[Albion] 16th best Premier League stadium?

[Weststander]

Exactly this. The Amex location fundamentally means that there’s three routes out. Train, bus or car, everyone is taking one of these three options (excepting a gaggle of hardy cyclists). Massive pinch points.

It’s that feeling that you haven’t left the stadium 50 minutes after the match ended because you’re still stood 100 yards away waiting for a bus.

I wasn’t a regular at the Goldstone, but when I went it didn’t matter where I was living, I set off and I was moving. That (to me) is the difference. We can’t clear these pinch points fast enough.

I was a Goldstone regular from Jan 76. Even with 33k plus gates, at final whistle we just walked off to the Hove Park area or down to Shirley Street where my Dad had parked. Home to our town 10 miles away 45 minutes later, picking up the Argus Night Final on the way.

 

[Muzzman]

Selfishly, The Amex is higher than 16th for me, I have no complaints about the travel and find it quite easy to get back to Bishopstone from Falmer via train. Even when I lived in Hove it wasn't too bad getting back into Brighton, then hopping straight on the number 6 bus. I rarely leave early and depart straight after the final whistle. Sometimes I have to wait 30mins at the most for the train to Seaford, but that's perfectly acceptable to me.

 

[Weststander]

Selfishly, The Amex is higher than 16th for me, I have no complaints about the travel and find it quite easy to get back to Bishopstone from Falmer via train. Even when I lived in Hove it wasn't too bad getting back into Brighton, then hopping straight on the number 6 bus. I rarely leave early and depart straight after the final whistle. Sometimes I have to wait 30mins at the most for the train to Seaford, but that's perfectly acceptable to me.

Seaford/Lewes fans are the lucky ones.

Buses/trains heading in other directions are shite. The days of staying until final whistle then hopping on a train to Brighton after a short wait disappeared years ago.

 

[Falmer Flutter ©]

Anfield - I’ve been countless times. Parking in one of the businesses on Walton Breck Road, in recent years taking the 45 minute walk all downhill to Lime Street, seemingly along with huge numbers of others. Many NSC’ers have said they do the same.

I find that walk to/from Forest easy.

Agree about OT and the London clubs. If Arsenal are losing the place is one third empty on 85 minutes.

But that's the point. Walking 45 minutes or sitting in your car might give you the illusion you're heading home, but is it really any different from standing in a queue for 20 minutes at a station literally right next to the stadium? I dunno, it's never really bothered me before. It's all part of football experience and I just factor that into the day. Mill Road P&R, though, can f*** the f*** off. I pity anyone who has to do that regularly.

 

[Muzzman]

Seaford/Lewes fans are the lucky ones.

Buses/trains heading in other directions are shite. The days of staying until final whistle then hopping on a train to Brighton after a short wait disappeared years ago.

Then I'll count myself lucky and slightly sensible for moving out of Brighton & Hove when I did. Have to respect those using the P&Rs, it seems a right old hassle using them.

 

[Weststander]

But that's the point. Walking 45 minutes or sitting in your car might give you the illusion you're heading home, but is it really any different from standing in a queue for 20 minutes at a station literally right next to the stadium? I dunno, it's never really bothered me before. It's all part of football experience and I just factor that into the day. Mill Road P&R, though, can f*** the f*** off. I pity anyone who has to do that regularly.

I do Mill Road, hence leaving with 5 mins to go. Other than my AEK mistake, staying, then standing under a monsoon for an hour.

 

[Weststander]

Then I'll count myself lucky and slightly sensible for moving out of Brighton & Hove when I did. Have to respect those using the P&Rs, it seems a right old hassle using them.

When the Amex came about, I thought Seaford fans would be fortunate. I know a few, all use the trains.

Did the service get completely cancelled for 2 or 3 years at the turn of the decade?

 

[Muzzman]

When the Amex came about, I thought Seaford fans would be fortunate. I know a few, all use the trains.

Did the service get completely cancelled for 2 or 3 years at the turn of the decade?

