AFC Bournemouth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
AFC Bournemouth

Full name	AFC Bournemouth
Nickname(s)	The Cherries Boscombe
Founded	1899; 126 years ago (1899) (as Boscombe)
Ground	Dean Court
Ground Capacity	11,307
Owner	Black Knight Football Club UK Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Black Knight Football and Entertainment
Chairman	Bill Foley
Manager	Andoni Iraola
League	Premier League
2018–19	Premier League, 14th of 20
Home colours

AFC Bournemouth is a professional football club from Bournemouth, England. They are often called "The Cherries" and play in the Premier League, which is the top football league in England. The club has played its home games at Dean Court since 1910.

The club started in 1899 as Boscombe. They joined the Football League in 1923 and changed their name to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. In 1971, they became AFC Bournemouth.

Over the years, Bournemouth has moved up and down through different football leagues. A big moment came when Eddie Howe became manager. Under his leadership, the club climbed from the fourth tier to the Premier League for the first time in their history. They won the Championship title in the 2014–15 season.

After five seasons in the Premier League, they were relegated in 2020 but returned in 2022. The club is now owned by Black Knight Football Club, led by Bill Foley.

History of AFC Bournemouth

How the Club Started

The club began in the autumn of 1899 as Boscombe Football Club. They played their first games in the Bournemouth and District Junior League. For the first two seasons, they played on a field in Castlemain Avenue. Later, they moved to a pitch in King's Park.

In 1910, a local businessman, J.E. Cooper-Dean, gave the club a long lease for land next to Kings Park. This became their home ground, named Dean Court after him. The club also signed its first professional player, Baven Penton, that same year.

Why "The Cherries"?

The club got its nickname "The Cherries" around this time. One idea is that it came from their cherry-red striped shirts. Another idea is that Dean Court was built near the Cooper-Dean estate, which might have had many cherry trees.

The club first played in the FA Cup in the 1913–14 season. However, World War I stopped their progress. In 1920, they joined the Southern League.

Dean Court, the home stadium of AFC Bournemouth.

Becoming Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic

In 1923, the club changed its name to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Football Club. This was to better represent the whole area. In the same year, they joined the Third Division South. Their first league game was against Swindon Town, which they lost 3–1.

Bournemouth spent many years in the Third Division. After World War II, they won their first trophy, the Third Division (South) Cup, by beating Walsall in the final.

The AFC Bournemouth Name

The club changed its name again to AFC Bournemouth for the 1971–72 season. The idea was to appear first in alphabetical lists of English clubs. A year later, they got a new badge. It showed stripes from their shirt and a player heading the ball, honoring Dickie Dowsett, a great scorer from the 1950s and 1960s.

The team's red-and-black kit, introduced in 1971, was inspired by the AC Milan team. This was also when Ted MacDougall scored nine goals in one FA Cup game, helping Bournemouth win 11–0 against Margate.

Late 20th Century Highlights

In January 1984, Bournemouth, managed by Harry Redknapp, famously beat Manchester United in the FA Cup. They also won the Associate Members' Cup in 1984, beating Hull City 2–1 in the final.

Redknapp led Bournemouth to the second tier of English football for the first time in 1987, as champions of the Third Division. They even challenged for promotion to the top league in the 1988–89 season, finishing 12th. This was their highest league position until the 2013–14 season.

A chart showing AFC Bournemouth's league positions over the years.

In 1990, on the last day of the season, Bournemouth were relegated after losing to Leeds United. There was some trouble caused by visiting fans, which affected the club for many years. For example, local police stopped them from playing home games on Bank Holidays for over a decade.

After Redknapp left, the club faced financial difficulties. They struggled in the league, but managed to avoid relegation in the 1994–95 season.

Early 21st Century Challenges

Sean O'Driscoll became manager in 2000. After narrowly missing the playoffs, Bournemouth were relegated in 2002. However, they bounced back quickly, winning the Division Three play-offs in 2003. They beat Lincoln City 5–2 in the final at the Millennium Stadium.

In 2003–04, player James Hayter scored the fastest league hat-trick in English Football League history. He scored three goals in just two minutes and 21 seconds against Wrexham.

