Falmer Stadium: Brighton & Hove Albion
By Barbara van Cleve (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Falmer Stadium is the home of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, though it’s known as The American Express Community Stadium because of sponsorship reasons. It’s also known as The Amex for simplicity reasons. It’s located near to the village of Falmer, which is where it got its original name from. The Amex replaced the club’s former stadium, the Goldstone Ground, owing to the fact that the club’s former owners sold it to developers.
Because the old owners didn’t line-up a replacement ground for Brighton they ended up bouncing around a number of different stadiums whilst they looked for their own home. Originally they ground-shared with Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium before using Withdean Stadium for a time. The location that would eventually be the building area for Falmer Stadium was actually identified as early as 1998. However delays in planning permission meant that Brighton had to wait over a decade until their new stadium was officially opened in 2011.
Stats
| Falmer Stadium Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2011 |
| Capacity | 31876 |
| Average Attendance | 31543 |
| Record Attendance | 31752 (Brighton v Liverpool (2023)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 69 (7245) |
| Nickname | The Amex |
| Former Name | Falmer Stadium |
| Owner | The Community Stadium Limited |
| Sponsor | American Express |
| Clubs Hosted | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| First Fixture | Brighton v Spurs (30/07/2011) |
| Brighton & Hove Albion Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1901 |
| Nickname | The Seagulls, The Albion |
| Club Mascot | Gully the Seagull |
| Rivals | Crystal Palace |
| Previous Stadiums | Goldstone Ground, Priestfield Stadium, Withdean Stadium |
| Kit | Blue & White Hoops (Home) / Orange (Away) |
| Training Ground | American Express Elite Football Performance Centre |
| Shirt Sponsor | American Express |
| Team Owner | Tony Bloom |
| Record Goalscorer | Tommy Cook (123) |
| Record Appearances | Ernie Wilson (566) |
Falmer Stadium Photos
By Dominic Alves from Brighton
Paul Gillett [CC BY-SA 2.0]
By James Boyes from UK [CC BY 2.0]
Julian P Guffogg [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Nigel Cox [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Falmer Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Like most newer stadiums, The Amex is constructed in a bowl style. It still has four distinct sections, though, somewhat imaginatively called the North, South, East and West stands. The East Stand has two tiers and The West Stand has three, whilst the North and South Stands are single-tiered.
- The North Stand – With room for over 2,500 supporters, this stand is the one that houses the club’s most vocal supporters. Unlike with The South Stand behind the opposite goal this are of the ground is not joined up to the other sections by corner seating.
- The East Stand – Over 13,500 supporters can sit in this part of the stadium and it is considered to be the most family friendly area of the ground. If travelling supporters ever get an increased allocation of tickets then this is the part of the ground that they’ll sit in.
- The South Stand – With a central seating section as well as seating in the corners to connect it to the rest of the stadium, this is a touch larger than The North Stand. It’s also where the travelling fans are normally accommodated.
- The West Stand – The three tiers of The West Stand allow it to hold over 11,000 supporters, making it the largest section of the stadium. This is also the location of 14 luxury boxes.
Brighton & Hove Albion Ticket Prices
As is the case with most clubs in the country, Brighton & Hove Albion categorise their games depending on the opposition they face – and they have a lot of categories.
Prices also differ within each category depending on where in the ground you are looking to sit. The ticket also includes free bus and rail travel from within a subsidised zone.
Here are the cheapest and most expensive ticket prices for adults and concessions, although under 18’s can get a ticket for as little as £16:
- Adults: £30 – £72
- Concessions: £23 – £72
How To Get Brighton & Hove Albion Tickets
Brighton & Hove Albion have an excellent website with easy to find ticket pricing. That would be your first port of call if you’re hoping to buy tickets to see the club play live. You can also call the club’s ticket office directly to discuss your ticketing options or you can call in at the ticket office at the ground itself.
