The club competed in regional football leagues before going up from theHampshire League to theSouthern League in 1920. By then known asBournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, they were elected into theFootball League in 1923. They remained in theThird Division South for 35 years, winning theThird Division South Cup in 1946. Placed in the newly reorganisedThird Division in 1958, they suffered relegation in 1970, but would win an immediate promotion in 1970–71. Relegated back into theFourth Division in 1975, Bournemouth were promoted again in 1981–82 and after lifting theAssociate Members' Cup in1984 would go on to win the Third Division title in 1986–87. They spent three seasons in the second tier but enteredadministration in 1997 and ended up back in the fourth tier with relegation in 2002, though immediately gained promotion by winning the play-offs in2003.
Bournemouth entered administration for a second time and were relegated back intoLeague Two in 2008, but ended the year by appointingEddie Howe as manager. Under Howe's stewardship, Bournemouth won three promotions in six years to win a place in the first tier of English football for the first time in their history. This was achieved with a second-place finish in League Two in 2009–10, a second-place finish inLeague One in 2012–13 and aChampionship title in 2014–15. The club remained in thePremier League for five seasons before suffering relegation in 2020, but they returned in 2022 as Championship runners-up, this time under the management ofScott Parker.
Although the exact date of the club's foundation is not known, there is proof that it was formed in the autumn of 1899 out of the remains of the older Boscombe St. John's Institute Football Club.[10] The club was originally known as Boscombe Football Club. The first president was Mr. J. C. Nutt.[11]
In their first season, 1899–1900, Boscombe competed in the Bournemouth and District Junior League. They also played in the Hants Junior Cup. During the first two seasons, they played on a football pitch in Castlemain Avenue, Pokesdown. From their third season, the team played on a pitch inKing's Park. In the 1905–06 season, Boscombe graduated to senior amateur football.[12]
In 1910, the club was granted a long lease over some wasteland next to Kings Park as the club's football ground by local businessman J.E. Cooper-Dean. With their own ground, named Dean Court after the benefactor, the club continued to thrive, and dominated the local football scene. The same year the club signed its first professional playerBaven Penton.[13]
Around about this time, the club obtained their nickname "The Cherries". There are two leading explanations of how the club gained the nickname: from the cherry-red striped shirts that the team played in, and, perhaps less plausible, because Dean Court was built adjacent to the Cooper-Dean estate, which, it is believed, may have contained many cherry trees.[14]
For the first time, during the 1913–14 season, the club competed in theFA Cup. The club's progress, however, was halted in 1914 with the outbreak ofWorld War I, and Boscombe returned to theHampshire League.[citation needed]
To make the club more representative of the district, the name was changed to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Football Club in 1923. During the same year, the club was elected to the newly expandedThird Division South. The first league match was atSwindon Town on 25 August 1923, which Bournemouth lost 3–1. The first league game at Dean Court was also against Swindon, where Bournemouth gained their first league point after a 0–0 draw.[citation needed]
Bournemouth struggled in the Football League but eventually established themselves as a Third Division club. Bournemouth remains on the records as the longest continuous members of the Third Division.[15]
As a league club, Bournemouth had to wait until after the Second World War before winning their first trophy. This was accomplished as they beatWalsall in the Third Division (South) Cup in the final atStamford Bridge.[citation needed]
The club adopted the nameAFC Bournemouth for the start of the 1971–72 season,[16] with the intention that the club would appear first in alphabetical lists of English clubs. Whilst also keeping the acronym AFC Athletic Football Club as part of their name[17] A year later, the club adopted a new badge as a symbol of its progress.[18] The stripes in the background were based on the club shirt, while in the foreground is the profile of a player heading the ball, in honour ofDickie Dowsett, a prolific scorer for the club in the 1950s and 1960s.[19]
The team's red-and-black kit, introduced in 1971, was based on theAC Milan strip.[20] This was the era ofTed MacDougall, a prolific goalscorer who, in an FA Cup tie in November 1971, scored nine goals in an 11–0 win againstMargate.[21]
Redknapp took Bournemouth into the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history as Third Division champions in 1987. After comfortably surviving in their first season in the Second Division, Bournemouth made a serious challenge for promotion to the top flight in the1988–89 season; they ultimately fell away after a poor run late in the season, but their eventual finish of 12th place remained their highest-ever in the Football League until the2013–14 season.[citation needed]