Tough Times and a Great Escape (2008–2009)

In February 2008, Bournemouth faced serious financial problems and had points deducted, which put them in danger of relegation. They were relegated to League Two.

The club started the 2008–09 season with a 17-point penalty because of their financial issues. Manager Jimmy Quinn left, and former player Eddie Howe took over. He was the youngest manager in the Football League at 31.

In the last home game of the 2008–09 season, Bournemouth secured their place in the Football League by beating Grimsby Town 2–1. This amazing comeback was called "The Great Escape." In June 2009, a group of local businessmen took over the club.

Climbing to the Premier League (2009–2015)

Eddie Howe's first full season saw Bournemouth finish second in League Two, earning promotion. Howe later left for Burnley, but returned in October 2012. He led the club to promotion to the Championship, the second tier of English football, for the first time since 1990.

On October 25, 2014, Bournemouth won 8–0 away against Birmingham City. This was their biggest league win ever. They also reached the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time. The club spent most of the 2014–15 season at the top of the Championship. A 3–0 win against Charlton Athletic on the final day secured the Championship title and their first-ever promotion to the Premier League.

Life in the Premier League (2015–2020)

In their first Premier League season (2015–16), Bournemouth faced many injuries but managed to avoid relegation, finishing 16th. The 2016–17 season was even better, with the team finishing 9th. They continued to stay in the Premier League for five seasons.

However, in the 2019–20 season, injuries and poor results led to the club dropping into the relegation zone. Despite a win on the final day, they were relegated back to the Championship. On August 1, 2020, Eddie Howe left the club.

Financial Fair Play

In 2016, Bournemouth had to pay a fine for not following the Football League's financial rules during their promotion season (2014–15). They had spent more money than allowed.

Back to the Championship (2020–2022)

Jason Tindall, Eddie Howe's assistant, became manager in August 2020. He was replaced by Jonathan Woodgate in February 2021. The club reached the playoffs but lost in the semi-finals.

In June 2021, Scott Parker became the new head coach. He led the team on a great 15-game unbeaten run at the start of the 2021–22 Championship season. Bournemouth secured promotion back to the Premier League in their second-to-last match, finishing as runners-up.

Second Premier League Era and New Owners (2022–Present)

Bournemouth's return to the Premier League started tough. After a big loss to Liverpool, Scott Parker was replaced by Gary O'Neil as interim coach. O'Neil improved the team's form and was made permanent manager in November 2022.

In December 2022, Black Knight Football Club, led by American businessman Bill Foley, bought the club. This group also includes Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan. In June 2023, O'Neil left, and Andoni Iraola became the new manager.

Under Iraola, Bournemouth had their best Premier League season in 2023–24, finishing 12th with 48 points. In the 2024–25 season, they broke that record again, earning 56 points and finishing 9th. They also achieved their most wins (15) and fewest defeats (12) in a Premier League season.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Neto 3 DF Adrien Truffert 4 MF Lewis Cook (vice-captain) 5 DF Marcos Senesi 6 DF Chris Mepham 7 MF David Brooks 8 MF Alex Scott 9 FW Evanilson 10 MF Ryan Christie 11 MF Dango Ouattara 12 MF Tyler Adams 15 DF Adam Smith (captain) 16 MF Marcus Tavernier 17 MF Luis Sinisterra 19 FW Justin Kluivert 20 DF Julio Soler 22 DF Julián Araujo 23 DF James Hill

No. Position Player 24 FW Antoine Semenyo 26 FW Enes Ünal 27 DF Illya Zabarnyi 29 MF Philip Billing 35 DF Owen Bevan 40 GK Will Dennis 43 FW Zain Silcott-Duberry 44 FW Daniel Adu-Adjei 45 DF Matai Akinmboni 46 GK Callan McKenna 47 MF Ben Winterburn 49 MF Dominic Sadi 51 FW Remy Rees-Dottin GK Alex Paulsen GK Đorđe Petrović MF Hamed Traorè MF Romain Faivre FW Eli Junior Kroupi

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player 21 FW Daniel Jebbison (at Preston North End until 31 May 2026) 37 DF Max Aarons (at Rangers until 30 June 2026) 48 DF Max Kinsey (at Truro City until 31 May 2026)

Youth Teams

AFC Bournemouth also has Under-21s and Academy teams where young players train and develop their skills.

