This recently opened stadium, the American Express Community Stadium (Amex) in Brighton, England, is why this blog exists.
Photo credit: Seagulls.co.uk, Paul Hazlewood
Let me explain.I am a Brighton and Hove Albion fan, born and bred in Brighton, and was a regular at the Goldstone Ground, Brighton’s ground during my youth.
The Goldstone was opened in 1902, and had seen some glory days; this playoffs game against Millwall in 1991, the second match I ever attended, illustrated the roiling atmosphere the stadium generated, fans practically hugging the pitch (when they weren’t running onto it):
Five years later, I was walking home from school when I spotted the evening edition of the local newspaper, The Argus, on the newspaper stand and I saw a headline and a blurb with words that seemed to form a sentence suggesting something I had never thought conceivable: the Goldstone Ground had been sold, it was going to be demolished and turned into a retail park, and the Albion were moving 40-odd miles down the south coast to play at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park.
Though we all knew the Goldstone was dilapidated (the weeds growing on the east stand terraces attested to this), the idea that it could just be discarded like this – a 94 year-old treasured home to a community of fans – was shocking.
Cue, a year plus of intense protest, pitch invasions, and the eventual ousting of the nefarious owners who had agreed to the sale in an attempt to profit from the deal. It was not in time to save the Goldstone, though, and the Albion embarked on a peripatetic existence playing on rented grounds.
There followed over a decade of effort by Albion fans to help the club build a new stadium; at times, it seemed an impossibility for a team with no money and no obvious place to build a stadium in town. A location was identified, Falmer, but special planning permission was needed from the deputy prime minister John Prescott – he was won over in part by a creative campaign from the fans’ that included sending him a giant Valentine’s Day card.
“Be our valentine Mr Prescott, all we are asking you is to say ‘yes’ to us!”
Finally, the stadium was granted approval and now backed by the money of local owner and fan Tony Bloom, the American Express Community Stadium became a remarkable reality. It finally opened this month, 14 years after the demolition of the Goldstone Ground.
I live 4,000 miles from Brighton, and have watched from afar the first few games at the 22,374 capacity stadium built at a cost of £105 million, as Brighton kick-off the season in the Championship.
For me, exiled faraway, the Amex remains stadium porn, though one day – yes, I’ll say it – I hope to experience the love and lust of such a wonderful building first hand.
This blog will explore all the interesting stadiums being built around the world, and take a look back at lost treasures – just like the Amex and the Goldstone.
Here, then, is the Amex, for your viewing pleasure:
I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!
Alright, does anyone who is not my wife want to comment?
Hope you get to tke AMEX in person soon. I have my own stadium porn experience, as I await the completion of Houston Dynamo’s new stadium. The wait is excruciating.
When the San Jose Earthquakes left for Houston after 2005 one of the main reasons for the move was the prospect of a quick soccer specific stadium. Here we are almost 6 years later and no stadiums for either Houston or San Jose. As a San Jose fan I’m hopeful that our stadium will be ready by the 2013 season. As a soccer fan and MLS fan, I look forward to when all MLS teams have their own stadiums.
Cheers Kym. The Dynamo’s stadium is definitely on the list to be featured here, that’s certainly become a long wait. . .
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I was at the first league match at Brighton’s new Amex Stadium as a visiting Doncaster Rovers supporter and I mightily impressed by the stadium. I was also at the last ever match at the Goldstone and still have a small piece of the turf in my Mum & Dad’s back garden. I have now watched Doncaster Rovers play Brighton at four different grounds.
So pleased for Brighton to finally arrive at their own real home, I know there has been a special bond between supporters of both clubs due to both of our struggles against nefarious ‘owners/benefactors’. I also wrote a letter to John Prescott to persuade him that it was important for Brighton to return to a stadium that they could call home. Well done Brighton, but did you really need all 3 points?
Neil, it is remarkable we played Doncaster at both the last Goldstone game and the first Amex game, certainly it was an ideal opponent given your own history too. Thanks for supporting the cause as well. Sorry about the three points, was a bit of a fairy tale ending though….
Awesome ground, I support Chester and go to all the matches so I won’t get a chance to go to the Amex. Hope I will soon!
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This is a great idea for a website, at least in my opinion, because I am fascinated by new and peculiar stadia. I am going to be visiting here regularly, and I really hope you continue unearthing venues with great stories and extravagant plans.
I live in Finland and I have been a Liverpool fan my entire life, and although our situation is of course nowhere near the same as many smaller clubs face, boy do we need a new stadium as well. I don’t know if you ever saw the plans Hicks and Gillett (curse them) revealed for the new stadium years ago, but I still vividly remember from the computer generated tour how awesome that place would have been. I still wish we would build that exact stadium. I’m very curious to see where the new owners (bless them) go with the plans, but the most important thing is to get something built and fast. I really hope you will be able to write about Liverpool here soon.
Anyway, my point is that I love your blog, I will be reading it as long as it exists, and keep it goin’!
Thank you Ertzi, that is certainly much appreciated. Agreed, there is still a massive challenge for Liverpool, but at least you have ownership with vision now. Good luck.
Just found this blog. Good stuff. The new ground is beautiful. Happy for you and the whole city.
Thanks Salt Lake fan!
Perhaps I’ve missed it somehow, but…
Just wondering why I cannot find anything on the new and grand Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Rd. in Dublin, IE, which was probably the oldest modern-era stadium in all of Europe? It’s rather unique in that it has virtually no public parking on event days.
http://www.avivastadium.ie/gallery.aspx?id=6