Falmer Stadium
| Falmer Stadium American Express Community Stadium |
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| Falmer Stadium for their first game of the season on August 6, 2011 against the Doncaster Rovers | |
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 Falmer near Brighton , East Sussex , United Kingdom
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| Coordinates | 50 ° 51 '42.6 " N , 0 ° 4' 59.8" W |
| owner | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| start of building | December 17, 2008 |
| opening | July 30, 2011 (official) |
| First game | 16 July 2011 Brighton & Hove Albion - Eastbourne Borough 2-0 |
| Extensions | 2012, 2013 |
| surface | Natural grass |
| costs | £ 93 million |
| architect | KSS Design Group |
| capacity | 30,750 seats |
| playing area | 105 m × 69 m |
| Societies) | |
| Events | |
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The Falmer Stadium is a football stadium near the English village of Falmer in the County of East Sussex . Falmer is about 8 to 10 kilometers from the city of Brighton . The owner and main user of the sports facility is the football club Brighton & Hove Albion (nickname: The Seagulls , German Die Möwen ). On June 22, 2010, the club announced that the financial services provider American Express had become the stadium's name sponsor . The official name is American Express Community Stadium ; also abbreviated as The AMEX . In August 2019, the Club and American Express agreed to extend the partnership. The contract has a term of 12 years. The company pays around 130 million euros . The agreement includes the name of the stadium, training ground and shirt sponsorship for all Brighton & Hove Albion teams. The first official game in the stadium was played on July 16, 2011. Brighton & Hove Albion and Eastbourne Borough met in the final of the Sussex Senior Cup . In front of over 7,000 visitors, the home side won 2-0 goals in the new stadium. The official opening took place on July 30th. In a friendly game, the team of Tottenham Hotspur was a guest; the match ended with a 2: 3 for the Hotspur . At the first home game of the Football League Championship 2011/12 on August 6, 2011 Brighton met the Doncaster Rovers in front of 20,219 spectators . The game ended in a 2-1 win for the home team. The Rovers were also the last opponent at the old Goldstone Ground on April 26, 1997 .
history
The long way from Goldstone Ground to Falmer
From 1902 to 1997 the Goldstone Ground was the sporting home of the Brighton & Hove Albion. Because of financial problems, and to avoid bankruptcy, the association sold the property at Goldstone Ground . In May 1997, the club was left without a suitable stadium. For two seasons, the club in, 120 kilometers away came Priestfield Stadium of FC Gillingham below. In 1999 the club received approval from the Brighton and Hove City Council to use the Withdean Stadium in Brighton. The sports facility with an athletics facility was very unpopular with home and guest fans because of the career between the field and the spectators.
The club meanwhile planned to build a new stadium, which should end the homelessness of the team and the fans. In March 1998, they chose a site in Falmer next to the University of Sussex on the border of National Park South Downs National Park as a possible location. The building land is conveniently located near the main A27 road and not far from the Falmer Railway Station , the Falmer train station. On October 17, 1998 the decision was made for a location. The club's fans were involved in choosing which would be the best location for construction. From an initial list of 16 locations, four construction sites were selected. The property at the university emerged as the best choice.
A referendum was scheduled for May 6, 1999 . There the questions were asked whether the new Albion stadium should be built and whether it should then be built at the Falmer site. Prior to the poll , supporters distributed leaflets to 104,000 households in Brighton and Hove in a three-week campaign . The survey received 56,701 votes, 83.5% of the votes cast, for the construction of the football stadium and 44,985 votes (63.5%) for the Falmer location. In May 2002, fans collected 61,452 signatures on a list, which was handed over to the city council asking for a building permit for the stadium. The city council's planning committee clearly voted in favor of building a stadium in Falmer. 9,643 fans wrote to the city council who supported the motion.
In October 2001, the Brighton & Hove Albion applied for a building permit. The Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority granted approval in June 2002. This was followed by a public inquiry in June 2003. The Secretary of State concluded that additional sites should be considered for construction. On December 1, 2003, a delegation of the Seagulls , led by Des Lynam and Norman Cook , traveled to 10 Downing Street in London and presented the list with over 60,000 signatures and almost 10,000 letters from fans to then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to emphasize the demand for the stadium.
