[Albion] Brighton Women's Home Ground?

[Change at Barnham]

A record crowd of 54115 at Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal Women lose their opening WSL game to Liverpool Women.

The need to bring our women's side away from Crawly and closer to Brighton is becoming more urgent if we wish to achieve our aim of becoming a top four side.

How long before we can get 10000 to 15000 at the Amex to justify the cost of opening the Amex?

Dogma Article - Bring Home the Albion

 

[Live by the sea]

Arsenal are a global team with 2/3 the amount of followers on Twitter that follow their women’s team as follow our men’s team.

We have a way to go to reach that level of support . Good start though .

 

[Change at Barnham]

Arsenal are a global team with 2/3 the amount of followers on Twitter that follow their women’s team as follow our men’s team.

We have a way to go to reach that level of support . Good start though .

We have poor transport links, minimal parking and we don't have the catchment area or supporter base of clubs based in London, Manchester, Birmingham or Newcastle have.

But can we build our support to get 10000+ gates?
And if so. could there be an option other than The Amex?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

A record crowd of 54115 at Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal Women lose their opening WSL game to Liverpool Women.

The need to bring our women's side away from Crawly and closer to Brighton is becoming more urgent if we wish to achieve our aim of becoming a top four side.

How long before we can get 10000 to 15000 at the Amex to justify the cost of opening the Amex?

Dogma Article - Bring Home the Albion

From that article, it looks like a Catch-22 situation. PBOBE will open the Amex if the WSL attendance reaches 10000 to 15000, and there's only 3,000 willing to go to Crawley. How does that stalemate get resolved? I'd suggest by PBOBE opening the AMEX for a trial WSL season, or even a trial half-season and monitoring the attendances. Might take a financial hit, might not, but it's the only way he'll get to know for sure

 

[Lurchy]

Our game against Spurs Ladies is at the Amex so that can be used as a barometer to test demand.

I imagine if the attendance is around 10k or higher the likelihood is that they’ll try more games there before making a decision later on.

 

[stewart12]

I do think that our womens team will never take off all the time that they're playing in Crawley

there must be a viable alternative that can be developed somewhere, but I don't think the Amex is the long term solution

 

[Charles 'Charley' Charles]

Our game against Spurs Ladies is at the Amex so that can be used as a barometer to test demand.

I imagine if the attendance is around 10k or higher the likelihood is that they’ll try more games there before making a decision later on.

The availiable blocks are pretty much sold out now, which is positive, just singles dotted about. Just had look as we were going to get tickets, hoping they open up another block or 2.

 

[amexer]

Our game against Spurs Ladies is at the Amex so that can be used as a barometer to test demand.

I imagine if the attendance is around 10k or higher the likelihood is that they’ll try more games there before making a decision later on.

Unless it is a cup semi or a play off game will they ever attract a crowd of 10k plus. at the Amex PB pushes the womens side to mens ST holders but think they need to attract a new audience. as I cant see many when both are at home going to 2 games over a weekend Men used Withdean for many years surely with capacity of 5/6k this would be ok

 

[stewart12]

Unless it is a cup semi or a play off game will they ever attract a crowd of 10k plus. at the Amex PB pushes the womens side to mens ST holders but think they need to attract a new audience. as I cant see many when both are at home going to 2 games over a weekend Men used Withdean for many years surely with capacity of 5/6k this would be ok

Withdean is probably the only one in the immediate vicinity that could be developed as you're starting at 2,000 all seated capacity so about a third of the way there.....but it would need a fair bit of tarting up.

Also as we know from our time there, it's quite expensive to rent for what it is

 

[Brian Fantana]

Is the issue also not that there’s a limit on the number of games/events that can be held at the Amex each season?

 

[Beanstalk]

Arsenal have been taking the women’s game seriously for thirty odd years now. They’re the most successful women’s side in this country and have done a ridiculous amount of off the pitch work to make sure that when they do play at the emirates they get crowds.

I’ve been to two Arsenal women’s games at the Emirates (always have been my “local” side geographically) and it was just really easy compared to seeing the Albion (especially at Crawley). Jump on the tube and walk straight in, it’s an afternoon’s commitment and in return you get to see some of the best female footballers in the world. We’re a long way away from that level.

