Behind the scenes on the Amex Stadium Tour

31st October. A scary day for some. Not Tony Noble though, who decided to spend his Halloween doing the Amex Stadium Tour. The Albion have only just restarted giving tours because of the pandemic, so Tony was one of the first to experience going behind the scenes in a Covid-19 world. Here is how it went.

If like me you ever sit there wondering “What is going on down that tunnel” whilst watching Brighton on television or sat in the Amex Stadium itself, then the chance to go on a behind-the-scenes tour is a special treat.

The Albion have only just begun giving tours of the Amex again in a Covid safe way. Eager to have a look around, we booked ourselves onto one of the first available, which came the day after Liverpool 2-2 Brighton at Anfield.

Now, let’s get this straight, I am not a 12-year-old boy anymore, who you would expect to be overexcited by the prospect of looking around the stadium.

But even at 66 years of age, I still have a real interest. It is probably because I am generally a nosey person and want to know how everything actually works.

From the moment we arrived, every effort was made to ensure that the tour was carried out safely. All visitors had their temperature taken and of course, hand sanitiser and masks are insisted on throughout.

We had around 10 people on the 1pm tour and our guide around the Amex Stadium was the charming Julie, who answered all of the questions put to her.

 

 

Our tour began, as all tours of this kind do I expect, with Health and Safety instructions. Whilst there were several rules to follow, we were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted to. This was nice, especially as most of us will never get into the elite posh areas again.

So off we went to the West Stand. It was very interesting to visit a private hospitality box which, as luck would have it, was designed to cater for 10 people – the exact number on our tour.

When Julie revealed the cost of the box to us, it became clear that booking one for a match would be prohibitive unless it were a very special occasion for someone.

This was, however, one of the more expensive private boxes. There are more affordable options with which Albion fans could celebrate birthdays or anniversaries at a game.

Now I learnt something during this part of the tour – no matter how much money you have, or how much you have paid for your hospitality, the FA rules do not allow any person to drink alcohol and watch live football at the same time.

What happens is that all the blinds are lowered for the hospitality boxes and suites 15 minutes before any game begins.

You therefore cannot watch the game from the comfort of the nice warm dining area. Those in the posh seats have to suffer the cold as much as the rest of us.

 

 

From the private hospitality box, we moved into a bigger dining area. It was well laid out with dining tables, a nice bar and a good view of the ground… until the blinds come down, anyway.

There are countless great photos and memorabilia on display everywhere you go around the stadium. One picture in particular that caught my eye was a of Harry Bloom, a former director of the club and of course, grandfather to Tony. He could be seen watching a game at the Goldstone Ground wearing a very nice dark trilby hat.

 

 

As we walked around the West Stand hospitality areas, it was quite clear that everything looked wonderful and brand new. We were informed by our guide that during the downtime in Covid, the whole place had been fully refurbished.

How sensible is that? If we have management of the club making these types of sensible decisions to renovate when it is quiet, then I have every confidence and faith that the football decisions will be just as sensible. We are very lucky to have very good business people running the club.

 

 

Next, we were treated to a good tour of the directors’ lounge, which is where the Brighton & Hove Albion trophy cabinet is found.

Silverware from the club’s past is kept here, such as the 2010-11 League One champions‘ trophy. Hopefully if we keep moving in the right direction, Mr Bloom might have to put his hand in his wallet to buy a bigger cabinet.

 

 

Having been shown the inside of the very plush directors’ lounge, we were taken out to see the ultra-padded seats where they enjoy the game from.

Many of these seats have small television screens attached to them, which work like aircraft television sets. It really is quite a different experience to what I am used to over in the East Stand.

Whilst the directors are able to catch up on TV if the game is dull, there is no special exemption when it comes to drink. Even if you own the club, you cannot sit outside with a beer to watch the game.

 

 

It was then onto view the extra press seating right at the very top of the West Stand roof, which is where the analysts sit.

The view from here is quite spectacular and for the kids on the Amex Stadium tour, it proved to be one of the highlights because of how high up we were.

Members of the media are treated superbly when they visit the Amex, a fact that hit home when we saw the press conference facilities.

From there, it was onto the part of the tour which I had been really looking forward to – the tunnel and the dressing rooms.

 

 

They certainly want for nothing in the Albion changing room! As a retired detective, I had my eyes and ears on full alert.

Whiteboards with team setups are still visible and all the equipment for dealing with physio work is close by. The traditional baths all look brand new.

The sense of excitement began to build as I took a moment to think what it must be like to prep for a home game at the Amex.

 

 

Then there was a trip along the corridor to visit the away team changing room. Well, what a stark difference that was.

I had no idea quite how far the Albion would go to gain home advantage. Away teams get changed in the plainest facilities possible with some seats, somewhere to hang their clothes, and that is about it. No comfort at all for our visitors.

 

 

Once you have visited the changing rooms, it is back to the tunnel. Here, you have to line up whether you are a child, a big kid or a 66-year-old man, and you are made to walk out into the stadium whilst Sussex by the Sea is blasted out.

The kids obviously loved this… and so did the oldies. It gave me goose bumps walking out towards the pitch. A reminder again that I am 66-years-old!

Of course, we were not allowed onto the grass itself. We instead heard about how the expert ground staff battle to keep it in top condition, a task much harder than you might expect given the challenges of lack of sunlight and the British weather.

After 90 minutes, the Amex Stadium tour wrapped up with a stroll through the North Stand concourse and onto the Brighton & Hove Albion Museum.

All I can say about the museum is that it was amazing. As I looked around, I found myself back as an 11-year-old in 1966 visiting the Goldstone Ground for the first time.

The museum was adorned with photos of young fans from bygone eras, boys who I even thought I may have recognised.

All the treasure and memorabilia on show is quite something. Whoever looks after it all deserves immense credit as it is a true reflection of the Albion’s real history.

 

 

Once we had finished up in the museum, it was time to say goodbye to Julie. She had one last task, of course – to deliver us to the Albion Superstore in the hope that we would spend lots of money having been inspired by going behind the scenes at the Albion.

The tour itself provided excellent value for money and was not at all expensive. If you find yourself free one Sunday, then it is definitely worth doing. Up the Albion!