Falmer Stadium facts for kids
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The Amex
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| Full name | American Express Stadium |
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| Address | Village Way |
| Location | Falmer Brighton and Hove, England BN1 9BL |
| Public transit |  Falmer23, 25 and 28/29 bus routes |
| Owner | The Community Stadium Limited |
| Operator | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Capacity | 31,876 |
| Record attendance | 31,840 vs Wolves (Premier League – 26 October 2024) |
| Field size | 105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 17 December 2008 |
| Built | 2008–2011 |
| Opened | 16 July 2011 |
| Construction cost | £93 million |
| Architect | KSS Design Group |
| General contractor | Buckingham Group |
| Tenants | |
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. (2011–present)
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The Falmer Stadium, also known as the American Express Stadium or simply the Amex, is a cool football stadium in Falmer, near Brighton and Hove, England. It's a big place, holding 31,876 fans! This makes it the second-largest stadium in South East England. It's also one of the 30 biggest stadiums in the whole United Kingdom.
The Amex is the home ground for the Premier League football team, Brighton & Hove Albion. The club officially received the stadium on May 31, 2011. The very first game played there was a local cup final on July 16, 2011. Brighton's main team played their first league game at the Amex against Doncaster Rovers. This was special because Doncaster was also their opponent in the last game at their old stadium, the Goldstone Ground, 14 years earlier.
In August 2017, the stadium hosted its first Premier League match after Brighton & Hove Albion moved up to the top league. It also hosted European football for the first time on September 21, 2023, when Brighton played against AEK in the UEFA Europa League.
The stadium was built to host more than just football. It has welcomed big rugby events, like some matches from the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the UEFA Women's Euro 2022. It is also set to host games for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.
Contents
Building the Amex: A Stadium Story
Why a New Stadium Was Needed
The idea for the Amex started because Brighton & Hove Albion needed a new home. Their old stadium, the Goldstone Ground, was sold in 1995. This left the club without a place to play.
After leaving the Goldstone Ground in 1997, the team had to share a stadium. They played for two seasons at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium, which was 74 miles away!
Two years later, the club came back to Brighton. They played at Withdean Stadium. This stadium was improved to meet football league rules. It even got bigger when Brighton moved up to a higher league in 2002.
The club found the perfect spot for a new stadium in Falmer in 1998. Everyone hoped it would be ready by the early 2000s. But getting permission took a very long time. The club had to wait until August 2011 to play there, more than ten years after the idea first came up!
Getting Permission to Build
Brighton and Hove City Council gave permission to build the stadium in June 2002. The goal was to have it ready for the 2005–06 football season. However, some local councils and people living nearby were against the plans. Even though the stadium is mostly in Brighton and Hove, a small part of the land is in a different area called Lewes.
There were more problems because the land was near the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This meant the stadium plans needed a special review by the government.
John Prescott, who was the Deputy Prime Minister, approved the plans in October 2005. But then, Lewes District Council challenged this decision. In April 2006, Prescott admitted he made a mistake and took back his approval.
Hazel Blears, another government official, approved the plans again in July 2007. This time, the main opponents decided not to challenge the decision. So, on September 4, 2007, the club finally had full permission to start building!
How the Stadium Was Built
On November 27, 2008, the Buckingham Group signed the contract to build the new stadium. Work started on December 17. The stadium is built three storeys deep into the ground. Workers dug out 138,000 cubic metres of chalk. This chalk was used to build a field nearby, which saved 22,000 lorry trips to take it to a landfill.
Construction finished in May 2011. The stadium was designed so it could be made bigger later. Plans were already in place to add more seats.
The stadium was designed by KSS, an architecture company from London. It was later expanded to hold over 30,000 seats by adding another seating area above the East Stand. The stadium got its name, American Express Stadium, on June 22, 2010, because of a deal with American Express Europe.
Opening Day and First Games
The stadium officially opened on July 30, 2011, with a friendly match. Brighton played against Tottenham Hotspur and lost 3–2. But the very first competitive game was earlier, on July 16, 2011. Brighton's youth team beat Eastbourne Borough 2–0 in a cup final. Gary Hart scored the first goal ever at the stadium! The first competitive game for the main team was on August 6, 2011, when Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1.
The stadium set its first attendance record with 21,897 fans watching a game against Liverpool. Liverpool was also the first away team to win a competitive match there, beating Brighton 2–1 in a cup game in September 2011. The first league defeat at the stadium happened when rival team Crystal Palace won 3–1.
