Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth has announced plans to expand Vitality Stadium by 1,500 seats, with construction set to begin this summer, pending planning permission. However, only the bottom tier of the south stand will be ready for the start of the upcoming campaign, with the remainder of the stand to be completed throughout the 2026/27 season. The project also includes infilling the south-east and north-west corners of the stadium. Jim Frevola, speaking to the Daily Echo, detailed the complexities involved in the redevelopment process.
Jim Frevola said: “At the end of the day, it’s a process, right? Redeveloping a stadium, it’s got a lot of stakeholders involved. It’s not just the football club, it’s not just the supporters, it’s not just the council, it’s the residents, it’s UEFA, it’s the Premier League, it’s our contractors and our architects and designers. So a lot of factors went into it. Initially, we talked about building a modular south stand. We decided to change that for a variety of reasons. That was part of the delay. It wasn’t the only reason for the delay. Getting through planning has been a longer process, not necessarily unexpected, because I think we always expected it to be a challenge, but we’ve had certain hurdles along the way. I don’t know the exact vernacular, but I’ll give you one example. We have to clear the land behind the south stand, or where the south stand with the pilings will go, for potential undetonated World War II bombs.”
Frevola also addressed the decision to include a temporary roof structure in the plans, acknowledging that while it would incur additional costs, it was a necessary investment for the club.
Frevola explained: “Right now, the intent is to have some sort of a temporary roof structure as part of it. There may be a scenario on timing, it depends on the schedule. We’ve asked for the first week of the season to be away, which is pretty normal for anybody that’s building a ground. There’s going to be a time where— I’ve got a long list of folks trying to build the ground— but there’s going to be a time where we’re all trying to get the first week away because we’re building or renovating or whatever the case may be. It may not look temporary.”
The club plans to introduce a new membership system once the stadium redevelopment is complete, aiming to expand its season ticket base. Frevola emphasized the importance of prioritizing max point holders in the allocation of new season tickets.
Frevola stated: “Our full intention is to expand our season ticket base. The most logical first step on that is our max points holders. So that evolution will absolutely happen. Could that happen this offseason? Possibly, very possibly. We’re pretty close to figuring out those plans. Max point holders will be absolutely prioritized at the top of the list of that. We’ve had good consultation with our fan advisory board on how to do new season tickets, how to introduce it. The universal opinion of that group and our group was max point holders have to be first. And we agreed. It wasn’t even a tough conversation, it was like, yeah, of course. And then how do you expand it from there? We’re still working through whether that’s existing season ticket holders adding on, the next level of points holders, away points holders, family members of those individual groups. We’re sorting through those details. But yeah, fully expect new season tickets. That has always been our intention and possibly this offseason.”
Frevola highlighted the club’s commitment to delivering a high-quality stadium experience for supporters, noting that financial considerations are being balanced with the goal of enhancing fan engagement. He also praised Bill Foley for fulfilling the club’s strategic vision since their takeover in 2022, underscoring the importance of these developments in the club’s evolution.
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