The owner of Bournemouth has presented his vision for the club's development in the coming years. Bill Foley, an American billionaire, looks up to Brighton as a model and assures that within 5 years, his team is capable of qualifying for European competitions.

Better conditions for building a stadium

I don't think we'll be able to open the new stadium before 2025, Foley said. If we succeed, all work will probably be completed by the summer of 2027. It would be perfectly ready for the 2027/2028 season. That's our goal. The current plan envisions a capacity of 18,500, which may not seem like a big change, but it will provide proper facilities, good restaurants, and be a significant upgrade.

The current AFC Bournemouth stadium, Vitality Stadium, has a capacity of 11,307 seats and was opened in 2001, replacing the old Dean Court, which was built 91 years earlier. Initially owned by the club, it was later sold to Structadene due to financial problems, and the lease agreement expires in 5 years. Bournemouth is ready to repurchase the stadium, but the location poses limited options for redevelopment, which may be more problematic and costly than building a new facility.

© AFC Bournemouth

Economical approach to construction

In an interview with The Athletic in May of this year, Bill Foley said that the best approach is to build a new stadium, but it should be done economically, spending no more than £80-90 million. The new stadium will be where our training fields are. The only thing that puzzles me is whether we could somehow revitalize the current stadium, adding 8,500 seats and making it work; it would be easier because I could do it in stages and wouldn't have to spend so much at once. Next year, I'll start with the south stand. I'm just not sure to what extent it's feasible.

The new stadium is not the only investment in Bournemouth that will be finalized in the coming years. Work is also underway on a modern training center, which will offer sixteen pitches of various dimensions and surfaces, medical facilities, fitness, sports science, and rehabilitation, administrative space, conference hall and theater. The investment, totaling £32 million, is expected to be completed in October 2024.

© AFC Bournemouth

Dishonorable title

In October, The Athletic conducted a survey to assess all 20 stadiums belonging to teams in the Premier League based on four main factors, including the matchday experience. The worst impression was left by... Vitality Stadium, which was dubbed the ugliest venue in the top tier of English football. Bournemouth's neighbors point out that it urgently needs modernization because it looks like a temporary building.