's also looking 20 years ahead, investing in the future and making a business decision.

Proving the cynics and sceptics wrong is just another good reason.