On 5 May 1990, the final day of the1989–90 season,Leeds United had the chance to win the Second Division and gain promotion into the First Division by beating Bournemouth at Dean Court. Some United fans had already caused trouble in the town during the morning and the atmosphere was tense as Leeds won the match by a single goal. Combined with the results of other matches, this meant that Leeds were promoted while Bournemouth were relegated. The violence and destruction by visitors to Bournemouth continued over the holiday weekend, causing more than £1 million worth of damage and injury to opposing fans and police officers.[25] The town'sDaily Echo newspaper reported that "spectators, including many young children, had to run to safety as missiles were hurled and riot police waded in to control the crowds."[25] The matter was raised in Parliament by one of the town's MPs. Financially, the Leeds trouble affected the club for more than a decade, as Bournemouth were prevented by local police from staging home games onBank Holidays (traditionally a popular day for football) until a game againstShrewsbury Town on 21 April 2003.[citation needed]
Redknapp remained at the club for two more seasons, both of which ended with the club falling three points short of the play-offs. However, mounting financial pressures caused him to resign his position at the end of the1991–92 season, and he subsequently re-joined former clubWest Ham United as a coach. He was replaced byTony Pulis, who built a much cheaper squad that could only manage two consecutive 17th-place finishes before Pulis walked out of the club, blaming financial pressures.[citation needed]
Bournemouth went the first few months of the1994–95 season without a permanent manager in place, and a dreadful start saw them bottom of the table for much of the first half of the season. Despite a minor upturn in form whenMel Machin was appointed as manager, they looked highly unlikely to survive, given that there were five relegation spots in Division Two for that season due to league reconstruction. However, a late run of form combined with collapses by relegation rivalsCambridge United andPlymouth Argyle saw them survive on the last day of the season by two points.[citation needed]
Machin ultimately remained in charge for six years, most of which were marked by unremarkable mid-table finishes. The1998–99 season proved to be arguably the highlight of his tenure, with the club making a serious playoff challenge for most of the season, but ultimately falling short and finishing seventh. However, a drop to 16th place in the1999–2000 season followed by a poor start to the following season saw Machin removed from his position and given the role of director of football.[citation needed]
Sean O'Driscoll was promoted from the coaching staff in place of Mel Machin at the start of the2000–01 season. In O'Driscoll's first season as manager, Bournemouth narrowly missed out on the Division Two playoffs but were relegated a year later in the new stadium (in the early part of the 2001–02 season, they played their home matches atDorchester Town's ground while their own stadium was being redeveloped). The board kept faith in O'Driscoll and they were rewarded with promotion via the Division Three playoffs in2002–03. The club became the first to score five goals at theMillennium Stadium when they beatLincoln City 5–2 in the2002–03 Division Three play-off final with goals fromSteve Fletcher,Carl Fletcher (2),Stephen Purches andGarreth O'Connor. Under O'Driscoll, Bournemouth narrowly missed out on the play-offs for the2003–04 and2004–05 seasons, and just avoided relegation in the2005–06 season.[citation needed]
Long-serving playerJames Hayter scored the fastest league hat-trick in English Football League history during the2003–04 season. The Cherries were leading 3–0 againstWrexham thanks to goals from Stephen Purches,Warren Cummings andWarren Feeney when Hayter was brought onto the field as a substitute. With 86 minutes gone, Hayter managed to net three goals in the space of two minutes and 21 seconds, making the final score 6–0 to Bournemouth.[26]
In September 2006, with the team in eighth in the League, Sean O'Driscoll left to become manager ofDoncaster Rovers. He was replaced byKevin Bond.[27]
In February 2008, Bournemouth were forced into administration, suffering a ten-point deduction which put them in relegation trouble. Bournemouth had debts of around £4 million and almost went out of business.[28] The off-field uncertainty continued throughout the season, with only one, ultimately unsuccessful, bid for the club accepted,[29] and the club ended the season being relegated toLeague Two.[30]
Ahead of the2008–09 season, the team's future in the Football League was put into doubt when the league threatened to block Bournemouth's participation in League Two, due to problems with the club's continuing administration and change in ownership. The league ordered both Bournemouth andRotherham United to demonstrate that they could fulfil all of their fixtures and find a way out of administration,[31] eventually allowing the club to compete with a 17-point penalty for failing to follow the Football League insolvency rules. The new company was also ordered to pay unsecured creditors the amount offered at the time of the originalCVA (around ten pence in the pound) within two years.[32]
