Image via Getty Brighton and Hove city council recently voted to build a new football stadium for Brighton & Hove Albion Women, which will be the first of its kind in England.Currently the Women’s Super League side plays at Crawley Town F.C’s Broadfield Stadium, roughly 20 miles from The Amex – home of the club’s Premier League team. Although the exact location of the upcoming ground has yet to be disclosed, it will be positioned closer to the East Sussex fanbase. When asked about the news, Head Coach Melissa Phillips said: “It is encouraging the council are supporting their motion to help us find a suitable location to return to the city. “This is another massive first step in our journey back to Brighton and we are excited for what is ahead for this club, community, and team.”Zoe Johnson, Managing Director of women’s and girls’ football at the club, also expressed similar levels of joy at the council’s recent decision: “We believe that this is another positive step in the right direction for women’s football within the Sussex community. “We understand that it will take time, and we look forward to working with the council to ensure that we can bring the women’s team to Brighton on a permanent basis”.In recent years, English clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have scheduled more women’s fixtures to be hosted at stadiums associated with men’s teams such as The Emirates, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford – something clubs across Europe have also done. Barcelona have broken Guinness World Record attendance figures on numerous occasions after 91,000+ fans attended UEFA Women’s Champions League and El El Clásico matches at Camp Nou last year. Although news of the upcoming women’s specific stadium will no doubt be a step-up in terms of facilities, capacity, proximity to fans and club culture, a ground dedicated solely to a women’s team isn’t currently the norm in European football. NWSL teams in America however, play matches in separate stadiums from their affiliated men’s teams because they operate as separate entities from MLS clubs – a strategy that isn’t implemented in every country where professional women’s football is played. The upcoming move is definitely a positive one, but here’s hoping it doesn’t prevent future fixtures being hosted at The Amex as that is considered the ‘home’ of Brighton & Hove Albion. A place their women’s team ought to have equal access and claim to.