Vitality Stadium Corners Near Completion As Bournemouth's Sturm Graz Clash Looms

The transformation of AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium is beginning to move into a new phase, with the Back of the Net's latest look at Dean Court showing just how much work has been undertaken behind the scenes since the end of last season.

Drone footage taken on September 26th, provides an updated picture of a stadium which, despite its capacity remaining largely unchanged through the opening weeks of the campaign, has undergone substantial redevelopment work over the summer.

That is now set to change, as the club’s next home fixture will see a modest increase in capacity, representing the first tangible rise in the number of supporters able to attend as the wider project begins to take shape. Indeed, the visit of Sturm Graz could represent the largest capacity at Dean Court for decades.

While the initial increase is relatively small compared with what is ultimately planned, the work completed over the summer has been essential preparation for the much more significant phases still to come.

Much of the visible work has centred around the two corner infills, alongside the creation of a new secure perimeter, external turnstiles and the preparation of a new outside broadcasting compound at the southern end of the stadium.

A new pedestrian route has also been created around the compound, while temporary modular buildings have been installed and the pitch has been completely relaid.

Inside the stadium, meanwhile, the changes have been equally significant.

With Bournemouth competing in the Europa League for the first time, Dean Court has had to meet a number of additional requirements, including new rooms, improved changing facilities, additional media facilities and studio space.

The timing of the work was particularly important, with the club effectively working towards two key dates - the start of the Premier League season (August 29th) and the October 15th Europa League home fixture against Sturm Graz.

Had the European draw produced an earlier home fixture, the club would have been faced with an even tighter deadline.

While meeting regulatory requirements has been a priority, hospitality has also played a major role in the internal redevelopment.

Hospitality accounts for only around 6% of the stadium's capacity, but contributes approximately 40% of matchday revenue, making it an important part of the club's commercial operation.

Rather than simply adding premium facilities as an afterthought, Bournemouth has used the redevelopment as an opportunity to refurbish all of its lounges and refresh the internal areas throughout. That has also meant changes to seating configurations, resulting in some long-standing supporters being relocated.

However, the club's overall proportion of hospitality is expected to remain at around six per cent - understood to be the lowest percentage in the Premier League.

One of the newly refurbished areas is the 2:21 Lounge in the East Stand, which has already received positive feedback from supporters. The street-food offering, drinks, large screens and pre-match atmosphere have proved popular, with the lounge among the first areas to be handed back, by developers Rhino Construction, to the club ahead of the Everton fixture.

Externally, the most striking development has been taking place in the south-east and north-west corners.

At the south-east corner, the new roof is close to completion, while the lift shaft and lift have been installed. Seats are also now in position, alongside glazed balustrades separating accessible platforms from the seating area.

Eagle eyed fans at the Brentford game or the recent women's match will have also noticed that safe-standing rails have also been installed.

The north-west corner has similarly seen its seating installed, with the roof still to follow. Unlike the south-east corner, its design is relatively straightforward, connecting two stands of identical height, depth and rake at a right angle.

The south-east corner, however, has a gap between the corner itself and the South Stand - by this space will ultimately disappear when the new South Stand is constructed.

One particularly noticeable improvement is the removal of the steel pillars beside the Ted MacDougall stand, helping provide supporters in the new corner with a more unobstructed view.

A retro-fitted frame attached to the eastern end of the existing South Stand roof has effectively created a small cantilever to achieve this.

The current plan is for the upper tier behind the Ted MacDougall Stand to be completed during the 2026/27 season. Once that campaign concludes, the existing temporary stand is expected to be demolished and replaced by a new lower tier during the following summer.

There has previously been an ambition for the upper tier to be operational by around April, although the exact timing remains subject to the construction programme.

The new corner itself, gives an indication of the scale of the eventual stadium. Its roof currently sits noticeably higher than that of the East Stand, although that difference will reduce once the East Stand itself is expanded.

The East Stand is due to gain several additional rows, increasing its depth and height, while the North Stand is also expected to grow by around eight or nine rows.