Early into the season, manager Bond was sacked and was replaced by former playerJimmy Quinn, who would himself leave the club only a few months later.[33]Former playerEddie Howe took over as manager with the club still ten points adrift at the bottom of the league and initially on a caretaker basis, becoming the youngest manager in the Football League at the age of 31.[34]
At the end of 2008, it was announced that local businessman Adam Murray had completed the purchase of 50% of the club's shares from previous chairman, Paul Baker. However, in January 2009, Murray missed the deadline to buy Baker's shares.[35]
In the final home game of the 2008–09 season, the Cherries guaranteed their Football League status by beatingGrimsby Town 2–1 with a winning goal ten minutes from time by Bournemouth's Steve Fletcher, sparking wild celebrations after a fairytale ending to "The Great Escape." They finished their troubled season with their best away win in 30 years with a 4–0 victory atMorecambe.[citation needed]
In June 2009, a consortium including Adam Murray finally took over Bournemouth. The consortium included Jeff Mostyn, former vice-chairman Steve Sly, Neill Blake and formerDorchester Town chairmanEddie Mitchell.[citation needed]
Howe's first full season in charge brought success as Bournemouth finished second in League Two to earn promotion with two games to spare. Howe subsequently left the club forBurnley during the following season; his successor, another former Bournemouth player,Lee Bradbury, led Bournemouth to the League One play-offs. The two-legged semi-final againstHuddersfield Town finished 3–3 after extra time, and Huddersfield went through the final by winning the penalty shoot-out 4–2. Bradbury was unable to lead Bournemouth to another promotion challenge in the2011–12 Football League One, placing 11th after a season of indifferent results, and was replaced by youth team coachPaul Groves for the final games of the season.[citation needed]
Groves remained in charge at the start of the2012–13 season, only to be sacked in October 2012 following a start which left the club near the bottom of the table. Eddie Howe returned as manager, and not only did he pull the club away from their early-season relegation battle, they achieved promotion to theChampionship, returning to the second-tier of English football for the first time since 1990. The club also revealed a new club crest.[36] After a promising start to life in the Championship, the club was handed a fourth RoundFA Cup tie withPremier League clubLiverpool which ended in a 2–0 loss. Bournemouth finished their first season back in the Championship in tenth place, their highest ever position in the Football League.[citation needed]
On 25 October 2014, Bournemouth won 8–0 away atSt. Andrew's againstBirmingham City. It was the first time that the Cherries had ever scored eight goals in a league game and their largest winning margin in the league (not counting a 10–0 win overNorthampton Town in September 1939, which was discounted after the league was abandoned due to the Second World War).[37] The club followed up this success with a 2–1 victory overPremier League sideWest Bromwich Albion in the League Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time. Bournemouth were again drawn against Liverpool but lost 3–1. The club spent most of the2014–15 season near the top of the table, and a 3–0 win away atCharlton Athletic on the final day of the season was enough to clinch the Championship title and a first-ever promotion to the top flight of English football.[38]
In Bournemouth'sfirst season in the Premier League, the team was beset by a number of crippling injuries, including toCallum Wilson, star striker from the previous season. The team struggled for most of the first half of the season but an upturn in form during the second half of the season saw a reversal of fortunes. Bournemouth eventually finished 16th in the league, avoiding relegation.[39]
The club was widely tipped to suffersecond season syndrome, but the2016–17 season was largely successful. Despite a weak start, which saw them in the relegation zone for the first three weeks, the team quickly recovered and went on to finish 9th.[40] Star loan playerNathan Aké was signed permanently from Chelsea for a club-record fee in June 2017, reportedly in the region of £20 million.[41] Despite another slow start in2017–18, a run of good form through late December and January saw them steer clear of the relegation zone, and earn Howe his second Premier League Manager of the Month award.[42] Bournemouth went on to gain 19 points from losing positions in the second half of the season – a Premier League record – helping the team finish in 12th place.[43][non-primary source needed][44]
The2018–19 season saw the club break their transfer record again onJefferson Lerma during the summer,[45][46] and contrasting with the previous season, the club had a strong start, sitting in 6th place after the first 12 games. However, their form regressed for the remainder of the season due to many injury problems. In the end, Bournemouth finished in 14th place, securing a 5th season in the Premier League.
