Heading down to The Amex this season to watch Brighton and Hove Albion play? Read the Sports Tourist’s guide to visiting Brighton for the football, based on a visit in August 2018 for a EFL Cup match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton.

Stadium

The American Express Community Stadium (the Amex)/Falmer Stadium, home to Brighton & Hove Albion FC was opened in 2011 and boasts a capacity of 30,750. The stadium has previously hosted England U-21 internationals, as well as two pool matches at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Having previously visited Brighton’s old home ground, the Withdean Stadium (an athletics stadium) on a couple of occasions, this is of course a massive step up. The stadium is an impressive modern design and it looks like you’d have a great view from wherever you’d sit in the ground.

With the match I visited being the early stages of the EFL Cup, you can forgive the Brighton fans for not being too vocal and the attendance was less than 14,000. However, I can imagine on a Premier League match day, the place will be rocking.

Tickets

Getting hold of tickets for a EFL Cup second round match was never going to be an issue, with tickets being £12 to sit in the Away end.

Ticket prices and demand for Brighton’s Premier League matches are obviously higher, and vary between the category of opponent and where you sit in the stadium. Ticket prices for the 2018/19 season range from:

Adult: £45-£65 (Cat A), £35-£52 (Cat B), £30-£45 (Cat C)

65+/U21: £35-£44 (Cat A), £26-£36 (Cat B), £23-£30 (Cat C)

U18: £25-£32 (Cat A), £18-£26 (Cat B), £15-£20 (Cat C)

If looking to sit in the home end, tickets can be purchased online, by phone or at the Ticket Office at The Amex. If looking to sit with away fans, consult your club’s ticket website.

You can purchase home tickets via Brighton’s official website here.

Getting to Brighton & The Amex

Address: American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Brighton, BN1 9BL

The Amex Stadium is located in Falmer, a small village approximately 5 miles (8km) away from Brighton. I made use of the train, with Falmer station being so close to the stadium, but there are other options for getting to The Amex.

Bus and rail travel is free in the 3-4 hour period before/after a match with the cost of your ticket within the subsidised areas.

Air: The closest airport to Brighton is Gatwick Airport, approximately 30 minutes away from train.

Search & book your flights through Skyscanner here.

Bus: All journeys on Brighton and Hove buses, as well as Stagecoach Coastline 700 and N700 from Worthing is free on matchdays as noted above.

Bus services 23, 25, 28, 29 and 50 are direct to the Amex Stadium.

Coach: National Express coaches depart from and arrive at Pool Valley in the centre of Brighton. There are services every hour to London and take about 2 hours.

You can search and book your tickets here.

Alternatively, most clubs will offer a coach service if purchasing away tickets.

Parking: There are 2 car parks available near the stadium, at Bennett’s Field (BN1 9BL) and Bridge Car Park (BN1 9PW). You must pre-booking car parking at a cost of £15 and this can be booked through the club’s ticketing website.

Park & Ride: There are 3 park and ride sites on offer around Brighton, at Mill Road (BN1 8ZF), University of Brighton (BN2 4AT) and Brighton Racecourse (BN2 9XZ).

Train: Falmer Station is next to the stadium and is just a 10 minute journey from Brighton station, with services every 10 minutes on match days.

As noted above, train travel is free on matchdays for ticket holders within the subsidised zone. This zone stretches from Worthing through Brighton to Eastbourne.

Brighton station has services to many UK destinations, with trains to London taking just under an hour.

Search and book your journey through the Trainline here.

Food & Drink

From my research beforehand, there didn’t look like much on offer in area around the stadium for a drink and some grub.

Therefore I stuck to the city centre and checked out the cheap, cheerful and reliable option of the local Wetherspoons for pre-match food & drink, The Post & Telegraph. Hey, who can complain with a chicken wrap and pint of Heineken for £5.65?

If you’re in the centre of Brighton, looking for a place for a drink you could do worse. Plenty of space and both sets of fans appeared to be welcome. There is another Wetherspoons just down the road, The Bright Helm, which I did utilise for breakfast the next day. However, I’d stick with The Post & Telegraph for a pre-match.

Brighton is known for its nightlife and has plenty of bars on offer, I wouldn’t however be able to tell you what any of them are called. I did however stumble across a Walkabout, which at midday on a Tuesday was dead, however I can imagine on a usual match day, with prices so cheap, there would be plenty of fans around. Or if you’re looking for somewhere to watch the evening football after a match, there was plenty of screens around to show live sport.

Inside the stadium, drinks on offered included Foster’s and the local brew, Harveys for £4.50 a pint. I was hungry at half-time so gave the Chicken, Gammon and Leek pie a go and I highly recommend it!

Accommodation

Stayed the night at the budget-friendly Russell Guest House for £33 for a twin room. Having read reviews beforehand, my expectations were extremely low and I booked merely thinking its just a bed for the night.

Yes there was mold on the ceiling and the check-in process was relatively strange (there is no reception, you receive a code via text/email to access the building and your key is in the door to your room) but as I mentioned above, my sole intention was to watch the football and the hotel served its purpose of giving me a bed for the night.

If you’re looking for luxury look elsewhere, but if you’re happy with somewhere central to put your head for the night, this cheap and cheerful option will do the trick.

Read other traveller’s reviews and book your stay on TripAdvisor by clicking on the links above.

What to do in Brighton

Think of Brighton and you think of the seaside and the city’s bohemian culture. There is of course Brighton Pier just off the famous pebbly beach, with its old school amusement arcades and candy floss.

In land, there are The Lanes and North Laine, a quirky area with cafes, restaurants, boutiques and independent shops. This leads up to the spectacular palace of the Royal Pavilion.

Last Updated on May 21, 2021 by Sports Tourist