I'm not sure, this my 3rd year in Seaford. I know they were looking at closing down Bishopstone station, but after a successful petition it remained open, the station started being used as an important community hub for locals, mainly the elderly who find themselves living alone.

I heard Southern were now targeting Newhaven Harbour for closure, which actually makes more sense as I rarely see anyone getting on or off there.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

But that's the point. Walking 45 minutes or sitting in your car might give you the illusion you're heading home, but is it really any different from standing in a queue for 20 minutes at a station literally right next to the stadium? I dunno, it's never really bothered me before. It's all part of football experience and I just factor that into the day. Mill Road P&R, though, can f*** the f*** off. I pity anyone who has to do that regularly.

There has to be some way of staggering the P&R buses so that folks that miss the first tranche of buses aren't standing in a non-moving queue open to the elements for an hour waiting for the buses to come back again. That seems to me to be an appalling way for a business - any business - to treat its customers

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Transport - It's still the one thing the club, and PBOBE don't get. I have communicated with him in the past about it, but how many of the club's hierarchy have actually used the trains / park & ride / car parking on a match day?

Fundamentally, it frustrates me that so many leave early - but I get why they do - leaving 5 minutes early means an hour difference in getting home, and also actually helps transport as those leaving early are helping to spread the load.

Asking people to stay behind is fine on a sunny Saturday afternoon (when we've won it tends to help too) but midweek when it's raining it's no fun.

Perhaps food/beer prices could be lowered post match?

I'm sure when The Amex opened, we had a transport manager - pretty sure we don't now, desptite the fact that every game is sold out - and more games moved to a Sunday when transport needs more thought.....

I'm not sure if the FAB have taken the subject of transport up - remember we completed a survey at the end of last season about the 'free travel' zone - I do wonder if the plan is to remove it?

 

[Simster]

From a personal point of view, I feel I am becoming less grateful for the Amex as time goes on. It's a great stadium and sometimes I have to remind myself of the lump in the throat and the fly in my eye as I looked out on it when I first entered for that Doncaster game 12 years ago.

But as time goes on with each passing Amex game, and because I don't have a fixed religiously followed routine, the times when I'm rushing really do grate. I can drive 45 mins to get to Brighton and not expect to be at the ground for another 1h 15mins sometimes. The trains are regularly utter shit, despite having had 12 years to learn to cope, the buses are ok but quite slow and the wait if you're not on the first ones back out are dreadful, the car parks are inadequate (hence the prices) and even parking 15 minutes away isn't exactly easy.

I know this isn't the clubs fault, I know some of these restrictions were known about well before it was built, and I know we all wanted capacity increased even though it exacerbates the situation, but I'm just expressing the fact that I have become less tolerant of it as time has gone on and suspect others have too. But I absolutely love the stadium, yet can understand why it ranks 16th if only for the dire transport situation.

 

[chaileyjem]

I'm not sure if the FAB have taken the subject of transport up - remember we completed a survey at the end of last season about the 'free travel' zone - I do wonder if the plan is to remove it?

Barber in the flurry of interviews he did pre season was pretty clear that they aren't removing the free matchday travel scheme.

The FAB are contributing to a review of "the design" and "shape" of it - however as club shared last year.

Current Activity – Brighton & Hove Albion Fan Advisory Board

bhafc-fab.co.uk

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion

www.brightonandhovealbion.com

 

[Milano]

I might have dreamt it but shortly after our promotion to the EPL did the club provide funds (or offer to) in order for Network Rail to install new points and sidings at Lewes station to allow trains to be able to shuttle back and forth between Brighton and Lewes? This just feels so flipping obvious a solution to the transport. Cars are not the answer.

 

[Milano]

The London stadium is not a football ground. By far the worst stadium I’ve been in to watch a match, and I’ve been to a few shitholes!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I might have dreamt it but shortly after our promotion to the EPL did the club provide funds (or offer to) in order for Network Rail to install new points and sidings at Lewes station to allow trains to be able to shuttle back and forth between Brighton and Lewes? This just feels so flipping obvious a solution to the transport. Cars are not the answer.

