Plenty of clubs like to pat themselves on the back when it comes to supporting women’s and girls’ football, but Brighton and Hove Albion have put their money where their mouth is by building a state-of-the-art training facility devoted entirely to their women’s football program at the considerable expense of £8.5 million.
Officially opened last month, the American Express Elite Performance Center 2 hosts teams from under-12s right up to Hope Powell’s side in the Women’s Super League, raising the bar for the WSL as a standalone, dedicated facility . A look inside reveals a hugely impressive setup that almost any women’s sports club in Europe would envy. With a swimming pool, gym and two changing rooms sized to accommodate Premier League football for men, plus everything from boot warmers to ice pools for the players, no stone has been left unturned to provide ‘elite’ facilities.
The club decided to equip the ground with the same specifications as the men’s team. The site is environmentally friendly, with 800 solar panels and 1,000 new trees. Manager Powell believes the “special” facility gives its players “the very best chance” of success.
“We are blessed with an owner [Tony Bloom] who really supports the women and is willing to build a special facility. It feels like home,” said the former England head coach of the training ground where the Norwegian national team was held during the European Championship in July. professional I feel a certain satisfaction that finally, it’s almost like, ‘go on’, the game is taken a little more seriously than maybe when I played where we had to pay for everything, we trained on concrete, you wore a men’s outfit, you wore men’s boots, everything was tailored to the men. Now the women’s game is firmly on the map, especially after a great summer.”