Bournemouth give key update on new stadium date, features
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has provided the latest information on the club’s future stadium.
After a slow start, Bournemouth are searching for redemption. Having won four of their last five matches they’ve risen up the Premier League standings. They are currently sitting in the 14th place.
It was almost a year ago when the American billionaire paid close to $126 million to acquire Bournemouth. Hollywood A-lister Michael B. Jordan is now a minority shareholder as well. Over time, Foley has shown that he is willing to invest in the playing squad.
Hollywood heavyweight Michael B. Jordan is now a minority shareholder as well. As soon as the Americans took over, the Cherries splashed out roughly $200 million to add a bevy of new players.
Among them are five of the seven most costly signings in club history. The most expensive player was United States midfielder Tyler Adams. He came from Leeds for almost $29 million during the summer transfer window.
Moving into their new training facility will take place in October 2024. Meanwhile, construction of a new stadium, to be built on the location of their present training center close to their current ground, will begin the following year.
What did Bill Foley say about Bournemouth moving into a new stadium?
Now, in an interview with The Guardian, Bill Foley has provided some background and updates on the plans for Cherries’ new stadium.
“I don’t believe we can get the stadium underway until probably 2025. If we accomplish that then we could be complete by possibly the summer of 2027. That would be perfect and ready for the 2027-28 season.
“That is probably our goal, our target. The current plan is for it to be 18,500 in capacity. This doesn’t sound that big an increase, but it is going to have the right hospitality, the right restaurants and it is going to be a major upgrade.”
History of Vitality Stadium
Originally founded in 1910, the Vitality Stadium is the current home of the Cherries. Despite undergoing a full reconstruction in 2001, the venue still has the lowest capacity of any Premier League venue at under 12,000 spectators.
Built on a shoestring budget for a team in the English football, the stadium last took on renovations 10 years ago. Structadene purchased it a few years down the road as part of a sale and leaseback agreement when the club was in a financially precarious position. Interestingly, the lease will end in the near future.
In addition, Bournemouth’s plans for a new $44 million training facility became known in 2019. Even though the club paid $4.76 million to acquire property on a former golf course, construction has halted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The existing training facilities of Cherries occupy prime real estate around the Vitality, which is a barrier to constructing a new site.
Foley has previously set a target date of the autumn of 2024 for the Cherries to begin utilizing their new training site at Canford Magna. Construction is already well underway.
Photo credits: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images : IMAGO / Pro Sports Images