On November 27, 2004, thousands of Albion fans, along with club chairman Dick Knight, coach Mark McGhee and ex-coach Micky Adams and the players, marched to the Labor Party conference to demonstrate for a new stadium. The second public inquiry took place in early 2005. The result was that none of the seven alternative building sites were suitable for the construction. In October 2005, John Prescott issued another building permit. This met with resistance from District Lewes , the Falmer Town Council and the South Downs Joint Committee, as well as local residents. Due to errors, the license was withdrawn in November 2005 and the club incurred legal fees of £ 90,000 .
In July 2007, the association was given back the building permit by then Secretary of State for municipalities and local politics, Hazel Blears . The first plans for the stadium were also published in July. Shortly after Hazel Blears' decision, the three biggest opponents (Lewes District, Falmer Township and the South Downs Joint Committee) surrendered their opposition to the stadium project and did not pursue any further legal action against it. On September 4, 2007, the objection period expired and the Brighton & Hove Albion was granted building permission. Now after nine years the way to the new home of the Seagulls was paved.
Construction and equipment
For the construction was as main contractors the Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd responsible. Work officially began on December 17th, 2008. The plans for the stadium come from the KSS Group. The stadium has space for 22,500 visitors. It was designed for an expansion to 30,000 seats. For this, the east stand would be given an upper tier and the stadium corners would be expanded. The cost of construction was estimated at £ 93 million .
In October 2009, work on the three-story main stand in the west could begin and continue on the north tier. Around a year after the start, in November 2009 the 165 meter long roof arch of the opposite stand was erected in the east. The second roof arch over the main stand was installed in June 2010. At the end of May 2011, the final construction work on the stadium was completed and the stadium was handed over to the club. The schedule was kept, despite changes and the bad weather in winter 2010. Around £ 3 million was invested in the interior work. The rooms were equipped and furnished right down to plates, glasses and cutlery for the kitchen and the restaurant in the stadium.
The stadium is equipped with 14 boxes , 2,500 business seats, a museum, offices and rooms for conferences, exhibitions, banquets, weddings, celebrations and similar events. The family stand for families is located on the east stand and guest fans find their seats on the south tier. The University of Sussex car park has 1,100 spaces for visitors on weekends and 700 on weekdays. On the north side of the stadium there are 150 parking spaces for players and employees of the club as well as for disabled visitors to the facility. There are also 220 bicycle parking spaces available. Aside from football games, the stadium can also be used for rugby and hockey games as well as music concerts.
In January 2012, the club announced that it would expand the stadium to a possible 30,000 seats. This is necessary to remain competitive if you want to advance to the Premier League . A £ 22 million modern training center and football academy for the youngsters will also be built. A total of £ 36 million will be invested in the expansion. In January 2013 the contracts for the construction of the training center were signed. Brighton & Hove Albion received construction approval in April 2012 and the stadium's capacity was increased by 5,000 to 27,500 prior to the 2012/13 season. In March 2013, the number rose to 30,750 places thanks to a further addition.
After the expansion, a record 30,003 spectators was set on May 4, 2013 at a game of the Football League Championship against Wolverhampton Wanderers .
Events
Rugby Union World Cup
The stadium in Falmer is one of the stadiums in which the Rugby Union World Cup 2015 was held.
Concerts
The first music concerts were given by the British DJ Fatboy Slim , himself a long-time fan of the Brighton & Hove Albion, on June 1st and 2nd, 2012.
Awards
The stadium won the Structural Steel Design Award in 2011 .
In May 2012, the Falmer Stadium prevailed against seven other stadiums at the Stadium Business Awards in Turin, Italy, and received the New Venue Award .
Visitor record and average attendance
The attendance record dates back to May 2, 2016 in the Football League Championship 2015/16 when Brighton & Hove Albion met Derby County in front of 30,292 spectators . The record in the old Goldstone Ground was set on December 27, 1958. The encounter of the Second Division in 1958/59 against Fulham saw 36,747 spectators.
In the last 2010/11 season in the unpopular Withdean Stadium with its athletics facility, only around 7,000 spectators came to the Seagulls' games . The AMEX, as a pure football stadium with no running track, quickly developed into a crowd puller.