Obviously, this will push the North Stand further towards the properties on Thistlebarrow Road, but interestingly, discussions with some local residents suggest that the increased height of the stand - expected to be around four to five metres - has not necessarily been the main concern.

Instead, some residents have highlighted external lighting behind the North Stand, particularly lights used to make the area safe for pedestrian footfall during evening matches.

With the future North Stand extending further towards the houses, a tunnel beneath the stand is planned for supporter access. This should mean lighting can be directed downwards from the tunnel ceiling rather than towards neighbouring properties.

As with any major redevelopment, there have been some teething problems. Supporters reported difficulties leaving the stadium at full-time at most of the games this season, with several pinch points created by narrowed walkways, particularly behind the South Stand and around the North West corner.

The current arrangements comply with the relevant guidelines, but the situation should improve as construction progresses.

At the North West corner, for example, supporters currently have to navigate around the boarded-off construction area. Once the work is complete, fans will be able to walk beneath the corner pillars, creating a wider route.

There is also currently a large temporary floodlight adding to the congestion.

Other early matchday issues have already been resolved, including problems involving South Stand gates not being opened at half-time and exit gates around turnstile B not being fully opened at full time during the Lincoln game.

To help this, an additional egress route has also appeared around the turnstile close to the away corner, something that could prove particularly useful when European football returns to Dean Court, with UEFA requirements dictating secure separation between home and away supporters.

As expected, the new entrance arrangements have taken some getting used to, but after some difficulties during the Lincoln City Carabao Cup fixture, supporters appear to have become more accustomed to the new process.

One of the biggest problems has simply been fans arriving without their tickets already downloaded to their phones.

There are currently three ways supporters can access the stadium digitally: through the live QR code within the AFC Bournemouth app, by adding the ticket to an Apple or Google Wallet, or through the static QR code available by logging into the ticketing account through a mobile web browser (the final option being particularly useful for supporters with older iPhones which cannot run the latest version of the AFC Bournemouth app).

Eventually, non-VIP supporters will have access to four sets of turnstiles rather than the two currently being used.

Two additional entrances are planned - one next to the new fan zone and another close to the away supporters' corner, the latter of which should be functional soon - as the canopies are already in place, with the door mechanisms and electronic QR and NFC readers next to be installed.

Behind the South Stand, further progress is also becoming visible. The boarding separating the Ted MacDougall Stand pathway from the construction area has been removed to enable the ground has been substantially levelled.

The bank which previously occupied the rear section has now been removed, creating a level area which will ultimately allow foundational work to begin.

Elsewhere, the Main Stand has received its first-storey cladding, with further finishing work still to come. This includes LED screens, which will be installed on the lift shaft and canopies, whilst there are plans to restore the old screen near the Great Escape.

Those elements are understandably lower down the priority list while the core redevelopment work continues however...

The stadium redevelopment is not simply about increasing the number of seats, as the club is also working towards changes to the way supporters travel to Dean Court.

There has been some confusion surrounding the proposed Controlled Parking Zone and discounted travel arrangements, but these are not expected to be introduced immediately.

A document on the BCP Council website dated 9th September suggests that discounted rail travel is unlikely to be available until towards the end of the calendar year, potentially even into early 2027.

There is, however, confidence that an agreement with local bus operators can be reached sooner, potentially providing supporters with free bus passes.

A proposed shuttle-bus route has also been identified, although approval from the Department for Transport will be required before it can be introduced.

The club is also understood to be close to an agreement with Beryl that would remove unlocking fees and provide supporters with discounted rental costs for bikes and e-scooters.

For supporters looking at Dean Court today, it can be easy to focus on the areas which remain unfinished, but the latest progress provides a clearer picture of what Bournemouth are ultimately trying to create.

The capacity increase coming next is only the beginning.

The new corners, expanded stands, improved hospitality facilities, additional European-standard infrastructure and redesigned supporter access routes are all pieces of a much larger project which will eventually take Dean Court from its current capacity of around 11,300 to more than 20,000.

That transformation will not happen overnight, but, with seats being installed and the foundations being prepared for the next stages, the future shape of the new Vitality Stadium is becoming increasingly difficult to miss.