This coming spring will see the opening of the Terrace, the new fan zone at the American Express Stadium.
This will complete the first phase of a further investment worth £40 million in a range of improvements across the site, aimed at enhancing the matchday experience for Albion supporters.
The eagerly anticipated fan zone will be somewhere to hang out before and after matches, with capacity for up to 1,000 fans in the colder months and the ability to expand outdoors and cater for up to 2,000 when the weather is warm and dry.
Albion said that it would be the biggest fan zone in the Premier League.
The club’s chief executive Paul Barber said: “I know our fans are looking forward to the opening of the new fan zone and are extremely excited to see these plans come to life. It is another incredibly generous investment by our chairman Tony Bloom.
“The Terrace will provide a brilliant addition to the matchday experience, as a place to meet friends before and after matches, watch live sport in a modern space and enjoy a wide variety of food and drink.
“We will also be looking to utilise the Terrace for a range of different events and occasions in between matches too, providing a fantastic new venue for fans, the community and visitors to the city to enjoy.
“We will be sharing further details between now and the spring, such as opening times and food offerings, but we will work with the best local Sussex suppliers to provide a great range of options.”
The opening of the Terrace will complete the first phase of improvements and upgrades that also includes new signage, wayfinding and branding which was installed at the stadium this summer as part of the ongoing enhancement and “Albionisation” of the stadium.
Phase two will see a new-look and redeveloped club store, spanning two levels, as it undergoes its first major overhaul since the stadium opened its doors in 2011.
After the Arsenal match on Saturday 4 January, the store and Dick’s Bar will close to begin this refurbishment work, but a new temporary store will open in Bennett’s Field, offering the full range of Albion merchandise with the same opening hours from Wednesday 15 January.
Fans will still be able to shop online and in person at a new permanent Albion store in Churchill Square in the interim – and the club has extended its Christmas returns window until Saturday 25 January.
The expanded store at the Amex will take up space that previously housed the club museum and Dick’s Bar and better cater for the huge increase in demand, especially on matchdays.
The club museum will relocate to a permanent base in the centre of Brighton in 2026-27, with further details being announced this coming spring.
The club said that the Terrace would become the new pre-turnstile bar, serving general admission ticket holders, and one of the main bar areas, servicing supporters on the north concourse, would be renamed Dick’s Bar when the north concourse is refurbished next summer.
A new set of steps, by the current steps down from the coach park, will be added during the same close season to manage the flow of fans before and after the match, and will open for the 2025-26 season.
Phase three will see an additional 1901 Club area added to the north stand, which will help boost capacity at the Amex to 32,500 and is due to open in time for the 2026-27 season.
The new hospitality area will offer a more pub-like vibe for home fans only. Alongside the Dugout, those will be the only 1901 Club areas that will allow fans to wear replica shirts.
The new members area will be specifically aimed at those fans who want to be at the heart of the atmosphere and show their support for the team.
As part of this work, the north stand control box will relocate to the north east corner of the stadium and the big screen at the north end will be repositioned.
Other works planned will include the introduction of safe standing in the North Stand, taking place in 2025, which the club recently confirmed, and in 2027 the relocation of away supporters into the south west corner of the Amex.
This will be in the space currently occupied by the Heineken Lounge and associated seating – with the new away area including safe standing for visiting supporters.
The club said that it was notifying fans now, well in advance of the changes, and had been in touch with all affected ticket holders to advise that supporter services will liaise with them to relocate their seats during the renewal phase for the 2027-28 season.
Or, in the case of 1901 Club members, before the 2026-27 season, in line with their five-yearly renewal window. Fans in both areas do not need to take any action now.
Moving the away fans will create a new home fans area directly behind the goal at the south stand end of the stadium and this is expected to include an additional safe standing area, subject to fan demand.
In addition to all the of the above works at the Amex, the club will also be continuing work on plans to secure a permanent site for a new purpose-built women’s stadium in Brighton and Hove.
