Vitality Stadium to offer safe standing

AFC Bournemouth has become the latest Premier League football club to announce it will introduce safe standing at its stadium.

Following consultation with the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), Bournemouth said it will be introducing safe standing at Vitality Stadium starting from the Premier League fixture against Manchester City on February 24. Safe standing locations will be found in away end seating and in all north stand blocks (10-15) in Rows J – R.

The club said it has been in dialogue with the SGSA to introduce safe standing in order to maintain the full seating capacity at Vitality Stadium, 11,307, whilst adhering to all safety rules. Bournemouth has asked season ticket holders with seats located in the new safe standing areas to place any requests for relocation by January 10.

Bournemouth in August entered a planning application for a temporary food and beverage outlet at Vitality Stadium, in line with a separate application submitted in February to retain the South Stand, a temporary structure that has been in place for almost 10 years.

Savills, which submitted the application on behalf of the club, 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.

In December 2022, US businessman Bill Foley 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.