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The big European leagues are wrapping up the season. Most attention has been on the top divisions, but at this stage of the season, promotion and relegation are always hot topics. Next year, in the Premier League in England, there will be a newcomer, a very small club, A. F. C. Bournemouth. In this report we take a closer look at the Championship Division champions.
The Town
Bournemouth is on the south coast of England, west of Southampton, and it is the biggest town in the county of Dorset. Traditionally, it is a holiday destination, and also has a large proportion of elderly retiree residents. The name comes from an old English word for stream, ‘Bourne’ and mouth, meaning opening , or where a river meets the sea.
The Club
The club has a long history and was probably founded in 1899, but there have been a number of name changes. Originally the club was known as Boscombe Football Club, then later as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club, before using the name Atheletic Football Club Bournemouth since 1972. Their home colours are red and black stripes and the away kit is all white. Like many clubs, the shirt’s colour has changed through the years – originally it was red and white stripes.
The Ground
Bournemouth play at Dean’s Court, and they have done so since 1910. Their record attendance was 28,000 for an FA Cup tie against Manchester United in 1957. That was at a time when most of the grounds in football were filled with standing fans on terraces. In 2001 the ground was rebuilt, and it now has a capacity of about 12,000, far below the size of most Premier league clubs.
The Team
Bournemouth won promotion to the Premier League with a record of 26 wins, 12 draws and 8 losses. They pipped Watford to number one spot on the final day of the season, and managed to net 98 goals while only leaking 45. Eddie Howe is the manager, an ex-Bournemouth player, and he will be hoping that, despite being the minnows in the Premier League, he can avoid dropping straight back down a division. Promotion to the Premier League is worth about A£120 million, but the coach has vowed not to splash the cash on big name signings. Callum Wilson is probably their key player at the moment, netting 20 goals in 44 appearances for the Cherries.
Vocabulary
(to) wrap up: to finish, to end
attendance: the number of fans who watch the game in the stadium
terraces: a section of a stadium for all standing, with no seating
(to) pip: to beat by a close margin; to just win in front of another team
(to) net: to score
(to) leak: to let a goal in; to concede a goal
minnow: a small club; a club that is much weaker than its competitors
(to) splash the cash: to spend a lot of money; to waste a lot of money
the Cherries: the nickname of AFC Bournemouth
Further Links
- Website on the history of football teams’ kits
- Wikipedia’s page on AFC Bournemouth