A bright start to the2019–20 season saw the team sitting in 7th place at the beginning of November.[47] However, continuing injury problems and a poor run of results followed, and the club dropped into the relegation zone in January. Poor performances continued after theCOVID-19 pandemic had interrupted the season, with key losses toManchester City andSouthampton putting the club on the brink.[48] Despite a 3–1 victory overEverton away atGoodison Park on the final day, the club's relegation was confirmed because Aston Villa drew against West Ham.[49] On 1 August 2020, Howe left the club by mutual consent, ending his 8-year second spell as manager.[50]
In 2016, Bournemouth were found guilty of violating the Football League's Financial Fair Play regulations during 2014–15, the season it secured promotion to the Premier League. The club's over-spend broke the 'maximum deviation', with a £38.3 million financial loss in 2014–15. This followed a loss of £10.3 million in 2013–2014. The club was originally fined £7.6 million by the Football League, but subsequently negotiated a settlement with a fine of £4.75 million for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.[51][52][53]
On 8 August,Jason Tindall, a former Bournemouth player and Howe's longtime assistant, was promoted to manager.[54] Despite sitting second in mid-December, Tindall was sacked on 3 February 2021 after a run with one win in eight games, which saw the team fall to 6th in the table.[55] He was replaced by first team coachJonathan Woodgate, initially as caretaker.[56] Woodgate remained as manager for the remainder of the season, as the club finished in 6th and entered the playoffs, but lost 3–2 to Brentford on aggregate in the semi-final.[57] Woodgate's contract was not renewed after the season and on 28 June 2021, formerFulham managerScott Parker was appointed as the new head coach, withMatt Wells as the assistant coach.[58] Parker led the club on an impressive 15-game unbeaten start to the2021–22 Championship season, going on to clinch promotion in the penultimate match of the season, a 1–0 victory against promotion rivalsNottingham Forest, amassing 88 points.[59][60][61]
Second Premier League era and new ownership (2022–present)
The club's return to the Premier League got off to a tough start. A breakdown in the club's relationship with Parker and a Premier League record-equalling9–0 defeat toLiverpool atAnfield resulted in Parker's dismissal after just four league games on 30 August 2022.[62][63] First team coachGary O'Neil was made interim head coach and presided over an upturn in form in his 12 games in interim charge before being appointed as the permanent head coach on 27 November 2022.[64]
On 13 December 2022, the club was purchased from previous ownerMaxim Demin by Black Knight Football Club, a partnership led by American businessmanBill Foley and Cannae Holdings.[65] The minority ownership group is led by Hollywood actorMichael B. Jordan and Kosmos founder Nullah Sarker.[66][67] On 19 June 2023, the club announced the departure of manager O'Neil, withAndoni Iraola coming in to replace him.[68] In the2023–24 season, Bournemouth, led by Iraola, achieved their best points tally in the Premier League, accumulating 48 points to finish 12th.[69] The following season, in the2024–25 season, Bournemouth once again broke their record Premier League points total, achieving 56 points, whilst equalling their best ever league finish of 9th in the Premier League. As well as this, the club achieved their most wins in a Premier League season (15), fewest defeats (12), most goals scored (58), and fewest goals conceded (46).[70]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The team's colours have varied slightly throughout the club's history. Starting off playing in red-and-white stripes, Bournemouth have also played in all-red shirts, red with white sleeves, and mostly, since 1990, in red-and-black stripes.[76] A predominantly red shirt was chosen for the2004–05 and2005–06 seasons, but – due to fan demand – a return was made to the stripes for the2006–07 season.[77]