- 2010/11: 7,352 ( Football League One )
- 2011/12: 20,028 ( Football League Championship )
- 2012/13: 26.236 (Football League Championship)
- 2013/14: 27.283 (Football League Championship)
- 2014/15: 25,645 (Football League Championship)
- 2015/16: 25.583 (Football League Championship)
Others
Construction workers made a special joke when assembling the plastic seats. Several seagulls, after the club's nickname, are depicted with seats in the stands. On the upper tier of the main stand, the workers have placed four white seats in such a way that it looks like the seagull is losing bird droppings . The club had this changed and the four seats were integrated into the bird's tail . Brighton & Hove Albion called this a cleanup .
gallery
The stadium construction site in July 2010
The illuminated stadium at night
The three-story main grandstand
The back straight
Exterior panorama of the stadium
Panorama picture
Web links
- amexstadium.co.uk: Stadium website (English)
- brighton-hove.gov.uk: Community Stadium - History (English)
- footballgroundguide.com: Stadium description (English)
- kssgroup.com. Stadium on the homepage of the KSS Group (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ theargus.co.uk: Current audience capacity
- ↑ footballtradedirectory.com: Abion sells stadium naming rights to American Express Article from June 22, 2010 (English)
- ↑ Brighton extends partnership with American Express. In: stadionwelt.de. August 9, 2019, accessed August 9, 2019 .
- ↑ sussexfa.com: First game in the stadium - Albion wins Sussex Senior Cup ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article from July 19, 2011
- ↑ bbc.co.uk: Spurs open new Falmer Stadium Article dated July 30, 2011 (English)
- ↑ guardian.co.uk: Match report Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Doncaster Rovers article from August 6, 2011 (English)
- ↑ theargus.co.uk: Ticket sales start July 26, 2011 article
- ↑ mybrightonandhove.org.uk: History of the Goldstone Ground (English)
- ↑ guardian.co.uk: Withdean Stadium ranked fourth among the most unpopular stadiums in England Article by The Observer of October 10, 2004 (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history from March to October 1998 ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history from February to July 1999 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history from August 2000 to August 2002 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history from February to December 2003 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history from July to September 2004 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ news.bbc.co.uk: Falmer stadium wrong location article from October 28, 2005 (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history October and November 2005 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history October and November 2005 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ buckinghamgroup.co.uk: Buckingham builds stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion ( Memento of the original from September 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Start of construction confirmed ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article dated November 24, 2008
- ↑ worldarchitecturenews.com: KSS designs the new stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion Article dated November 17, 2005 (English)
- ↑ youtube.com: Video of the stadium presentation for season ticket holders (English)
- ↑ footballgroundguide.com: Stadium capacity and costs ( Memento of the original from November 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history October and November 2009 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Stadium history June 2010 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Construction of the stadium completed ( Memento of the original from June 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ bbc.co.uk: club builds museum in the stadium (English)
- ↑ sussex.ac.uk: Stadium on the university's homepage (English)
- ↑ theargus.co.uk: Albions to invest £ 36m in Premier League January 2, 2012 article
- ↑ seagulls.co.uk: Albion Complete Training Ground Deal article from January 21, 2013 (English)
- ↑ architizer.com: Brighton & Hove Albion FC, New Training Ground (English)
- ↑ stadiumguide.com: Facts and figures on stadium (English)
- ↑ footballgroundguide.com: record attendance ( memento of the original from November 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ sussexexpress.co.uk: Rugby World Cup 2015 matches to be played at Amex in Falmer article from May 2, 2013 (English)
- ↑ bbc.co.uk: DJ Fatboy Slim in first Brighton Amex stadium concert (English)
- ↑ theconstructionindex.co.uk: Stadium wins Structural Steel Design Award 2011 (English)
- ↑ bbc.co.uk: Brighton Amex stadium wins best new venue award Article 16 May 2012 (English)
- ↑ footballgroundguide.com: Record attendance and average attendance (English)
- ↑ telegraph.co.uk: Brighton's new stadium has an incontinent seagull Article dated July 14, 2011 (English)
Anfield (Liverpool FC) | Bramall Lane (Sheffield United) | Craven Cottage (Fulham FC) | Elland Road (Leeds United) | Emirates Stadium (Arsenal FC) | Etihad Stadium (Manchester City) | Falmer Stadium (Brighton & Hove Albion) | Goodison Park (Everton FC) | King Power Stadium (Leicester City) | London Stadium (West Ham United) | Molineux Stadium (Wolverhampton Wanderers) | Old Trafford (Manchester United) | Selhurst Park (Crystal Palace) | Stamford Bridge (Chelsea FC) | St. James' Park (Newcastle United) | St. Mary's Stadium (Southampton FC) | The Hawthorns (West Bromwich Albion) | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur) | Turf Moor (Burnley FC) | Villa Park (Aston Villa)