English Premier League football club Brighton & Hove Albion has detailed plans to transition Amex Stadium into a cashless venue in the coming months.
Brighton will work with stadium sponsor American Express and catering partner Sodexo to switch to card-only payments for all matches and event days by August 2020 or sooner.
A phased roll-out will begin at Brighton’s next home match against Burnley on Saturday, with the kiosk on the north side in east upper and the middle catering kiosks in all other home concourses taking credit or debit card payments only.
Brighton chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber said: “Our research shows the average transaction time of a cash payment at the Amex is 167 seconds, compared with 83 seconds for all card payments.
“By moving to a totally cashless stadium, we have the opportunity to cut current cash-based service times in half. That’s a huge improvement so it’s easy to see why new stadia are opting to be cashless.”
Brighton has already invested significantly in its Wi-Fi and point-of-sale infrastructure across the Amex Stadium in anticipation of the move. New hardware has been installed and software has been upgraded and tested at the club’s previous two home matches.
Barber added: “Improving service times during peak periods and shorter service periods, such as half-time and immediately after the game, will be better for everyone.
“A cashless stadium also makes things simpler and more secure for us, will reduce costs for Sodexo and for us, and it will ultimately help us keep prices down. We appreciate there are those fans who like to pay in cash, but technology is evolving quickly and ultimately we have made this decision to benefit the majority.”
Fellow Premier League clubs Sheffield United and Leicester City recently announced similar plans to make their home stadia cashless.
American Express renewed its sponsorship of the Amex Stadium last month. The new multi-year deal will also see the company retain its position as Brighton’s main shirt sponsor.
Image: Julian P Guffogg