Since 2017 Bournemouth's kit has been manufactured byUmbro. Previously it has been made by Umbro (1974–78, 1983–86),Adidas (1978–81), Osca (1982–83), Henson (1986–87), Scoreline (1987–90), Ellgren (1990–92), Matchwinner (1993–95),Le Coq Sportif (1995–96),Patrick (1996–2000), Super League (2000–01), TFG Sportswear (2001–03), Bourne Red (2003–08),Carbrini Sportswear (2008–11, 2014–15),Fila (2011–14) andJD Sports (2015–17).[citation needed]
For the2025–26 season, the team's shirts are sponsored by bj88,[78] with LEOS International as the shirt sleeve sponsor.[79] Before this, sponsors have been Reg Heynes Toyota (1980–82, 1983–85), Coopers Beers (1985–87), Canberra Homes (1987–88), Nolan (1988–89), A1 Windscreens (1990–92),Exchange & Mart (1992–94),Frizzell (1994–97), Seward (1997–2006), Focal Point (2006–08, 2011–12), Carbrini Sportswear (2008–11), Energy Consulting (2012–15), Mansion (2015–2020),Vitality (2020), MSP Capital (2020–2022) andDafabet (2022–2024).[80] From the 2017–2018 season until the 2019–20 season, the Mansion logo appeared on the left shirt sleeve of Bournemouth's shirts, in additionDeWalt was shirt sleeve sponsor from the 2022–23 season until the 2023–24 season.
Steve Fletcher holds the record for Bournemouth appearances, having played 726 first-team matches between 1992 and 2013.[82] Fletcher also holds the record for most league appearances, making 628.[83] Ron Eyre holds the record for the most goals 229 in a Bournemouth shirt having played 337 first-team matches between 1924 and 1933.[84]Ted MacDougall holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season, 42 in the1970–71 season in theFourth Division.[85]
The highest transfer fee received for a Bournemouth player to date is £65 million, fromTottenham Hotspur forDominic Solanke in August 2024,[86] whilst the highest transfer fee paid by the club to date is £40.2 million, forEvanilson fromPorto, also in August 2024.[87]
The club's highest ever league finish to date is 9th place in thePremier League, achieved in both the2016–17 season,[88] as well as the2024–25 season.[89] Their best performance in theFA Cup is reaching the quarter-finals of the competition in the1956–57,2020–21 and2024–25 seasons, whilst in theEFL Cup, Bournemouth's best performance is reaching the quarter-finals in the2014–15,2017–18 and2018–19 seasons.[90]
^The full name of the club isAFC Bournemouth, without expansion.[1][2] TheAFC prefix is not an abbreviation, but was included in the full name as letters to ensure that AFC Bournemouth would appear beforeArsenal andAston Villa in alphabetical lists.[3] The letters are a reference to (but not an abbreviation of) the club's previous name ofBournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club.[4]AFC is nevertheless occasionally, incorrectly, expanded toAthletic Football Club[5] orAssociation Football Club[6] by third parties.
^Black Knight Football Club UK Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Foley Entertainment Group[8].
^"AFC Bournemouth".Premier Skills English.British Council. 17 July 2015.Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved1 March 2023.The AFC is part of the name and not an abbreviation. The name was changed by Dickie Dowsett who was the club's commercial manager and an ex-player. He insisted that the AFC should not stand for anything because that way, the club would appear in alphabetical league lists above Arsenal and Aston Villa and is why the club is the first in the list of clubs on the Premier League and Premier Skills English websites.
^"AFC Bournemouth".Premier Skills English.British Council. 17 July 2015.Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved1 March 2023.The AFC recalls the older name of the club, it represents Athletic Football Club, but it does not stand for Athletic Football Club.
^Burt, Jason (8 February 2018)."Ticket-price war places clubs at a tipping point".The Telegraph.Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved1 March 2023.Each of the 20 teams in the Premier League are clubs – from Manchester United Football Club to Athletic Football Club Bournemouth (AFC Bournemouth).
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