AFC Bournemouth

Originally known as Dean Court but nowadays called The Vitality Stadium because of sponsorship, AFC Bournemouth’s home ground was built on the site of an old gravel pit. Owing to the fact that it wasn’t built in time for the start of the 1910-1911 season, Boscombe FC’s players (as the club was then known) had to get changed in a nearby hotel! The ground itself was demolished and completely rebuilt in 2001 and, as part of the re-design, the pitch was rotated a full 90 degrees from its original position. It is the smallest stadium in the Premier League at present, with the club’s promotion to the top flight being something of a wonderful surprise to all involved at Bournemouth. In February 2008 the club was forced to go into administration after having accumulated debts of around £4 million. They were hit with a 10 point deduction that saw them face a relegation battle and the whole episode nearly put them out of business altogether. That financial uncertainty would continue until the middle of 2009 when a consortium bought the club just a month after they narrowly avoided being relegated from League Two into obscurity. Their march to the Premier League has been a long and troubled one, with The Vitality Stadium being witness to some remarkable feats achieved by the club.