Lovely modern stadium. It has the feeling of being very intimate. Great views of the pitch. Very well kept. My visit was even better with a victory for the Lionesses 8-0
A great experience for me and my son (a Brighton fan living in Leicestershire).
I was very impressed with the free parking at the racecourse and the frequent free bus service to the stadium.
Relatively quick to get out of the stadium and back to the car park too compared to other football grounds we have been to.
All in all a great day out. And a win which was a bonus!
What a ground!
The stadium is tucked away in the rolling hills and we used the park and ride to get to the game.
All was very efficient and there truly is not a bad seat in the house.
I strongly suggest a hospitality package with the HB Restaurant as it added to the wonderful day.
Nice away day out. The stadium is one of the nicer P/L stadiums, you're close to the pitch, the seats are comfortable and there isn't that much of a queue for food in the concourse. The ground is easily accessible by rail and the large demand for trains is very well managed by Southern rail on match days.
Comfy, padded seats! Great view. Previously, we have sat in the lower level where the queues for the women's toilets were the worst for any stadium I've been to and the concourse was very cramped, but in the upper stand there were lots of toilets and very short queues, with a spacious concourse and lots of TVs. I would choose to book the upper stand again.
The site at Falmer was identified during the 1998–99 season and it was hoped that the stadium would be ready in the early to mid-2000s. However, subsequent delays in gaining planning permission meant that the club would have to wait until August 2011 before being able to play their home games there – more than a decade after the stadium was first proposed.
Planning permission[edit] Planning permission was given by the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove City Council in June 2002, with the intention of the stadium being ready for the 2005–06 season.[5] The plans for the stadium were opposed by neighbouring Lewes District Council and local residents. While the stadium lies completely within Brighton and Hove, part of the north-east of the site is in Lewes. Bennet's Field, as it is known, is now used for parking.
John Prescott, then Deputy Prime Minister, approved the plans on 28 October 2005. However, Lewes District Council immediately mounted a new legal challenge to the stadium plan. In April 2006, Prescott admitted that he had given his approval based on the misconception that only a small part of the stadium site lay on the Lewes side, and withdrew it.
Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State responsible for planning, re-affirmed the approval on 25 July 2007. Her decision went against the advice of planning inspectors. Lewes District Council, Falmer Parish Council and the South Downs Joint Committee (the three main opponents) announced shortly afterwards that they would not mount a high court challenge. On 4 September 2007, the deadline for appealing the new grant of permission expired and the club received full permission to proceed.
On 27 November 2008 the Buckingham Group signed the construction contract for the new stadium[6] and began preparation work on the site on 17 December. The stadium is set three storeys down into the ground. 138,000 cubic metres of chalk was excavated during its construction, which was put on the field on the south side of Village Way. This has been estimated to prevent 22,000 lorry trips taking the chalk to off-site landfill.[7] Construction at the site started on 17 December 2008 and finished in May 2011. The stadium was designed with scope for expansion, and plans were put in place to increase the capacity.
The stadium was designed by London-based architects, KSS.[8] The stadium capacity has been expanded, with an extra seating tier being installed above the East Stand (Family stand), which increases the capacity to about 30,000 seats. The deal with American Express Europe, Brighton and Hove's biggest private-sector employer, confirming the stadium's naming rights was announced on 22 June 2010.[9]
The stadium officially opened on 30 July 2011, hosting a friendly match against then-Brighton manager Gus Poyet's old club Tottenham Hotspur, the home-side narrowly losing 3–2. The first competitive match was held on 6 August 2011, when Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1, after being 1–0 down.[10] The stadium set its first record attendance with 21,897 against Liverpool. They were also the first away team to win a competitive match at the stadium, beating Brighton 2–1 in a League Cup tie in September 2011.[11] The stadium witnessed its first league defeat in its history when rival side Crystal Palace came from behind to win 3-1.[12] In use[edit] The stadium uses hawks to scare away seagulls and pigeons. This stops pigeons nesting in the stadium.[13] On 2 January 2012, Brighton & Hove Albion submitted an application to Brighton and Hove City council to increase the stadium capacity by a further 8,000 seats as well as to add additional corporate boxes, new television facilities and a luxury suite.[14] This was granted unanimously by Brighton & Hove City Council's planning committee on 25 April 2012. The stadium was expanded to 27,250 by the start of the 2012–13 season, 27,750 by December 2012 and stood at 30,750 by the end of the 2012–13 season.
A new record attendance was set on 15 December 2012 when 26,684 saw Brighton draw 0–0 with Nottingham Forest.[15] This record attendance was broken on 26 January 2013, when 27,113 attended a 3-2 defeat against Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup[16][17] Less than two months later and the record was broken again; this time 28,499 people watched Brighton beat Crystal Palace 3–0 on 17 March 2013.[18] This record was broken once again on 4 May 2013, on the last league game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers, 30,003 attended the game. This figure was beaten on 25 January 2015, when Arsenal visited in the FA Cup fourth round to once again win 3–2, in front of an attendance of 30,278. Another new attendance record of 30,292 came on 2 May 2016, when Derby County visited in the last home game of the 2015–16 season. A few weeks later this record was broken again when Brighton and Hove Albion played Sheffield Wednesday in the second leg of the play-offs. The record was broken once again on 24 September 2017 when 30,468 attended Brighton's 1–0 win over Newcastle United.[19] The current record of 30,682 was set at a Premier League match against Liverpool on 12 January 2019.[1] On 25 March 2013, the stadium hosted England's under-21s international friendly against Austria's under-21s.
Walking around the seafront in Brighton in February is certainly not the warmest activity. With the wind, the rain, the mist, and the frigid temperatures I... Read More
An excellent way to divest yourself of money you don't need. Either buy one of the cards for rides, or head to the gaming arcade, or even just drop it ( or... Read More
Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside! Just like in the song. This is a fun, lively, active pier. Arcades, games, restaurants, fishing, souvenirs, snacks,... Read More
Great place to have lunch, breakfast or even brunch.
Very inviting open plan warehouse style building with upper level and lower level seating.
On the... Read More
Wonderful food and attentive staff. Enjoyed a burger and salad with the family. Lovely atmosphere with a delicious menu. My son had the double chicken... Read More
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