It was such a pretty club... (A.F.C. Bournemouth)

Member Name: AllyPally1991

Product:	A.F.C. Bournemouth
Date:	14/09/08 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dedicated fan base

Disadvantages: debts are threatening to take over - Bournemouth's a club on the decline

I've lived in Bournemouth for quite a few years now, and while AFC Bournemouth aren't the team I support, I do feel connected to them to an extent. They're the club whose score I check after full time; the club whose destiny is entwined with the mood of most of my friends'!

'The Cherries' are the only club in Dorset who are in the top tiers of English football (although possibly not for much longer - I'll get onto that later). Their football stadium, the Fitness First stadium, is on Kings Park, one of the larger parks in Bournemouth. It holds an amazing funfair in the summer once football season is finished, if anyone's interested! The fans still tend to refer to the ground as the 'Dean Court', the name of the old stadium that lay on the ground before 2001. The Dean Court can hold 9.600, which is more than sufficient for the club at current times.

Historically, however, it should not be. Before the rebuild, AFC Bournemouth would sometimes attract crowds of 15.000, once attracting over 25.000 for an FA cup tie against Manchester United. Its history, I am afraid, is a sign of the club's decline.

Founded as "Boscombe FC" back in 1899, the club managed to achieve League status in 1923, as the renamed "Boscombe and Bournemouth Athletic". Although currently named AFC Bournemouth, it is worth noting that the stadium, and indeed most of the fanbase, are to be found in Boscombe. The current rename occurred in 1972, taking out the name "Bocsombe" entirely due to its lack of national recognition, and to shorten the club's name.

Since 1923, the club have volleyed between Division 4 (currently named Football League Two) all the way up to the second tier of the league under Harry Rednapp. However, the club has never managed to achieve Premier League status.

They have played host to a number of successful players and managers, such as George Best, Jermain Defoe, Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea and Luther Blisset. They have, in my eyes, always been the place where premier league teams send their youngsters to get experience, although in the 2008/09 season, the only players to be part of this are Craig Lindfield from Liverpool, and Joel Ward from Portsmouth.

The decline in the amount of players loaned to Bournemouth could coincide with their decline in the leagues. Since 2002, Bournemouth had been in the third tier of English football, and when in 2008 the club dropped another rung on the ladder down to the lowest tier, many of the football clubs who had previously sent players to Bournemouth would have looked at the clubs in the higher leagues instead.

The main problem with Bournemouth football club is, of course, their financial mess. In 1997, the club was 15 minutes away from shutting down due to their inability to pay their fees. However, this actually lead to the club being more financially stable than it had been in a long time, with the formation of a Trust Fund. In this, Bournemouth became the first ever community owned club in English football.

However, in 2007 once again the club came into serious financial difficulties, and ended up facing a 10 point deduction during the 2007/08 season. They failed to pick up many points during the first half of the season, and were seen to be one of the 'dead certs' to go down that season. After a run of good form, all the club had to do was to win at Wrexham on the final day of the season to ensure they'd avoid the drop, and make 'the great escape'. However, a 1-1 draw sent the club down to the lowest tier, and worsened their financial fate.

Again, in the 2008-09 season, the club could not overcome its debts, and so was slapped with a 17 point deduction to begin the season. Excluding Leeds United, very few clubs have ever managed to overturn such a large deposit at the beginning of the season, and managed to avoid relegation. Thus, it looks like the 2009/10 season of the football league will no longer contain Dorset's finest. The best chance of another team overtaking the term "Dorset's finest" are Weymouth FC, who are currently languishing midtable in the conference.

What frustrates me so much is that the local area has no lack of millionaires to whom the club would not cost much. Sandbanks, the world's fourth most expensive area for property, is only 7 miles away, and there are entire areas in Parkstone and certain parts of Bournemouth which are full of successful entrepreneurs. I think its a real shame that none of them are willing to invest some money into their local club, even if its only to clear their financial debts for a year or two to allow them to get back on their feet.

Summary: It will take a truly "Great Escape" to save Bournemouth now