Albion host the Blues at the stadium as part of Women’s Football Weekend, which aims to encourage all fans to attend a women’s match during the men’s international break, and Powell says their impact will be crucial on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference at the Amex she said, “We feel really privileged and humbled to be able to play here again, and we want as much support as possible from the fans, to emulate or even exceed the support we had for the Arsenal match last season.
“This game is part of the club’s ambitions to increase the women’s fanbase, and exceed expectations across the board.
“Our players are certainly uplifted by the support, because they want to play in front of larger crowds, and they appreciate people coming to watch them at Crawley week-in, week-out.
“This is an exciting game for everybody, and we want all the fans to come along, enjoy the game and give the girls a big boost.”
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Albion head into the match following a hard-fought penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in the Continental League Cup a fortnight ago, and Powell is eager for her side to use the momentum gained from that result heading into Sunday.
“It was a great day for us, and that game showed what the players are capable of doing against a top side like Arsenal. That is something which they will have to remember that going into the Birmingham game, and showcase themselves again in the same way.
“Our preparation heading into the game was very good, and we’ll need to do exactly the same again this week. We played with confidence last time out, and hopefully we can take that into Sunday.”
The Albion manager also spoke about the longer-term support of the women’s game from the club, and paid tribute to Tony Bloom for his unrelenting backing.
“The club has been fantastic in terms of the changes they’ve made with the infrastructure and our new build at the training ground.
“They’ve invested a lot of money to ensure this game is sustainable. We’re in a building phase at the moment, but the club and board as a whole, are so supportive.
“The club is true to its word, and value the women’s game. It’s quite evident that anyone who works in this environment, can see it’s a nice club to be at. Tony Bloom has been fantastic and we’ve got to repay that with the right results on the pitch.”
Tickets for our Barclays FA Women’s Super League match against Birmingham City on Sunday 17th November at the Amex are available to buy at a price of £3 for adults and £1 for over-65s and under-18s.
All WSL season ticket holders can claim up to four free additional tickets for the match along with their own, and season ticket holders at the Amex can claim two free tickets for the match.
Group ticket discounts are also available.
Go to tickets.BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com for full details.