For the first few seasons, the Amex provided a mirror image on the concourses (or at least on the NS concourse) of live information from Falmer station. When's the next train? How late is it running? How many carriages is it? Absolutely no valid excuse why that level of information is no longer provided. In fact it should be extended to include status of P&R buses, queuing times to get out of car parks etc. Hard to conclude other than the club no longer gives a shit about transport info for its customers while they continue to fill the stadium week on week. Not a good look

 

[Weststander]

For the first few seasons, the Amex provided a mirror image on the concourses (or at least on the NS concourse) of live information from Falmer station. When's the next train? How late is it running? How many carriages is it? Absolutely no valid excuse why that level of information is no longer provided. In fact it should be extended to include status of P&R buses, queuing times to get out of car parks etc. Hard to conclude other than the club no longer gives a shit about transport info for its customers while they continue to fill the stadium week on week. Not a good look

Living where you do, do you use London Road Station on either journey?

When the Amex opened I had planned to, green credentials and all that, but everyone said it wouldn't stop there on match afternoons/evenings. As the trains would be rammed.

 

[Hotchilidog]

For the first few seasons, the Amex provided a mirror image on the concourses (or at least on the NS concourse) of live information from Falmer station. When's the next train? How late is it running? How many carriages is it? Absolutely no valid excuse why that level of information is no longer provided. In fact it should be extended to include status of P&R buses, queuing times to get out of car parks etc. Hard to conclude other than the club no longer gives a shit about transport info for its customers while they continue to fill the stadium week on week. Not a good look

We currently have free train travel, free bus travel and park & ride sites. It's nonsense to say the club no longer doesn't care. They control what they can control. As far as I am aware we do more than most.

What do people expect to happen to a crowd of 30,000 people after a game, they all get magically whisked away in an instant. I normally stay behind for around an hour after the game and the area is clear which I think is more than reasonable.

The club are not responsible for the rail network or the roads. As has been pointed out in other posts there are countless more grounds in the PL that are worse to get away from the amex.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Living where you do, do you use London Road Station on either journey?

When the Amex opened I had planned to, green credentials and all that, but everyone said it wouldn't stop there on match afternoons/evenings. As the trains would be rammed.

Tend to use London Road station to get to games with a Saturday 3pm ko. Sometimes get an entire carriage at the front of the train more or less to myself. On the way back you just grab the first train going into town that you can. Not helped by the the club's pathetically peurile advice that 'post-match, trains will not be stopping at Moulsecoomb or London Road'. It's complete nonsense that the club have continued to churn out for years now. The trains stop at the stations Southern have them scheduled to stop at. Which as often or not includes Moulescoomb and London Road

 

[Weststander]

We currently have free train travel, free bus travel and park & ride sites. It's nonsense to say the club no longer doesn't care. They control what they can control. As far as I am aware we do more than most.

What do people expect to happen to a crowd of 30,000 people after a game, they all get magically whisked away in an instant. I normally stay behind for around an hour after the game and the area is clear which I think is more than reasonable.

The club are not responsible for the rail network or the roads. As has been pointed out in other posts there are countless more grounds in the PL that are worse to get away from the amex.

It’s not free, it’s part of the ST cost. Happy to pay it btw,

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We currently have free train travel, free bus travel and park & ride sites. It's nonsense to say the club no longer doesn't care. They control what they can control. As far as I am aware we do more than most.

What do people expect to happen to a crowd of 30,000 people after a game, they all get magically whisked away in an instant. I normally stay behind for around an hour after the game and the area is clear which I think is more than reasonable.

The club are not responsible for the rail network or the roads. As has been pointed out in other posts there are countless more grounds in the PL that are worse to get away from the amex.

The club are nothing if not shrewd. All that 'free' stuff will be factored into the ticket price down to the nearest penny. As to whether they care or not, their continued silence on transport matters is deafening - and speaks volumes. Maybe if they sent board members out at post-match half-hourly intervals to sample the transport options for themselves, they'd educate themselves as to why people are not best pleased