 

[Oscar]

I'd love it if they did use Withdean but it seems unlikely.

With a couple of extra stands, could matches not be hosted at the training ground?

 

[PeterT]

I still think they should look at turning women’s football into a summer sport, a bit like rugby league.

I already see enough football in the winter months and with the best will in the world playing it at the same time of year as the men’s game means it’s always going to be more difficult to attract audiences alongside that. Package it a bit differently, play it on a summer’s evening and I’d go, as potentially would lots of families and kids on school holiday. However put in on a Sunday lunchtime in Crawley in the winter when I’ve already been to a men’s game on the Saturday and it’s not got the same appeal.

I appreciate it would bring its own issues like year round use of the pitch, clashes with major tournaments and summer sports, but just a thought …..

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

I appreciate it would bring its own issues like year round use of the pitch, clashes with major tournaments and summer sports

It doesn't sound like it

 

[jamie-oh]

I still think they should look at turning women’s football into a summer sport, a bit like rugby league.

I already see enough football in the winter months and with the best will in the world playing it at the same time of year as the men’s game means it’s always going to be more difficult to attract audiences alongside that. Package it a bit differently, play it on a summer’s evening and I’d go, as potentially would lots of families and kids on school holiday. However put in on a Sunday lunchtime in Crawley in the winter when I’ve already been to a men’s game on the Saturday and it’s not got the same appeal.

I appreciate it would bring its own issues like year round use of the pitch, clashes with major tournaments and summer sports, but just a thought …..

Thats what they do in Aussie Rules football in australia - men's game runs from march to late september, and the womens comp starts in early september and runs til early Dec. So just as the men's game is hotting up with playoffs, and the fans are keen to keep going to their weekend footy matches. It works a treat, i think its great scheduling.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

WSL restrictions on ground requirements are holding women back. We're never going to get good gates at Crawley, but could get very decent ones if we cycled around playing at Lewes, Lancing, Amex, Worthing, Withdean etc.

We also have to be prepared to take a loss initially. Nobody has heard of any of our players. Building up the profile of these games will take years. But it's totally do-able, and if we're prepared to spend money on Cat A training facilities, I don't see why we're not prepared to lose money playing more games at the Amex as part of this

 

[Uter]

Is the issue also not that there’s a limit on the number of games/events that can be held at the Amex each season?

There is a limit, but it's not an issue as it is 50 events. The WSL would have to expand significantly for this to be a potential issue. Even then I'm sure the council would be very amenable to increasing the limit.

 

[sussexbee]

To be honest I hate WSL matches at the Amex. No atmosphere in an empty cavernous stadium. Attracts one off daytrippers who aren't watching the game. Have to pay for parking.
Crawley is only 25mins up the road. We'd do better to encourage growth there.

Main drawback of Crawley is how red it is.

 

[Uter]

A record crowd of 54115 at Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal Women lose their opening WSL game to Liverpool Women.

The need to bring our women's side away from Crawly and closer to Brighton is becoming more urgent if we wish to achieve our aim of becoming a top four side.

How long before we can get 10000 to 15000 at the Amex to justify the cost of opening the Amex?

Dogma Article - Bring Home the Albion

When we played Arsenal at the Amex in 2019 the crowd was 5265 and reported as an all time WSL record (for any side astonishingly). Whereas some clubs have since made great strides in getting bigger crowds, we haven't really built on that. COVID and some poor results have not helped.

Ticket sales for the Spurs game in 2 weeks look fairly encouraging with most of the lower East sold. With a fair wind we might surpass our best attendance, but even then I can't see it getting near 10000 without some very aggressive marketing.

I'm optimistic that we'll eventually and play a lot more games at the Amex and achieve 10,000+ crowds regularly. I think it will take a little success on the pitch to light the touch-paper.

 

[PeterT]

To be honest I hate WSL matches at the Amex. No atmosphere in an empty cavernous stadium. Attracts one off daytrippers who aren't watching the game. Have to pay for parking.
Crawley is only 25mins up the road. We'd do better to encourage growth there.

Main drawback of Crawley is how red it is.

I’m sure that had its own thread once! Sounds like a 25 mark question on an ‘urban studies’ exam!!