Brighton hope to build women’s stadium by start of 2027-28 season
Barber believes a purpose-built stadium is “important” in giving the women’s team “respect and attention”.
He hopes it will help the club build a fan base and capitalize on the growth of women’s football in England.
Barber added: “I think every club in the country is thinking about how to integrate women’s football and women’s football more into their mainstream operations.”
“Some clubs have taken different strategies with us but we think it would be great for a women’s stadium to come back to the city.
“We think this will help us build an audience for the women’s team that we don’t have yet and we see this as a long-term project.
“Women’s sport is growing rapidly and we think it’s a very viable proposition for the future.”
Brighton’s stadium plans include a “slightly modular” approach which will allow them to expand the size of the stadium as crowds grow.
But Barber admitted it was “not unthinkable” for the men’s and women’s first teams to play regularly at the Amex Stadium in the future.
He added: “I don’t want to give specific figures right now because it’s too early to do that while we’re still talking to stakeholders and local authorities.”
“Ultimately, it is not inconceivable that we could reunify the men’s and women’s teams into the American Express at some point in the future – at which time we might be able to modify some of the facilities to accommodate the needs of the women’s teams.
“But in the short and medium term I think a purpose-built women’s stadium is the right way for us to grow our programme.”
