[Albion] Brighton Women's Home Ground?

[Uter]

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 just can't see much scope for further growth in attendances at Crawley to be honest. We are already averaging 3000 there and the stadium only holds 6000. It's miles from Brighton and it sucks for anyone not driving.

I believe the Sussex University Car Parks are free on Sundays.

 

[BNthree]

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

I'd guess there's no room for parking and there's hardly the transport infrastructure to support getting thousands to the ground.

 

[PeterT]

I'd guess there's no room for parking and there's hardly the transport infrastructure to support getting thousands to the ground.

Plus they’d have to dig up all of the tennis courts too:

 

[BNthree]

Plus they’d have to dig up all of the tennis courts too:

View attachment 167418

I was talking about Lancing training ground not Withdean. (original post edited to make it clearer)

 

[jamie-oh]

I believe the Sussex University Car Parks are free on Sundays.

Ooh, are they? nice. Was just about to drop a fiver on a car parking spot at Bridge car park for the Brighton v Spurs game. ta!

 

[Uter]

Ooh, are they? nice. Was just about to drop a fiver on a car parking spot at Bridge car park for the Brighton v Spurs game. ta!

We went to Brighton vs Leicester WSL a couple of seasons ago and we parked there no problem for nothing. I can't guarantee it's still the case.

 

[nicko31]

In some sports like tennis I think watch the women play is actually better to watch, its more exciting.

In football so far its not the case, could it ever be the case?

As for crowds, unless its 10k + every week its not really viable, we could get there though

 

[drew]

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

It's not just about the number of spectators, it's also about how much they are paying to watch. A WSL season ticket is only £55 which is the same as some pay for a match ticket in the Premier League!

The team also need to be successful (had a great start) on the pitch as that will attract more fans. Last season was a bit of a disaster.

 

[Official Old Man]

PBOBE & TB do have plans for a womens stadium. It's known internally as PB's 'patch'. But how long it will take is unknown.

 

[PeterT]

PBOBE & TB do have plans for a womens stadium. It's known internally as PB's 'patch'. But how long it will take is unknown.

Bennett’s Field - taps nose …….

 

[BNthree]

Ooh, are they? nice. Was just about to drop a fiver on a car parking spot at Bridge car park for the Brighton v Spurs game. ta!

Also parking around the Swan pub or Falmer pond is free at weekends too. Just not when there's a mens match on obviously!

 

[BNthree]

We went to Brighton vs Leicester WSL a couple of seasons ago and we parked there no problem for nothing. I can't guarantee it's still the case.

Sussex Uni parking is basically controlled Mon-Fri 9-5. Outside of that is free as long as you're not on yellow lines etc.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Everyone knows growth cannot be achieved by having homes games at Crawley, the kick off times on a Sunday clash with not only some Premier League games, but more importantly grass roots football for girls, the very crowed they are wishing to attract. My daughter plays Sunday sometimes kick off can be 11am and after travel it makes it impossible to get to Crawley in time. The atmosphere is pants, you know it is not your ground, the colours are wrong and feel unnatural. If you want the womens team support to grow you have to bring it home.
I have said it before if they can't get planning permission for a small stadium somewhere with say a 10k capacity then why not go to a local club and invest in a ground share, Whitehawk, Lancing, or back to Withdean, with some cover, playing at the Amex is horrible with just one side open it seems empty and sad.

 

[Giraffe]

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

This is the best suggestion I have heard about women's football. Very good idea to help them get traction. Frankly I don't consider it an option. All of my free non family time is spent watching the Albion, I can't consider time on another team, but if it was in the summer I may wander to a game or two maybe.

Only issue is there isn't much time. They'd have to start in March and end in October or something so you'd still have a lot of overlap. Good idea though.

 

[explymouthnige]

Doesn't help when the womens game ends a quarter of an hour before the mens game kicks off on Sunday!

 

[The Clamp]

Until women stop telling men to support women’s football and start going to league games themselves, they’re on a hiding to nowhere.

 

[Skuller]

It’s tricky. Do you move it from Crawley, with a good percentage of the ground filled but miles from “home”, to the Amex which will feel a bit empty and lose a lot of money? Or do you gamble that bringing the team to the Amex will increase the attendances and become more economic? Leicester women play at the King Power stadium but had an average attendance of less than 3000 last season, so it looks like quite a gamble.

 

[Brovion]

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 …..

That's not a bad idea, certainly I'm not automatically opposed.

@zeetha, I look on you as NSC's resident expert, what do you think? I remember you saying there was a clash with the Liverpool game this weekend.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

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 oM

I don't know why there is any sort of assumption that the market for watching women's football lies within men's supporters. My wife is a S/T holder for men's team and has has zero interest in WSL as do I. £55 for a WSL S/T says everything about the commercial appeal of the sport. It needs to find it's own level in a shared small stadium and if the demand exceeds numbers they can expand. But at the moment, it can't stand on it's own feet financially.

 

[zeetha]

I'm flattered @Brovion though I'm sure there people just as knowledgable (or more so) on the Womens team/football

When it first started, the WSL was a summer league. However those in charge felt that a move to the winter months was preferrable as that was when traditionally football was played and so it matched with other countries. Also, access to stadiums was restricted partly because of the attitudes of people in charge, and partly because pitches were being relaid/refreshed for the new (mens) season.

I wouldn't be adverse to it going back to being a summer league (especially as Crawley is f**king freezing!), though its unlikely to happen unless all top countries did it too.

What I think has to be done more is to plan the matches better so that people can support both, which requires joined up thinking, planning and buy-in from those higher up in both the mens and womens game. Well I can dream that that is going to happen!

I agree to a certain extent that there is a need for the Womens game to stop appealing to mens fans to go watch the womens team too and grow their 'own' audience, but there are both men and women who want to support both teams for their club/country and that should be possible. Or maybe me and my friends are just in the minority!