[Football] Bournemouth capacity

[Simster]

I don't like Bournemouth much (like most Brighton fans I'm sure) but I do like this guy's vlogs. Anyway apparently a couple of days ago, Bournemouth bought their ground back, so are now in a position to redevelop it.

I think the plan is to extend to 23,000 in the next few years, so we might finally get an allocation that numbers more than the guest count at Fawlty Towers:

 

[mile oak]

Surely if AFC maintain PL status the expansion still wont be enough?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I was surprised to notice the other day that Bournemouth and Poole was the 9th biggest urban area in England with a population of 382k

Potential to grow the amount of support there

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

 

[Official Old Man]

Do they own the car park? Obvious place to build a 30K stadium. I would worry about filling it if they got relegated.

 

[Simster]

Do they own the car park? Obvious place to build a 30K stadium. I would worry about filling it if they got relegated.

As @Nobby Cybergoat says, their potential is significant. They are talking about upgrading to 23,000 (not 30,000) and even in the Championship it's not difficult to see them averaging 17-18k, maybe more - they're probably not that different from Reading actually.

 

[nickbrighton]

Surely if AFC maintain PL status the expansion still wont be enough?

Assuming building a completely new stadium is not feasible due to cost and availability of suitably located and available land, and the astronomical cost of building a new ground (£200 million for one stand at selhurst!), they are pretty much limited as to what exactly they can do. With two sides of the stadium next to houses the options are effectively limited to refurbishing those two stands, and rebuilding the other two. Im sure any plans will increase the capacity as much as possible but with Saints and Portsmouth just along the road to the East, the sea to the south, their catchment area is limited somewhat, despite the video saying 15 000 on the wait list-that does sound a bit high, thats over the entire current capacity. Its not only the capacity though, its the hospitality boxes and the huge income that they can generate

While Im not a huge fan, I don't wish them any ill will, good luck to them

 

[Simster]

Assuming building a completely new stadium is not feasible due to cost and availability of suitably located and available land, and the astronomical cost of building a new ground (£200 million for one stand at selhurst!), they are pretty much limited as to what exactly they can do. With two sides of the stadium next to houses the options are effectively limited to refurbishing those two stands, and rebuilding the other two. Im sure any plans will increase the capacity as much as possible but with Saints and Portsmouth just along the road to the East, the sea to the south, their catchment area is limited somewhat, despite the video saying 15 000 on the wait list-that does sound a bit high, thats over the entire current capacity. Its not only the capacity though, its the hospitality boxes and the huge income that they can generate

While Im not a huge fan, I don't wish them any ill will, good luck to them

Their catchment area isn't that limited. They can go as far north as Salisbury (an hour's drive), east to Ringwood (half an hour), and west is entirely theirs - you have Poole , then Dorchester, Weymouth, Yeovil - and it's a long long way to anywhere with a reasonable sized club after that.

And just because their waiting list is bigger than their stadium, doesn't make it untrue. It's not much of a different scenario from our waiting list in division 4 when we returned from Gillingham to Withdean. We had 4,500 STHs and in those early years we often had thousands unable to get tickets.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I don't like Bournemouth much (like most Brighton fans I'm sure) but I do like this guy's vlogs. Anyway apparently a couple of days ago, Bournemouth bought their ground back, so are now in a position to redevelop it.

I think the plan is to extend to 23,000 in the next few years, so we might finally get an allocation that numbers more than the guest count at Fawlty Towers:

Needs some serious analysis about how Bournemouth appear to survive and thrive in the EPL on maximum gates of 11,307 while the Albion are squeezing every last pip out of customers on gates of near enough 30,000.

Any ideas @El Presidente? And please don't quote 'billionaire owner' because we're supposed to have one of those also

 

[Eeyore]

Needs some serious analysis about how Bournemouth appear to survive and thrive in the EPL on maximum gates of 11,307 while the Albion are squeezing every last pip out of customers on gates of near enough 30,000.

Any ideas @El Presidente? And please don't quote 'billionaire owner' because we're supposed to have one of those also

TV money init ? And being shrewd in the transfer market.

'Size' doth matter not. Although some Leeds United fans struggle with that.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

TV money init ? And being shrewd in the transfer market.

'Size' doth matter not. Although some Leeds United fans struggle with that.

What? Completely the same as ourselves you mean?

