Having spent my formative years in Brighton and Hove, I understand how crucial Brighton and Hove Albion are to our wonderful city.

When circumstances drove the club away, it created a genuine emptiness. Followers speak of a missing generation of supporters and of our city’s spirit being severely impacted.

The club’s return from Gillingham, initially to Withdean before settling at their superb stadium in Falmer, clearly revitalised the area. The advancement since has been remarkable on every level.

The club serves as a gathering point for many, uniting people from varied backgrounds in celebrating our city and surrounding region. It also generates substantial economic benefits, runs transformative initiatives through its foundation and champions values I know this city and its inhabitants deeply cherish.

Which is why seeing such bold proposals for a purpose-built home for the Women’s Super League side was so encouraging – the first facility of its kind in Britain and Europe; should planning permission be granted and construction completed by the club’s 2029/30 target, it would become only the third such venue worldwide.

In Brighton and Hove we have a passion for football, we innovate and we strongly believe in equality for women. Knowing these principles are shared by our principal football club, with the Albion pioneering progress not just nationally but worldwide in advancing the women’s game, is remarkable.

The prospect of the women’s team having a dedicated venue specifically designed for them is thrilling not only as council leader and devoted Albion supporter, but for anyone committed to closing historic gender gaps in sport.

Over a century has passed since the Football Association imposed a ban on women’s football. Such deep-rooted institutional obstacles require considerable time to overcome.

Therefore, while the extraordinary recent growth of women’s football deserves acknowledgment, we must avoid becoming complacent about this progress. Lasting transformation requires tangible backing to help the women’s game continue flourishing. That is precisely what the Albion is providing and investing in.

This means that, if the proposals receive approval and the new stadium becomes reality, young girls such as my football-loving six-year-old daughter will be able to watch their idols compete right here in their own city, understanding that football is genuinely a sport for them – one that values women and girls. I could not be more honoured to lead a council in a city where our principal football club amplifies that message so powerfully.

The vision demonstrated by the club mirrors the aspirations of this city. We recognise that a persistent gender disparity remains in sports involvement and that women and girls face lifelong inequalities as a consequence.

That is why we initiated our Sport Lifts Her Higher programme, aiming to position Brighton and Hove as Britain’s leading city for women and girls’ involvement in sport.

We have been genuinely moved by the backing our programme has attracted and encouraged by accounts of work already underway.

Learning about the enthusiasm throughout Brighton and Hove to make sport accessible, to give women and girls equal chances and to pioneer in this domain reinforces what I already understand – that this is a city and community motivated by authentic dedication to diversity and fairness.

Our research indicates that exposure to elite women’s sport motivates girls to participate themselves. This is one reason why we are so eager to host occasions such as the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

That tournament produced a meaningful lasting impact, drawing more women and girls into rugby locally – a legacy we recently marked with our seafront exhibition highlighting women who play the sport locally. The women’s European Championship generated comparable growth in football.

Later this month international cricket will also arrive in Hove, with England facing New Zealand in a women’s T20 match. Sussex Cricket is contributing – both by fostering recreational involvement among women and girls and providing complimentary access to its women’s T20 matches at Hove.

If girls witness it, they will embrace it. That conviction is absolute.

The prospective influence of watching the Albion competing at the highest level of domestic – and potentially future European – women’s football here in the city should not be undervalued.

It will be fascinating to see the complete proposals unveiled as they proceed through the planning stages.

It will be even more fascinating, however, to observe the difference these ambitions will create for local girls. Their opportunity to see the Albion battling at the summit of women’s football here in Brighton and Hove could prove revolutionary.

This council has expressed clear backing for bringing the Albion’s women’s team back to a permanent home from their temporary base in Crawley – endorsing in 2023 our commitment to collaborate with the club in establishing a purpose-built women’s stadium.

This week, that joint ambition moved nearer to reality. It represents a meaningful advance and one the whole city should embrace.

Councillor Bella Sankey is leader of Brighton and Hove City Council.