Amex Stadium

Lore & Background

The plans were initiated by Brighton & Hove Albion after the club's previous home, the Goldstone Ground, was sold by the club's former board to developers in 1995 with no new home arranged. When the club was evicted at the end of the 1996–1997 season, it groundshared for two seasons at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium. Two years later, the club returned to Brighton as tenants of Withdean Stadium. The site at Falmer was identified during the 1998–99 season.

Planning permission was given by Brighton and Hove City Council in June 2002, but faced opposition from Lewes District Council and local residents. John Prescott approved the plans on 28 October 2005, but withdrew approval in April 2006. Hazel Blears re-affirmed approval on 25 July 2007, and the deadline for appeal expired on 4 September 2007. Construction started on 17 December 2008 and finished in May 2011. The stadium was handed over to the club on 31 May 2011.

Reader's Guide

The stadium officially opened on 30 July 2011, hosting a friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur. The first competitive match was the Sussex Senior Cup final on 16 July 2011, when Brighton's development squad beat Eastbourne Borough 2–0. The first competitive first team fixture was on 6 August 2011, when Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1. The stadium hosted Premier League football for the first time in August 2017. It hosted European football for the first time on 21 September 2023 when Brighton played against AEK in the UEFA Europa League. The stadium has hosted matches from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, and some 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup fixtures. The current record attendance is 31,872 against Luton Town on 12 August 2023.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was designed to allow hosting for other sports and events.
• The stadium uses hawks to scare away seagulls and pigeons.
• The first league game at the stadium was against Doncaster Rovers, who were also the opponents in the last game at Brighton's former stadium, the Goldstone Ground, 14 years earlier.
• The stadium hosted a famous Rugby World Cup upset in 2015 when Japan beat South Africa 34–32.

Foundational History and Early Struggles

Brighton & Hove Albion were founded in 1901 and played their early professional football in the Southern League. They were elected to the Football League in 1920, joining the new Third Division. In the Southern League, they won their only national honour to date, the FA Charity Shield, by defeating Football League champions Aston Villa in 1910. They won the Third Division South title in the 1957–58 season, securing promotion to the Second Division. Relegation came in 1962, followed by a successive relegation in 1963 that dropped them into the Fourth Division for the first time. They won the Fourth Division title in 1964–65 and remained in the Third Division until 1972, when they secured promotion back to the Second Division as runners-up.

The Mike Bamber Era and Historic Finals

Mike Bamber was chairman from October 1972 until 1983. He brought Brian Clough to the club in 1973 and later appointed Alan Mullery as manager. Under Mullery, Brighton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up in 1979. The 1982–83 season saw Brighton relegated, finishing in last place, but that same season they reached their first FA Cup final. The first match against Manchester United ended in a 2–2 draw, with goals from Gordon Smith and Gary Stevens. The match featured an infamous miss by Gordon Smith with the last kick of the game in extra time, prompting BBC commentator Peter Jones to say '...and Smith must score.' Smith's kick was saved by Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey. Manchester United won the replay 4–0.

Financial Crisis and Survival Against the Odds

After four seasons, relegation to Division Three came in 1987, but Brighton were promoted back the next season. In 1991 they lost the play-off final at Wembley to Notts County 3–1, only to be relegated the next season. Further relegation came in 1996 to Division Three. The club's financial situation became increasingly precarious, and the directors decided to sell the Goldstone Ground to pay off debts.

Manager Jimmy Case was sacked after a poor start to the 1996–97 season. Steve Gritt was appointed manager, and Brighton's league performance improved, but a two-point deduction was imposed for a pitch invasion by fans protesting the sale of the Goldstone Ground. Lifelong fan Dick Knight took control of the club in 1997, having led fan pressure to oust the previous board. On the last day of the season, Brighton had to play Hereford United to avoid relegation from the Football League.

Brighton defender Kerry Mayo scored an own goal in the first half, but a late goal from Robbie Reinelt ensured Brighton retained their league status based on number of goals scored, while Hereford's 25-year league run ended.

Modern Renaissance and European Ambitions

The sale of the Goldstone Ground went through in 1997, forcing Brighton to play 70 miles away at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium for two seasons. Micky Adams was appointed manager in 1999. For the 1999–2000 season, Brighton secured a lease to play at Withdean Stadium, a converted athletics track. In 2000–01, Brighton were crowned champions of Division Three and promoted to Division Two.

Adams left in October 2001, replaced by Peter Taylor, and Brighton ended the season as Division Two champions, winning a second successive promotion. In May 2009, Tony Bloom replaced Dick Knight as chairman, securing £93 million funding for the new Falmer Stadium and a 75% shareholding. Brighton's final season at Withdean was 2010–11, in which they won League One under Gus Poyet. The Falmer Stadium opened in 2011.

In the 2016–17 season, Brighton finished second in the EFL Championship and were promoted to the Premier League, ending a 34-year absence from the top flight. In the 2022–23 season, Brighton finished sixth in the Premier League, their highest top flight finish ever, and qualified for the UEFA Europa League, their first participation in European club football.