Running track & shared stand with The Open! Brighton’s life before the Amex as Mark McGhee explains why divisive Withdean Stadium ‘wasn’t a dump’

Having been forced to leave the Goldstone Ground in 1997, Brighton briefly became tenants at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium - a venue located some 70 miles away. Said share was clearly far from ideal and the Seagulls headed to a new home of sorts in 1999 when returning to East Sussex.

They set up camp at the Withdean, despite protests from plenty of parties, and would spend 12 years playing professional football in surroundings that were purpose built for athletics competition - with Olympic gold medalist Steve Ovett previously making use of the running track.

McGhee, who inherited Brighton’s managerial reins in October 2003, was among those charged with the task of making the best of a difficult situation. The Scot - who represented Aberdeen, Newcastle and Celtic in his playing days - was able to make peace with the challengers presented to him.

Brighton were a third tier outfit at the time, having flirted with the frightening prospect of going out of existence a few years earlier, but were able to reach the Championship at the Withdean before briefly stepping backwards again.

Asked to explain what the Seagulls were as a club at the start of his reign, with a stark contrast to be found in 2026, McGhee - who has seen the ‘Brighton & Hove Albion: Stand or Fall’ gallery open as the club’s 125-year history is celebrated - told GOAL: “I think at the time they were fighting for their lives still, they were back at the Withdean, they were battling and spending fortunes on public inquiries to try and win planning permission for a new stadium. Every penny that has been earned on the pitch, which wasn't much with a 6,000 capacity, and through transfers, which was actually quite a lot through selling players, was going on public inquiries.

“So it was an average crowd of 5,500 or 6,000 people, and we were playing the likes of Leeds and West Ham and Wolves and all those in the Championship. So it was obviously hugely different from what you see today.”

Asked specifically about the Withdean and the difficulties of making that feel like a football stadium, McGhee added: “What we did was we weaponised it. Other teams came and they had looked over that ridge as they came into the stadium and went, ‘what the hell?’ You couldn’t even see where the pitch was amongst the running track!

“But we had a bunch of players who were absolutely humble and they were just up for it, and had no problems of it playing at the Withdean, really, and understood why it was a weapon for us.

“It was a bizarre place. I don't know if you know this, but I'll say it anyway. The main stand behind the dugouts was the same stand that they used at the golf at the British Open. Every year at the end of the season, they came, dismantled it, and took it to the Open, and that was the big stand you would see behind the 18th green, wherever the Open was being held.

“And then they would bring it back for the start of the season, and as a consequence, for a long, long time, we couldn't play pre-season home games, because there was no stand. It was mental.

“And then they managed to buy the stand from whoever owned it, and therefore it didn't go after that for the next few years, up until when they moved to the AmEx, they were able to hold pre-season games. So stuff like that was just mental.

“But the actual infrastructure within that little stadium, there were Portakabins, but they were good Portakabins - they were well-fitted with bathrooms, and shower rooms, and dressing rooms, and offices, and they were fit for purpose. So, it wasn't a dump, and it wasn't without some sort of amenities. So, we made the best of it.”

A new permanent gallery telling the story of the Seagulls’ 125-year history opened at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery on August 15. The interactive exhibition brings together iconic objects, treasured memorabilia, archive material, film and personal stories to tell the story of one of English football's most resilient clubs. Visitors will explore the triumphs, setbacks and defining moments that have shaped BHAFC and its place at the heart of the city for more than a century.

While there have been some troubling times in the past, the present and future is looking particularly bright on the south coast. Fabian Hurzeler has guided the club back into continental competition - as they grace the 2026-27 Conference League - while the hope is that a first major trophy triumph may not be too far off.