Could These New Turnstiles Transform the Vitality Stadium Experience?

Whilst the corner infills and West Stand extensions are inevitably becoming the focal point of AFC Bournemouth's stadium redevelopment, another change taking shape around the Vitality Stadium could prove just as transformative for supporters.

Work is now well underway on the construction of the stadium's new secure perimeter, with steel frames for the future entrance canopies beginning to appear around the ground. These structures will eventually provide sheltered access through a network of new turnstiles positioned around the site's boundary, replacing the traditional arrangement where supporters enter directly into their allocated stand.

It may seem like a relatively subtle alteration, but the move represents a significant shift towards the type of stadium design seen across many of Europe's newest and most successful football venues.

Rather than heading straight into the East, North, South or West (Main) Stand as Cherries fans do today, supporters will first enter a secure perimeter surrounding the entire stadium. Once you're in, you're in.

Planning documents show that the club will install 44 new turnstiles around the outer boundary, creating a large secure concourse encircling the ground before fans make their way into their respective stands.

This effectively creates a stadium "campus", allowing supporters to circulate freely within the secure area while dramatically improving how nearly 20,000 fans will arrive, move around and enjoy the matchday experience once the redevelopment is complete.

But why are AFC Bournemouth adopting this?

Perhaps the most immediate benefit will be felt before kick-off.

At present, supporters are funnelled towards stand-specific turnstiles, often leading to congestion outside popular entrances as kick-off approaches. More people, in a small amount of space.

By moving ticket checks to the perimeter, fans can enter the stadium footprint much earlier, dispersing naturally around a much larger space before making their way to their seats.

The result should be shorter queues, improved crowd flow and fewer last-minute bottlenecks.

The addition of covered entrance canopies, which are currently being erected around the perimeter, should also make waiting to enter considerably more comfortable during poor weather.

One of the most exciting changes could come once supporters are inside.

Currently, fans are largely confined to the concourse within their own stand. If your friends or family are sitting elsewhere in the ground, there's little opportunity to meet once you've entered.

The new perimeter layout changes that completely.

Supporters will be able to move around the secure outer concourse before the match, at half-time and after the final whistle, creating opportunities to meet friends watching from different areas of the stadium, visit a wider range of food and drink outlets or simply enjoy the AFC Bournemouth atmosphere together. It is also hoped that the increase in social space will encourage more people to hang around after the game, therefore reducing the usual hustle and bustle associated with egress.

It transforms the Vitality Stadium from four largely separate stands into one connected venue.

For many supporters, particularly families whose tickets are spread across different sections, it could make matchdays a much more social occasion.

Creating a secure perimeter also gives the club significantly greater flexibility.

Instead of squeezing kiosks, refreshment points and fan facilities beneath individual stands, more amenities can be spread across the wider concourse, reducing queues while creating additional room for future entertainment areas, retail outlets and fan engagement spaces. 

The new arrangement also reflects modern best practice in stadium design.

By screening supporters before they reach the stadium bowl, stewards have greater space to manage crowds, conduct security checks and deal with any incidents without creating congestion around stand entrances. AFC Bounemouth's current entry setup is extremely tight and cramped.

The secure perimeter acts as a buffer zone, improving circulation while making emergency planning and crowd management considerably easier.

It also future-proofs the stadium as attendances grow towards the planned capacity of more than 20,000.

Many of football's newest stadiums already operate this way.

Perhaps the best-known is the national stadium, where Wembley uses extensive external circulation areas and colour-coded entrance zones to distribute crowds efficiently, while many Bundesliga clubs have long embraced perimeter entry systems as standard.

The same can be said for American stadiums, and Cherries fans who watched Bournemouth play Arsenal a couple of seasons ago at the LA Galaxy Stadium would have experienced this type of entry/exit method.

Across Europe, FIFA and UEFA increasingly favour stadiums with secure outer perimeters, allowing supporters to move comfortably inside the stadium footprint while improving both security and the overall fan experience.

As construction continues throughout the summer, the steelwork appearing around the stadium turnstiles may not attract the same attention as the corners and the various extensions of the Main Stand, yet these enabling works could ultimately have just as much impact on supporters.

The new perimeter, entrance canopies and relocated turnstiles represent a fundamental rethink of how fans experience a matchday at the Vitality Stadium.

For a club preparing for a future of larger crowds and European football, it's another example of the redevelopment focusing not only on increasing capacity, but on delivering a matchday experience befitting a modern Premier League club.