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Needs some serious analysis about how Bournemouth appear to survive and thrive in the EPL on maximum gates of 11,307 while the Albion are squeezing every last pip out of customers on gates of near enough 30,000.

Any ideas @El Presidente? And please don't quote 'billionaire owner' because we're supposed to have one of those also

Well. I'm no football finance expert, but isn't it that they (and we) are going to get £150m or whatever it is just for finishing mid table and whatever they make from matchday income is relatively insignificant.

Of course, if you can top that figure up by selling the odd carthorse to Spurs or someone for £60m+ and replace them with someone cheaper and better, then what you get through the gate and what you make on pies and shirts matters even less

 

[Simster]

What? Completely the same as ourselves you mean?

Haven't we got a 30,000 seat stadium to pay back the club owner for (to the tune of, what £200 million)?

Call me picky, but that feels like a pretty big difference to the AFCB situation.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Haven't we got a 30,000 seat stadium to pay back the club owner for (to the tune of, what £200 million)?

Call me picky, but that feels like a pretty big difference to the AFCB situation.

Picky. Would still like someone to explain how AFCB survive and thrive in the EPL on gates not much more than 50% higher capacity than Withdean

 

[Simster]

Picky. Would still like someone to explain how AFCB survive and thrive in the EPL on gates not much more than 50% higher capacity than Withdean

Because:
a) television money dwarfs all other income streams, and we're broadly at parity there.
b) our matchday income will be MUCH higher than theirs, but we have an enormous debt to Bloom that needs servicing. They don't.

They thrive (as do we) by buying excellent players at reasonable prices, and watching crap clubs like Tottenham overpaying for our easily replaceable "stars" (Solanki, Bissouma).

(When I say "easily replaceable", I mean by the standards of both clubs, not comedy clubs like Spurs and Man Utd)

 

[Austrian Gull]

Their catchment area isn't that limited. They can go as far north as Salisbury (an hour's drive), east to Ringwood (half an hour), and west is entirely theirs - you have Poole , then Dorchester, Weymouth, Yeovil - and it's a long long way to anywhere with a reasonable sized club after that.

And just because their waiting list is bigger than their stadium, doesn't make it untrue. It's not much of a different scenario from our waiting list in division 4 when we returned from Gillingham to Withdean. We had 4,500 STHs and in those early years we often had thousands unable to get tickets.

I wouldn't be particularly hopeful for their catchment area. Salisbury is to me Southampton and I would imagine Ringwood is similar. Not too sure people from Yeovil or Dorchester will become Bournemouth fans either - even in the local conurbation quite a lot of people support Poole.

We at least could hark back to the 60s/70s where we showed the potential we had in terms of big crowds. Bournemouth have never demonstrated that or travelled in numbers either.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Because:
a) television money dwarfs all other income streams, and we're broadly at parity there.
b) our matchday income will be MUCH higher than theirs, but we have an enormous debt to Bloom that needs servicing.

They thrive (as do we) by buying excellent players at reasonable prices, and watching crap clubs like Tottenham overpaying for our easily replaceable "stars" (Solanki, Bissouma).

(When I say "easily replaceable", I mean by the standards of both clubs, not comedy clubs like Spurs and Man Utd)

Might well be wrong, but from what I can see, Bloom seems pretty relaxed about the debt. Not seen anything that suggests it 'needs servicing' anytime soon

 

[Stato]

Needs some serious analysis about how Bournemouth appear to survive and thrive in the EPL on maximum gates of 11,307 while the Albion are squeezing every last pip out of customers on gates of near enough 30,000.

Any ideas @El Presidente? And please don't quote 'billionaire owner' because we're supposed to have one of those also

This might help: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6269182/2025/04/10/bournemouth-psr-premier-league-rules/

Some might suggest creative accountancy and weak governance, but I couldn't possibly comment.

 

[Simster]

Might well be wrong, but from what I can see, Bloom seems pretty relaxed about the debt. Not seen anything that suggests it 'needs servicing' anytime soon

But you didn't ask about whether Tony Bloom was relaxed about his debt - you asked why Bournemouth manage on gates of 11,300 while our club squeezes the pips out of 30,000 - so I gave you my educated opinion.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

But you didn't ask about whether Tony Bloom was relaxed about his debt - you asked why Bournemouth manage on gates of 11,300 while our club squeezes the pips out of 30,000 - so I gave you my educated opinion.

Fair enough. Not seen the slightest bit of insight in your post tho

@El Presidente could you help us out here please?