Brighton & Hove Albion plans to build Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, set to open by the 2030/31 season. Fran Kirby praised the club's ambition and the significance of the new ground for women's football.
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âI never could have dreamt itâ â Fran Kirby on Brighton Womenâs plans for historic new purpose-built stadium
Fran Kirby hailed Brighton & Hove Albionâs ambition in womenâs football as the club announced plans to build Europeâs first purpose-built womenâs football stadium.
The new ground, targeted to open by the 2030/31 season, will be designed specifically with bespoke facilities for players, staff and supporters, marking a significant step forward for womenâs football at the club.
âItâs a really, really big statement from the club,â Kirby said. âTo actually see it in a picture, to see it come to life today, itâs really exciting.
âItâs huge. You want to feel like youâre part of a club that cares. You want to feel part of a club thatâs not just standing still, wants to move forward and wants to keep pushing the game.
âFor me, when I first started playing, I never even dreamt that I would be in a conversation with a club thatâs saying, âweâre going to build a stadium purposely for the women.â
âAnyone looking from the outside can see that Brighton is moving in the right direction and they want to keep pushing womenâs sport and keep moving it in the right direction. So itâs a massive statement and hopefully it allows us to attract the best players.â
Kirby joined Brighton in the summer of 2024 after nine years with reigning Womenâs Super League champions Chelsea. In her first season, the Seagulls recorded their highest-ever finish of fifth, and they currently sit sixth.
The 30-year-old praised majority owner and chairman Tony Bloom in his commitment to the womenâs team at Brighton and highlighted his role in driving the project forward.
Brighton & Hove Albion plans to construct Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, targeted for completion by the 2030/31 season.
The new stadium represents a major advancement for women's football, providing bespoke facilities designed specifically for players, staff, and supporters.
Fran Kirby expressed excitement about the plans, highlighting the club's ambition and the importance of the new stadium for women's football.
The new stadium is expected to open by the 2030/31 season.
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âHaving things like this in the pipeline just shows to everyone out there in womenâs football and womenâs sport that this club is taking womenâs football seriously,â Kirby added.
âThey want to keep pushing, they want to keep growing. And ultimately, the owner has said what his ambitions are for the womenâs club.
âHe wants to get top four, he wants to try and break into Europe. And for us to be able to stand here and know weâre going to have this stadium. It will help us do that, I truly believe that.â
The new stadium, expected to cost between ÂŁ75-80 million, will be just one of three purpose-built Womenâs football stadiums worldwide, joining Kansas City Current (already playing at CPKC Stadium) and Denver Summit (build in progress).
The âbuilt for herâ strategy means the stadium will be built around the needs of female athletes and the culture and demographic of the womenâs game.
The site was acquired in 2025 and sits adjacent to the American Express Stadium. It has been designed with a minimum capacity of 10,000 and will be connected to the Amex via a new bridge.
âWhat I really like about the new stadium is that itâs next to the menâs stadium,â Kirby added. âItâs going to be a hub for football in Brighton. Itâs not just going to be the menâs team play there, the womenâs team play there â itâs just going to be Brighton play there.
âAnd I think thatâs really big in terms of keeping the club connected. We have it at the training ground and now we have it with our home stadium as well.
âThatâs a huge statement from the club in terms of how they view Brighton as a whole rather than as a menâs and womenâs club.â