Where to Buy
Getting To Falmer Stadium
How one would go about getting to The Amex was one of the chief concerns when the stadium was built, so access is surprisingly easy and well thought out. Here are some of the more conventional methods you’ll want to consider.
Train – Falmer Railway Station is just 150 metres from the ground, so you’ll be able to walk it in about a minute. It’s on the East Castaway Line and Southern Railways operate services there about four times an hour. Brighton itself is, of course, a little bit out of the way from the rest of the country. A train from London can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and half, whilst a journey from further North will take however long it takes you to get to London plus the time it takes to change trains.
Bus – There are two bus stops really close to the ground that you can get to on bus numbers 23, 25 and 84. There are also services that run from the University of Sussex campus as well as match day services put on by the club.
Car – The club is conscious of its environmental footprint, so it positively discourages people from driving to the ground. There are Park & Ride options available from both The University of Brighton and Mill Road as well as Brighton Racecourse.
If you’re driving from London then you’ll want to get onto the M25 before taking the M23 to the A27. From there you’ll get onto the B2123 and this is the road on which you’ll find the Amex. If you’re travelling from somewhere up North, Manchester for example, then you’ll take the M6 (or M6 toll) to the M40 before getting onto the London Orbital and following the route outlined below.
By Air – All of the London airports are within easy distance of Brighton, so if you’re coming from abroad then you’ll want to consider which of those airports is best for you and take it from there. Gatwick, as an example, is just half an hour away from Brighton by train. There is an airport called Shoreham, or Brighton City, but this is typically the reserve of private light aircrafts.
Taxi – A taxi from Brighton Train Station to The Amex will set you back something in the region of about £20 and your journey will take about the same amount of minutes to complete. Obviously if you end up travelling at a busier time then you will inevitably end up paying more money.
Parking Near Falmer Stadium
As well as the excellent park and ride options the club also offers parking at two sites near to the ground. Parking there needs to be pre-booked, so do bear that in mind. You can head to either Sussex University’s Stanmer Park or Bridge Car Park. There is no on-street parking near to the ground and if you attempt to do that you may well end up with a fine or your car being towed away.
Useful Resources
- Parking - Just Park
Falmer Stadium Hotels
Brighton is a relatively famous seaside town, so there are a number of good hotel or Bed & Breakfast options available to you. We’ve picked out some of our favourites here, though:
The Downs Hotel - £65+
Leonardo Hotel Brighton - £90+
OYO Ruby Pub & Hotel - £74+
Pubs and Bars Near Falmer Stadium
Just as the nearby sea front means there are plenty of hotels to choose from in Brighton, so there are also a huge amount of bars and pubs for your consideration. We’ve tried to pick some that are particularly welcoming to sports fans for you here:
The Swan Inn
The Evening Star
The Post & Telegraph
Facilities
The facilities at The Amex are excellent, with padded seats, excellent views and good legroom on offer for all supporters within the stadium. The concourses behind the scenes are large and welcoming, with numerous stalls offering food and drink options before the match and at half-time. For those that care about such things there are also tremendous acoustics within the ground, meaning that there can be quite an atmosphere during matches that the supporters get ‘up’ for.
Prices
- Programme: £3.5
- Pie: £4.1
- Cup of tea: £2.1
- Beer: £4
Hospitality
Nominated in four different categories in the 2015 Stadium Events and Hospitality awards, it’s safe to say you’ll get a brilliant experience if you choose to take advantage of one of the hospitality packages available at The Amex. The stadium boasts ten lounges as well as 21 executive boxes, so your options are numerous should you wish to watch the match from a position of comfort and luxury.
Lounges typically open about two and a half hours before the game is due to kick off and they close at 11pm. There are different menus available depending on which lounge you have tickets for and what type of hospitality package you have selected. In the East and South lounges you will typically be offered ‘pub’ style food of burgers, ribs, curry or a vegetarian selection.
The Legends Box is the top tier of the hospitality offerings at Brighton. An exclusive private box for up to 12 guests in the West stand with a private balcony and padded seating. You also get a personal host, four course meal, premium complimentary drinks, 3 parking spaces, matchday programme, sweets and refreshments and more.
