[Albion] Brighton Women's Home Ground?

[tigertim68]

Really don’t know why they can’t convert the Withdean stadium back into a 10000 seated stadium,
seems the obvious answer to me ,
would also make it a better athletic stadium

 

[dazzer6666]

Yep. Sad, but if the Board couldn’t square it with their equality values, then fair play for standing firm. That’s integrity.

From what I’m reading, I am guessing that the investment in the women’s team would have to have included investment in all parts of the community. Mercury clearly wanted to focus only on the Women’s first team and no other pathways or initiatives.

Having met a couple of the board there I have to say that their integrity is sky high. They are first class people.

Yep agreed. Problem is though the ‘equality’ thing doesn’t really work. The women are playing in Tier 2 against clubs that have massively more funding, so are increasingly unable to compete. Without significant investment (far in excess of what the men need at their current level) they are going to drop down the tiers - as well as struggling in T2 (good chance of being relegated this season I think, especially now the planned investment won’t happen) there are teams in T3 that are having money thrown at them (Newcastle being the most egregious example) so that level is becoming increasingly competitive. The board are first class people but very heavily weighted towards the men’s team unfortunately,

 

[halbpro]

Really don’t know why they can’t convert the Withdean stadium back into a 10000 seated stadium,
seems the obvious answer to me ,
would also make it a better athletic stadium

I mean it's one solution certainly, but I don't know if there's the footprint to do it and create a proper modern stadium that is fitting for top flight football. You can fit the seats given what we had with temporary stands, but getting it as a fully fitted out stadium would be much tougher. I doubt the club would want to invest in the infrastructure without owning the site, and then that's a whole other kettle of fish about publicly owned sports facilities in the city.

It did seem promising at first, but on reflection it just doesn't seem very viable.

 

[PeterT]

There’s a delapidated retail park near me that would make the ideal site for a small stadium:

 

[rippleman]

Quite.

At the moment Brighton's WSL fixtures appear to flip flop with Crawley's League Two games to ensure the ground isn't in use two consecutive days over a weekend. That could easily be changed to tie in with our men's team fixtures and home WSL games could be scheduled for weekends the mens side is playing away. This would avoid any problems with Premier League games getting moved for TV etc. Cup fixtures may cause some clashes but it's not likely to be many a season.

I very much doubt that Crawley's home games get switched very often for the TV masters. You can be pretty sure that when Crawley's fixtures are published they are unlikely to be changed.

 

[dazzer6666]

There’s a delapidated retail park near me that would make the ideal site for a small stadium:

View attachment 170374

The TK Maxx Arena ?

 

[stewart12]

I mean it's one solution certainly, but I don't know if there's the footprint to do it and create a proper modern stadium that is fitting for top flight football. You can fit the seats given what we had with temporary stands, but getting it as a fully fitted out stadium would be much tougher. I doubt the club would want to invest in the infrastructure without owning the site, and then that's a whole other kettle of fish about publicly owned sports facilities in the city.

It did seem promising at first, but on reflection it just doesn't seem very viable.

it would definitely depend on getting ownership of the site. To be honest B&H Council might welcome a nice lump sum in the current climate.

I would say that the footprint is definitely there, it's a fairly big site but keeping the athletics track may be a barrier

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

I think the Brighton University site next to the Amex looks much more realistic than squeezing something in at Withdean

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

I very much doubt that Crawley's home games get switched very often for the TV masters. You can be pretty sure that when Crawley's fixtures are published they are unlikely to be changed.

I'm not quite sure what the point is re Crawley TV games as I never mentioned that.

I said that the Crawley home games and our WSL home fixtures are arranged for different weekends to avoid the pitch being used two days in a row. The same principle could be applied when a stadium is built in Brighton and Hove. When the mens team are playing at the Amex then the womens team would be away and vice versa. This would immediately eliminate any clashes if games are moved for TV because they are moved by a couple of days not a week.

 

[jackanada]

There’s a delapidated retail park near me that would make the ideal site for a small stadium:

View attachment 170374

I am all for it. Especially if we find future development is hampered because the back of one stand is a Nandos.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Back in the days when I played Sunday League cricket, I played a few season for Worthing Chippendales. In one of my first games we played away somewhere in Brighton and Hove at a 'ground' with the cricket pitch in a large area within an oval cinder track which ran above the pitch around the edges. It was pretty large and would be plenty large enough for this. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

Anyone know where this is?

This was in the 1990s.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Back in the days when I played Sunday League cricket, I played a few season for Worthing Chippendales. In one of my first games we played away somewhere in Brighton and Hove at a 'ground' with the cricket pitch in a large area within an oval cinder track which ran above the pitch around the edges. It was pretty large and would be plenty large enough for this. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

Anyone know where this is?

This was in the 1990s.

Preston Park Cricket Club?

?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Preston Park Cricket Club?

?

Looking at it today it might have been. Unless there's somewhere else like that then it's already been discussed, at length!

 

[stewart12]

Looking at it today it might have been. Unless there's somewhere else like that then it's already been discussed, at length!

only other one I can think of is Horsdean. Looking at pictures of it, it possibly had some sort of track around it at one point and is kind of in a natural bowl-esque setting

 

[PeterT]

Back in the days when I played Sunday League cricket, I played a few season for Worthing Chippendales. In one of my first games we played away somewhere in Brighton and Hove at a 'ground' with the cricket pitch in a large area within an oval cinder track which ran above the pitch around the edges. It was pretty large and would be plenty large enough for this. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

Anyone know where this is?

This was in the 1990s.

Definitely Preston Park. I played there a few times, also played against Worthing Chippendales a few times as well!

 

[Badger Boy]

Could it not fit at the Old Steine? Knock down the Royal Albion building entirely and expand out that site, build a stadium right on the coast road.

 

[RandyWanger]

Build us a new, bigger stadium in the city center, something like the latest rendition of the Santiago Bernabéu and let the birds have the amex.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

only other one I can think of is Horsdean. Looking at pictures of it, it possibly had some sort of track around it at one point and is kind of in a natural bowl-esque setting

Horsdean looks quite a lot like what I remember. I didn't recall it being at Preston Park.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Could it not fit at the Old Steine? Knock down the Royal Albion building entirely and expand out that site, build a stadium right on the coast road.

Yep, landing stage back of the Palace Pier, bring 'em in by the boat load....what could possibly go wrong!

Build us a new, bigger stadium in the city center, something like the latest rendition of the Santiago Bernabéu and let the birds have the amex.

Yeah, traffic flows so smoothly through Brighton......what could possibly go wrong!

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Yep, landing stage back of the Palace Pier, bring 'em in by the boat load....what could possibly go wrong!

Yeah, traffic flows so smoothly through Brighton......what could possibly go wrong!

A monorail would fix the traffic problem. Just saying.