Club Officials

Here are some of the people who help run AFC Bournemouth:

Board
Owner
Black Knight Football Club
Chairman	President of Football Operations	Assistant first-team technical director	President of Business
Bill Foley	Tiago Pinto	Simon Francis	Jim Frevola
First Team Staff
Management
Manager
Andoni Iraola
First Team Coaches
Tommy Elphick		Shaun Cooper
Head of Goalkeeping	First Team Assistant Goalkeeper Coach
Neil Moss	Gareth Stewart
First Team Fitness Coach
Pablo de la Torre
Medical Team
Performance Director	Head of Therapy	Physiotherapists
Robert Percy Marshall	Scot McAllister	Michael Harding	Joe Barton
Dave Gardner	Natasha Nolan
Sports Scientists
Head of Performance and Physical Development	Lead Rehabilitation & Performance Specialist	Sports Scientists
Alastair Harris	Charlie Moore	Sean McCullagh	Rob Lloyd
Analysis & Performance
First Team Senior Performance Analyst	Analysts
Ryan Dawes	Tom Webber	Sam May	Luke Summers

Position	Name
Academy Manager	Sam Gisbourne
Academy Head of Coaching & Development	Bruce Suraci
Academy Head of Goalkeeping	Billy Granger
Development Squad Manager	Alan Connell
U18 Coach	James Lowy
U18 Assistant Coach	Junior Stanislas

Managers of AFC Bournemouth

Many managers have led AFC Bournemouth throughout its history:

Team Colours and Sponsors

The team's colours have changed a bit over time. They started with red-and-white stripes. Since 1990, they have mostly played in red-and-black stripes.

Since 2017, Umbro has made Bournemouth's kits. Before that, other companies like Adidas and Fila made them.

For the 2025–26 season, the team's shirts are sponsored by bj88, with LEOS International on the sleeves. Over the years, many different companies have sponsored the shirts, including Reg Heynes Toyota, Coopers Beers, and Dafabet.

Club Rivalries

According to a poll in 2019, Bournemouth fans see their biggest rival as nearby club Southampton. Other rivals include Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove Albion, Reading, and Leeds United.

Club Records and Achievements

• Steve Fletcher has played the most games for Bournemouth, with 726 matches between 1992 and 2013.
• Ron Eyre holds the record for most goals scored, with 229 goals between 1924 and 1933.
• Ted MacDougall scored the most goals in a single season, with 42 goals in 1970–71.
• The highest amount of money received for a Bournemouth player was £65 million for Dominic Solanke in August 2024.
• The highest amount paid for a player by Bournemouth was £40.2 million for Evanilson in August 2024.
• The club's highest league finish is 9th place in the Premier League, achieved in both the 2016–17 and 2024–25 seasons.
• In the FA Cup, their best performance is reaching the quarter-finals in 1956–57, 2020–21, and 2024–25.
• In the EFL Cup, they reached the quarter-finals in 2014–15, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

Honours (Trophies)

Source:

League Titles

• Championship (Second Tier)
  • Champions: 2014–15
  • Runners-up: 2021–22
• Third Division South / Third Division / League One (Third Tier)
  • Champions: 1986–87
  • Runners-up: 1947–48, 2012–13
• Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (Fourth Tier)
  • Runners-up: 1970–71, 2009–10
  • Promoted: 1981–82
  • Play-off winners: 2003
• Southern League
  • Runners-up: 1922–23

Cup Wins

• Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy
  • Winners: 1983–84
  • Runners-up: 1997–98
• Third Division South Cup
  • Winners: 1945–46

More About AFC Bournemouth

• List of AFC Bournemouth seasons
• List of AFC Bournemouth records and statistics
• AFC Bournemouth Women
• Dean Court
• Premier League

See also

In Spanish: AFC Bournemouth para niños