The Stadium in Action
On January 2, 2012, Brighton & Hove Albion asked to make the stadium even bigger. They wanted to add 8,000 more seats, plus new corporate boxes and TV facilities. This plan was approved in April 2012. The stadium grew to 27,250 seats by the start of the 2012–13 season. It reached 30,750 seats by the end of that season.
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New attendance records were set many times as more fans came to watch. On December 15, 2012, 26,684 people watched Brighton draw with Nottingham Forest. This record was broken several times, including when 27,113 fans saw Brighton lose to Arsenal in the FA Cup in January 2013. The record kept growing, reaching 30,003 in May 2013 for a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The current record of 31,746 was set on October 29, 2022, during a Premier League match against Chelsea.
The stadium also hosted an international friendly match for England's under-21s against Austria's under-21s on March 25, 2013.
In December 2018, it was announced that the stadium would be one of the places to host games for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 tournament.
A fun fact about the stadium: it uses hawks to scare away seagulls and pigeons!
UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Matches
The Amex was one of ten stadiums used for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 tournament. It hosted matches from Group A, which included the host team England. It also hosted a quarter-final match, which England also played in.
| Date | Home | Away | Result | Attendance | Stage |
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| 11 July 2022 |  England |
 Norway |
8–0 | 28,847 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Group A |
| 15 July 2022 |  Austria |
Norway |
1–0 | 12,667 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Group A |
| 20 July 2022 | England |
 Spain |
2–1 | 28,994 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Quarter Final |
Rugby Union Events
2015 Rugby World Cup Games
The stadium hosted two matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. It was called the Brighton Community Stadium for these games. The first match was on September 19, 2015, between South Africa and Japan. Japan caused a huge surprise by beating the two-time champions South Africa 34–32, with 29,290 fans watching! This is known as one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history.
The other match was between Samoa and United States. Samoa won 25–16, with 29,178 people in attendance. Before these World Cup games, the stadium also hosted a trial match between the England U20s and France U20s.
In 2019, a film called The Brighton Miracle was made about the famous match between Japan and South Africa.
2025 Women's Rugby World Cup
In August 2023, it was confirmed that the stadium would be one of eight places to host games for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup. During this tournament, it will be known as the Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium.
| Date | Country | Score | Country | Stage of Tournament | Attendance | Ref |
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| 6 September 2025 |  England |
vs |  Australia |
Pool stage (Pool A) | ||
| 7 September 2025 |  New Zealand |
vs |  Ireland |
Pool stage (Pool C) |
Stadium Layout and Features
The Amex has different sections for fans. The West Stand is the largest, with three levels and seats for 13,654 people. It also has luxury boxes and special club areas. The East Stand, which includes the Family Stand, holds 11,833 fans. About 10% of these seats are for visiting team supporters during cup games. The North Stand has 2,688 seats, and the South Stand has 2,575 seats, mainly for away fans.
Besides football, the stadium is also used for other sports like rugby and hockey. It hosts music concerts, conferences, and exhibitions. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses hold their yearly convention there in the summer. The stadium even sells local beers from breweries that supported the club's dream of a new stadium.
The stadium also has a big area for banquets and conferences. There's a nursery school, teaching space for the University of Brighton, and office space for the University of Sussex. You can find the club shop there to buy tickets and merchandise. Above the shop is Dick's Bar, a lounge named after the club's life president, Dick Knight.
Getting to the Stadium
The stadium is easy to reach by road, as it's close to the A27 Brighton bypass. This road connects to the A23 and M23 motorway for trips to London.
Falmer railway station is right next to the stadium. It's a quick nine-minute train ride from Brighton railway station and seven minutes from Lewes railway station. Both of these stations have trains coming from London.
The area around the stadium also has good transport links. There's a new road from the A270, a new footbridge over the railway at Falmer station, and a coach park. There's also a large car park at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, and special parking for club officials and disabled drivers. Plus, there are 220 spots for bicycles!
Awards and Recognition
In May 2012, the Falmer Stadium won the "New Venue Award" at the Stadium Business Awards. This award recognized it as a great new place for events.
See also
In Spanish: Falmer Stadium para niños
- Development of stadiums in English football
- List of stadiums in the United Kingdom by capacity
- Lists of stadiums