Other options include Mullery’s, Bruno’s, HB’s, and the Goldstone restaurant, all of which provide excellent food and drink options included in the price, plus visits from players or club legends. The difference is mainly the level of privacy you get.
Lastly, there is the Heineken experience. It’s gets you a private booth with a limitless Heineken beer tap built into the table – which could get messy. It’s a more casual (and less expensive) package than the others, and also includes a matchday programme, printed group photo, and pub grub.
Private Hire
Those lounges and executive boxes aren’t only there to cater to supporters hoping to enjoy a nice bite to eat before the game. They’re also the ideal place to hold meetings, parties and even weddings for those hoping to hold such an occasion in Brighton.
You can hire out the board room if you’re hoping for a professional looking, intimate affair, or you can opt for one of the larger lounges in order to host a dinner dance for up to 500 people. Whatever you opt for you’ll benefit from state-of-the-art equipment such as plasma screens, PA systems and wireless internet access. You can even combine two of the executive boxes for a larger meeting that still feels intimate or as a breakout space from a larger meeting, should that be what you’re looking for.
Stadium Tours & Museum
Whether or not you’re a fan of The Seagulls, a tour of The American Express Community Stadium is well worth your time if you ever find yourself at a loose end in Brighton. They run on Saturdays and Sundays, even if there’s a 3pm kick off, and the tour lasts for about an hour and three quarters.
Whilst on the tour you’ll take the upper part of The West Stand, the trophy room, the hospitality lounges, the press area, both sets of changing rooms and the dug-outs on the side of the pitch. Access to the club’s new museum, located next to Dick’s Bar, is also included in your ticket price. The whole thing costs £15 for adults and £7.50 to people under 16 or over 65.
About Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion, commonly referred to as simply ‘Brighton’, has been in existence as a football club since 1901. Nicknamed either The Seagulls or The Albion, they were elected to the Football League proper in 1920, having previously taken part in the Southern League.
The club enjoyed its most successful spell in the early ‘80s, playing their football in the top-tier of English football and reaching the final of the FA Cup. They lost out on the trophy to Manchester United after a replay, though not before they picked up a number of admirers. Their main rival is, strangely, Crystal Palace, despite the fact that the clubs are more than 40 miles apart from each other.
Brighton nearly went into liquidation after a number of years of mismanagement. They were close to being relegated out of the Football League and into the Conference before a boardroom takeover saved them and they ended up returning to the country’s Second Division. They spent the following fourteen years moving between the second and third tiers of English football before being promoted to the Premier League ahead of the 2017-2018 season, where they have remained ever since.
Falmer Stadium History
The stadium is one of the newest in the South coast area, opening as it did in 2011. The first game played there was between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, with the London club running out 3-2 winners. The first competitive match took place between the home side and Eastbourne Borough in the final of the Sussex Senior Cup. A strange quirk of fate meant that the stadium’s first home game came against Doncaster Rovers – the same team against whom the last match at the club’s previous permanent home had been played.
Despite being a young stadium, the record attendance has already changed a number of times. The first record was 21,897, set when Liverpool came to play The Seagulls in the League Cup in 2011. The Merseyside club were also the first away team to win a competitive match at The Amex. In 2012 the stadium’s capacity was increased and a new record attendance of 26,684 was set when Brighton saw out a goalless draw against Nottingham Forrest. The latest record attendance of 31,752 was set when Brighton hosted Liverpool during the 203-2024 Premier League season.
Future Developments
There are plans to expand The Amex as much as possible by filling in the gaps that are currently there and turning the offices into hospitality boxes. This only amounts to a few hundred extra seats, but since the stadium often sells out, they should come in very useful. There are plans to continue to develop the region around the ground too, with hopes that it will become something of a gateway between the area near the stadium and the town centre.
The design of the stadium is prohibitive to further capacity expansion though, so anything in the planning will be experiential improvements.