Brighton & Hove Albion have submitted plans to city officials for a multi-million-pound, brand-new covered Fan Zone at the American Express Stadium - and supporters can now get a glimpse of the stunning new facility.
The Fan Zone will give fans an unrivalled pre-turnstile and post-match experience on all home matchdays, as well as doubling up as an industry-leading leisure venue on non-matchdays for sports screenings, music gigs and other events.
Further details on the Fan Zone will be shared ahead of any potential opening, but we want to make it as easy as possible for supporters to access on home matchdays at the Amex, before and after matches - with early and late opening.
The new Fan Zone is pending planning permission, but subject to the green light from Brighton & Hove City Council would open for the 2024/25 season, and it will have a further positive impact on the local economy and local suppliers, including creating up to 50 full-and-part-time jobs.
Chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said, “I am sure fans will be extremely excited to see these plans and designs, and this is another incredibly generous investment by our chairman Tony Bloom.
"We all loved the the Box Park experience on our two most recent trips to Wembley, and we wanted to give supporters something similar for every home game at the Amex.
"The new Fan Zone will provide an excellent pre-and-post-match experience, in an even bigger pre-turnstile bar, with a modern and innovative fit out and a wide variety of food and drink offerings, using the best local Sussex suppliers wherever possible."
Dick’s Bar will remain open as a pre-turnstile bar in the short term, before being incorporated within the new Fan Zone to help facilitate further future development of our facilities in the North Stand.
Albion hope to receive a planning decision before the end of the year or very early next, and plan to begin work on the new facility in early 2024 to be ready for next season.