Bournemouth and Brentford

By John Considine

AFC Bournemouth will be playing in the Premier League next season.  Despite the attractive football they play, there may not be a big demand amongst opposition fans to see them play.  They do not have the traditional pulling power of other teams that could have got promoted to the Premier League (or some of those likely to exit the Premier League).  That does not seem to be the most pressing issue for Premier League bosses.  Instead, they are worried about the fans who want to see other teams play AFC Bournemouth at the Goldsands Stadium (the home ground of Bournemouth).  This group would include opposition fans who want to travel to support their team and Bournemouth fans who want to see Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, or the Manchester clubs.  The problem is the small capacity of Goldsands Stadium.  The Premier League might prefer if Bournemouth increased its capacity.  However, it seems Bournemouth may not be for turning (here and here).

The following graphic from The Telegraph illustrates how Bournemouth compare with some others in the Premier League.

Bournemouth may not be the only Premier League newcomers with capacity issues.  Brentford FC are involved in the promotion playoffs.  Brentford's home ground, Griffin Park, is about the same size as Goldsands Stadium.  The club is already thinking about how they might address the Premier League requirements if they get promoted (here).

Currently, the economics at Brentford is taking a backseat to the sporting side.  Their push for promotion has added spice because they announced previously, and recently confirmed, that their manager Mark Warburton will be leaving at the end of the season (here).  In 2003, the day after they won La Liga, Real Madrid parted with their manager Vicente del Bosque.  It was half a decade before comparable success returned.  By then del Bosque was in charge of another group of players who went on to win a collection of international honours.