Falmer Stadium

Falmer Stadium
The Amex
Map
Full nameAmerican Express Stadium
LocationFalmer
Brighton and Hove
East Sussex
England
Public transitNational Rail Falmer
23, 25 and 28/29 bus routes[1]
OwnerThe Community Stadium Limited
OperatorBrighton & Hove Albion
Capacity31,876[3]
Record attendance31,840 vs Wolverhampton (Premier League – 26 October 2024)
Field size105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd)[2]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground17 December 2008; 15 years ago (2008-12-17)
Built2008–2011
Opened16 July 2011; 13 years ago (2011-07-16)
Construction cost£93 million
ArchitectKSS Design Group
General contractorBuckingham Group
Tenants
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. (2011–present)

Falmer Stadium, currently known as the American Express Stadium for sponsorship reasons and more commonly referred to as the Amex,[4] is a football stadium in Falmer, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. With a capacity of 31,876,[3] it is the second largest stadium in South East England, after St. Mary's Stadium (Southampton), and the 29th largest stadium in the United Kingdom.

It serves as the home of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, and was handed over from the developers to the club on 31 May 2011. The first competitive game played at the stadium was the 2010–11 season final of the Sussex Senior Cup between Brighton and Eastbourne Borough on 16 July 2011.[5] The first league game was against Doncaster Rovers, who were also the opponents in the last game played at Brighton's former stadium, the Goldstone Ground, 14 years earlier.

Falmer Stadium hosted Premier League football for the first time in August 2017, following Albion's promotion at the end of the 2016–17 season. Falmer Stadium hosted European football for the first time on 21 September 2023 when Brighton played against AEK in the UEFA Europa League.

The stadium was designed to allow hosting for other sports and events. It hosted some matches from the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the UEFA Women's Euro 2022. It will also host some 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup fixtures.

  1. ^ "Football Buses". Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Premier League Handbook 2022/23" (PDF). 19 July 2022. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Brighton & Hove Albion".
  4. ^ "Why Brighton have changed full name of the Amex stadium". www.theargus.co.uk. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Sussex FA". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.