Brighton hope to have the women’s stadium under construction by the start of the 2027-28 season

Barber believes a purpose-built stadium is “important” to give “respect and focus” to the women’s team.

He hopes this will help the club build a fanbase and capitalize on the growth of women’s football in England.

“Every club in the country, I think, is looking at how to integrate women’s and girls’ football into its core operations,” Barber added.

“Other clubs have different strategies for us but we feel a women’s stadium is a great thing to bring back to the city.

“We think it will help us create an audience for the women’s team that we don’t have right now and we see this as a long-term project.

“The women’s game is growing rapidly and we see this as a viable proposition for the future.”

Brighton’s plans for the stadium include a “small modular” approach that will allow them to expand its size as the audience grows.

But Barber admitted it was “unthinkable” that the men’s and women’s first teams would regularly play at American Express Stadium in the future.

“I don’t want to put numbers on it at the moment because that’s a bit out of the question when we’re talking to stakeholders and local authorities,” he added.

“Ultimately, at some point in the future, it’s not inconceivable that we’ll merge our men’s and women’s teams back into the AMEX – once we can remodel some of the facilities we need to accommodate the team in woman.

“But in the short-term and medium-term, I think a purpose built women’s stadium is the right way for us to develop our program.”