Seagulls fly on and off the pitch
17 June 2016
KSS have been working with Brighton & Hove Albion FC for the past 18 years. In this time, we have designed the multi-award winning Amex Stadium and Category One status Training Centre providing the perfect environment for the ‘Seagulls’ to fly into the Premier League.
There has been plenty of on-field success for Brighton & Hove Albion FC (BHAFC) this year with the Club finishing 3rd in The Championship and breaking multiple records including a 21-match unbeaten run at the start of the season.
However, until a few years ago, the upper echelons of The Football League pyramid was a pipe dream for the ‘Seagulls’ who have enjoyed a remarkable rise from near oblivion to a financially successful, community Club. If you had asked the majority of BHAFC fans in 1997 where they saw their Club in 20 years’ time, very few would have dared suggest they would be ‘Premier League ready’ with the foundations of the future already in place.
KSS’ relationship with BHAFC began in 1998, and in this time, we have been through all the challenges of delivering a major stadium in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the South Downs. The widely acclaimed Amex Stadium was completed in 2011 providing a genuine community stadium for the city of Brighton. It has proved hugely popular with the fans, winning numerous awards and playing host to U17 and U21 England International Matches and a Women’s World Cup qualifier against Montenegro. It also hosted two matches at the Rugby World Cup 2015.
KSS have also designed BHAFC’s new Training Centre, which achieved Category One status in 2014, the highest level under the Premier Leagues Elite Players Performance Plan (EPPP). The world-class facility provides a fantastic platform for the BHAFC players to fulfil their full potential, whilst nurturing and inspiring the next generation of academy players.
This season, BHAFC have not only been a success on the pitch, but off the pitch too with the Club enjoying a very fruitful year on non-match days. The multi-purpose Amex stadium was designed to maximise corporate hospitality offering a vast array of naturally lit event spaces and exhibition halls. The West stand offers access to eleven supporting dining and banqueting suites ranging from 100 to 500 covers, plus a large number of corporate boxes for a more private hospitality experience. All can be used for non-match day events and the decoration in each suite is unique, but brand neutral to increase non-match day letting opportunities, with a match day ‘Seagulls’ overlay.
This increase in revenue from non-match days will only benefit the Club in the long term, with the Amex Stadium providing a beacon for the Brighton community, and a fortress commercially and on the pitch.
With The Championship’s second highest average attendance of 25,000 fans at the Amex Stadium and a state-of-the-art training centre, KSS have shaped the best environment for the Club to be successful now, and in future generations.
