Premier League club to knock down stand as stadium set to nearly double in size.
AFC Bournemouth has announced that work on their ambitious refurbishment of the Vitality Stadium will begin at the end of the season.
Last year, the Cherries disclosed plans for a £90 million stadium extension project, which would nearly treble their stadium’s size if completed.
Bournemouth’s stadium, which currently seats 11,307, is by far the smallest in the Premier League.
It has around 6,000 fewer seats than Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.However, this appears to be changing shortly, as the club has unveiled the next phase in their plans to revamp the Vitality Stadium.
Exciting times
After getting initial planning clearance to begin their ambitious project in January, Bournemouth announced on Monday that they will begin work on a completely new stand in the coming months.
At the end of the season, the South Stand will be removed to make way for a new 3,000-seater lower level.
This is part of a larger stadium redevelopment plan for the 2026/27 season, which will also include filling in the venue’s south-east and north-west corners.
With plans to completely renovate the 116-year-old stadium, all turnstiles will be relocated to the new boundary.
AdvertisementThis will enable for the development of a wider outer concourse, which will include a newly built ticket office.
Following the initial redevelopment of the Vitality Stadium, internal refurbishment of the East and West Stands will be carried out, resulting in three new hospitality areas.
When completed, Bournemouth’s stadium will have an additional 1,500 seats, bringing its total capacity to over 13,000.
The club confirmed the announcement in an official statement, stating that development will continue during the 2026/27 season.
Currently, the renovation requires planning clearance, which will be presented to the planning committee for approval in early May.
Cherry on the cake
Bournemouth’s massive plans will not end after the initial stadium construction is completed.
In the same announcement, the Premier League club disclosed that the remaining corner infills and additions to the stadium’s North and East stands will commence during the offseason in 2027.
This will result in a final capacity of about 20,200, with the Vitality surpassing Brentford’s Gtech ground in terms of stadium size.
Bournemouth’s need for a larger arena has become clear in recent years, as the club has grown from strength to strength in England’s top division.
After years in the lower leagues, the Cherries have established themselves in the Premier League following their first promotion from the Championship in 2015.Last season, they finished ninth in the league, which was their joint highest finish thus far.
This season, Andoni Iraola’s side is tenth in the Premier League table, with a strong possibility of qualifying for Europe.
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