Brighton hope to build women's stadium by 2027-28

Brighton hope to build a new purpose-built stadium for the women's team by 2027-28, says chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber.

The club submitted a proposal to build a venue for the Women's Super League side in October 2023 and it was approved by the council several weeks later.

The Seagulls have since invested in the women's team, signing England internationals Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris last summer.

Brighton currently host the majority of their WSL matches at Crawley Town's Broadfield Stadium but Barber confirmed plans are "progressing" and the club have identified a site for a new stadium.

Asked if it will be completed by the start of the 2026-27 season, Barber told BBC Sport: "It's not totally out of the question. It depends, over the next few months, how things go.

"It is probably more realistic [to aim for the] 2027-28 season, but again, we will be working very hard to deliver the solution as quickly as we can.

"It will largely depend on the way we construct the stadium and how quickly we can move through planning consents.

"There is a lot of work to do and we're excited to be involved in it. I think it will be a huge step for women and girls football in our city."

In 2021, the women's team moved into their training facilities at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre - a result of an £8.5m investment.

Barber believes a purpose-built stadium is "important" to give "respect and focus" on the women's team.

He hopes it will help the club build a fanbase and capitalise on the growth of women's football in England.

"Every club in the country, I think, is looking at how it can integrate women's and girls' football more into its mainstream operations," added Barber.

"Some clubs have got different strategies to us but we feel that a women's stadium would be a wonderful thing to have back in the city.

"We think it would help us build an audience for the women's team that we don't currently have and we see this as a long-term project.

"The women's game is growing rapidly and we see it as a very viable proposition for the future."

Brighton's plans for the stadium include a "slightly modular" approach that will allow them to expand the size of it as the audience grows.

But Barber admitted it is "not inconceivable" that both the men's and the women's first teams would play regularly at the American Express Stadium in the future.

"I don't want to put numbers on it at the moment because that would be a bit premature when we're still talking to the stakeholders and local authorities," he added.

"Ultimately, at some point in the future, it's not inconceivable that we would unite both our men's and women's teams back in the AMEX - when we've been able to perhaps modify some of the facilities we have to suit the women's team.

"But in the short-term and medium-term, I think a purpose-built women's stadium is the right way for us to grow our programme."