With its 11,300 capacity stadium on the outskirts of a town of half a million inhabitants, AFC Bournemouth may well be considered to be punching above its weight in the English Premier League alongside the footballing giants of the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool. To put it into perspective, AFC Bournemouth has an annual wage bill of £32 million compared to Manchester United’s enormous £223 million. Put another way, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne earns almost as much as Bournemouth’s entire squad. Nevertheless, AFC Bournemouth have found themselves in the Premier League for six of the past eight years.

The advantage of such a small stadium is that you feel so close to the action. Unlike other football stadiums I’ve been to, you’re much nearer to the pitch and the players, making it a much more intimate experience.

Getting There

The Vitality Stadium is in Kings Park in Boscombe, 2 miles north west of central Bournemouth. It is easily accessed by car, as it right next to the main road into Bournemouth (A338). Having said that, it gets very congested on match days. I would recommend leaving your car at home (or parking up nearby and walking the rest of the way to the stadium).

Pokesdown Station is a 17 minute walk from the stadium (head down Clarence Park Road and you can do most of this walk through the park). By bus, numbers 1/1b/M2/2/X3/U3 all stop near Kings Park. Get off the 1/1b/M2 at The Sovereign Centre (11 minute walk from the stadium) or the 2 at Queens Park Hotel (4 minute walk) or X3/U3 at Kings Park (4 minute walk).

I’d recommend arriving in plenty of time; the queue for security and then to pass through the turnstiles can take a while, particularly for women, as women can only join one particular queue to be frisked by a female security guard, whereas men can choose any queue they want. Also, partly because every now and again, someone gets stuck in the turnstiles because their ticket won’t scan for whatever reason.

Parking

There is car parking in Kings Park. The South Stand car park, behind the stadium, costs £1. It does fill up quickly, so arrive early. It can take some considerable time to get out of the car park after the game.  Supporters can also use Avonborne College for Boys for Saturday games. This is free and has the advantage of being away from the congestion around Kings Park, while only a short walk to the stadium (around 12 minutes). Alternative parking can be found at the Sovereign Shopping Centre in Boscombe, costing £2 for 4 hours (around a 13 minute walk to the stadium).

Food & Drink

There are several bars and food concessions around the stadium. Some for home supporters, some for away fans and hospitality for those with plenty of money.

Toilets

Each has a foyer which houses food and drink concessions, toilets and lots of TV screens. I’ve been to far worse toilets at a football match!

Other Facilities

There is a superstore selling a large range of AFC Bournemouth merchandise just outside the ground.

Times/Dates

Fixtures for all AFC Bournemouth matches can be found here.

Tickets

Premier League

To be honest, as the Vitality Stadium is so small, tickets to watch a Premier League game are like actual gold dust. Any available tickets are sold according to a point scheme. Prices vary according to the match and the seat. League match tickets cost from £32 to £55.

Cup Matches

Cup match tickets can be easier to obtain, although season ticket holders usually get first refusal before tickets go on general sale. They have a different point scheme. Ticket costs vary according to the competition and the seat. I attended the less popular Carabao Cup (formerly the League Cup, but now renamed after some sort of water buffalo?!). For a mere £15, I bought a ticket for the third round match against Everton.

AFC Bournemouth Ladies

AFC Bournemouth also has a Ladies’ Team. They haven’t quite reached the same heights as their male counterparts; this weekend, while the men took on the might of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, the ladies hosted Maidenhead in Division 1 South West. However, for the past two years, the ladies have played their final home match of the season at The Vitality Stadium. Tickets cost just £5 and the match drew a crowd of over 3,000 supporters.

Vitality Stadium for Children

Young AFC Bournemouth fans can join one of a number of clubs: Little Bears is for under 4s, The Young Bunch (ages 5-10) and Junior Cherries (11-16). Membership costs £7.50 a year and offers a range of benefits such as masterclasses, competitions, bedtime stories read by players and a replica shirt on your 8th birthday.