Bournemouth submits plans for temporary F&B facility

Premier League football club AFC Bournemouth has submitted a planning application for a temporary food and beverage outlet at Vitality Stadium.

The outlet, which would be located behind the South Stand of the stadium, would include kiosks, an associated store and a covered marquee.

The Bournemouth Echo reports that the club is seeking planning permission to house the outlet for five years. This would be in line with a separate application Bournemouth submitted in February to retain the South Stand, a temporary structure that has been in place for almost 10 years.

Savills, which has submitted the application on behalf of the club, has said that a permanent food and beverage outlet could eventually be incorporated into a redeveloped South Stand. Alternatively, a wider revamp of Vitality Stadium or a move to a new stadium would mean that the temporary outlet is not required long-term.

Earlier this week, Bournemouth announced that supporters would have a new hospitality opportunity at Vitality Stadium starting from the home match against Arsenal on September 30.

Select seats in the South Stand will be offered at £139 (€162/$176) and will include a match ticket and pre-game hospitality in the new Kings Plaza, a private space that will be one of two new marquees opening behind the stand next month. For the Arsenal match, which kicks off at 3pm, the package will start at 12pm and conclude at 2.30pm.

Vitality Stadium has a capacity of 11,364 and was the smallest ground in the Premier League before the promotion of Luton Town, which plays at the 10,356-capacity Kenilworth Road.

In December last year, US businessman Bill Foley, who owns the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team, completed his purchase of Bournemouth. Prior to completing the takeover, Foley detailed plans to expand the capacity of Vitality Stadium.

In an interview with The Athletic, Foley detailed plans for Bournemouth to eventually play at a stadium with a capacity of between 20,000 and 25,000. This would be achieved either by expanding Vitality Stadium or demolishing the ground and building a new venue.

In June, health and life insurance company Vitality renewed its sponsorship of the stadium. Bournemouth’s home has been known as Vitality Stadium since 2015 and the new three-year deal will run until the summer of 2026.