Goldstone Ground

The Goldstone Ground was a football stadium in Hove, East Sussex, and was the home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion from 1902 until 1997. The ground was named after the Goldstone area of Hove. The club played there for 95 years, during which time the ground saw significant development and several memorable matches. At its peak, the Goldstone Ground held 36,747 spectators for an FA Cup match against Fulham in 1979, though by the time of its closure the capacity had been reduced to around 18,000 due to safety conversions following the Taylor Report. The stadium was sold to property developers in 1995 by the club's then-board, a decision that provoked huge protests from supporters and became one of the most controversial episodes in the club's history. Supporters formed a campaign group called Fans United to protest against the sale and the board's management of the club. The last match at the Goldstone Ground was played on 26 April 1997, a 1 to 0 win over Doncaster Rovers that secured Brighton's Football League survival, with Stuart Storer scoring the crucial goal. After leaving the Goldstone, Brighton groundshared at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium from 1997 to 1999, a journey of around 70 miles each way for supporters. The club then returned to Brighton to play at the Withdean Stadium, a converted athletics track, from 1999 to 2011, before finally moving to the purpose-built American Express Stadium at Falmer in 2011. The Goldstone Ground site was redeveloped as a retail park.

The Goldstone Ground was a football stadium in Hove, East Sussex, and was the home ground of Brighton & Hove Albion from 1902 until 1997. At its peak, the Goldstone Ground held 36,747 spectators for an FA Cup match against Fulham in 1979, though by the time of its closure the capacity had been reduced to around 18,000 due to safety conversions following the Taylor Report. The stadium was sold to property developers in 1995 by the club's then-board, a decision that provoked huge protests from supporters and became one of the most controversial episodes in the club's history. Supporters formed a campaign group called Fans United to protest against the sale and the board's management of the club. The last match at the Goldstone Ground was played on 26 April 1997, a 1 to 0 win over Doncaster Rovers that secured Brighton's Football League survival, with Stuart Storer scoring the crucial goal. After leaving the Goldstone, Brighton groundshared at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium from 1997 to 1999, a journey of around 70 miles each way for supporters. The club then returned to Brighton to play at the Withdean Stadium, a converted athletics track, from 1999 to 2011, before finally moving to the purpose-built American Express Stadium at Falmer in 2011. The Goldstone Ground site was redeveloped as a retail park.