Beaches, sea and your occasional sun in England. What more do you want? In the south, you will find the wonderful coastal town of Bournemouth close to the pristine Jurassic Coast. In recent years, the lovely football club AFC Bournemouth has been competing in the highest divisions with one of the smallest stadiums.
AFC Bournemouth is one of the smallest clubs to have ever played in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1899 as Boscombe F.C. The club lived an anonymous existence in professional football for decades, but in 2008 everything changed. The club went into administration, had massive debts and was relegated to League Two (the fourth division). A young Eddie Howe, 31 at the time, was appointed manager. This proved a great move as he guided The Cherries to three promotions in six years, which meant the club would make its first-ever appearance in the Premier League in 2015.
The Vitality Stadium, which has a capacity of 11,329, was the smallest ground in Premier League history until Luton Town’s promotion in 2023. More than half of the teams playing in League One (the third tier) have a larger capacity than AFC Bournemouth. The ground opened in 1910 and was completely rebuilt in 2001. The Vitality Stadium, or Dean Court, is not the greatest piece of architecture from the outside and looks more like a grey container. The inside, however, feels cosy with its red seats and players’ photos on the inside walls of the stands.
In recent years, AFC Bournemouth has become extremely popular. The demand for tickets outweighs the capacity, so the club has been creating plans to build a new arena. Currently, all teams of Bournemouth train in and around the stadium, but in 2024 a new training facility will be opened in Canford Magna. When the construction of the new training ground is completed, the club will start building a new arena on the training pitches next to the Vitality Stadium.
There is a big chance you may have never heard of the English striker Dickie Dowsett, but you have surely seen his face. Dickie Dowsett played for AFC Bournemouth between 1957 and 1962 and scored one goal after another, especially with his head. In 1972, AFC Bournemouth changed its logo to a figure who heads the ball. And you guessed it correctly: This figure is Dickie Dowsett, a club legend who will always be connected to The Cherries.
There are not many pubs around the Vitality Stadium. One of the exclusions is The Queens Park Hotel, a hotspot for fans on match days. On Curzon Road, you can have breakfast or lunch in the Cherries Cafe where kits decorate the walls. Alternatively, you could drink a pint on Bournemouth Pier or buy a typical fish & chips at one of the beach restaurants. You can also find the BH2 Leisure Centre in the town centre with its many restaurants and cocktail bars.
The neighbouring coastal town of Sandbanks is known as the world's most expensive seaside. Many pop stars and former footballers own a mansion in Sandbanks. Do not act surprised if you bump into a few celebrities on Banks Road, also called Millionaires Row, and Panorama Road. Former Bournemouth managers Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis and former footballer Graham Souness reside here. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and former footballer Jamie Redknapp can often be found in their mansions in Branksome Park. John Lennon from The Beatles also bought a house in Sandbanks for his aunt Mimi once.
If you are in Bournemouth, explore the Jurassic Coast for a day or two. Ninety-two miles of pristine beaches, steep white cliffs and picturesque towns such as Swanage and Weymouth. It is one of the UK’s most beautiful coastal lines. You can explore all there is to see with the Jurassic Coaster bus, which takes you to a few highlights. You could also board a cruise in Poole or Swanage and explore the area from the water. Alternatively, you could also hike down some trails.
The demand for tickets is huge at AFC Bournemouth, especially when they are playing in the Premier League. Therefore it is extremely difficult to purchase tickets. The club works with a point scheme where each fan gets a point for a game they visited. This means that fans who have been there before or attend regularly get priority, and almost no tickets are sold to new fans. The new stadium, however, should bring a solution to this problem in the future so that they could welcome new and younger fans at home games.
The Vitality Stadium can easily be reached by public transport. The train station Pokesdown is a 17-minute walk away from Bournemouth’s home ground. You could also walk to the stadium from Bournemouth station, which takes less than thirty minutes. If this is too far, you could take bus 2 or 22 from Bournemouth station to Queens Park Hotel. The ground is within walking distance from here.
Images: Shutterstock
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