If you just started paying attention to the Premier League in the last few years, you might have noticed Bournemouth and thought, Where’s that? and Gosh, that’s a small stadium. What you would be missing is that this little club came from almost nowhere to get into the top division in 2015, thus becoming a model for small clubs with big…

Asked about rivalries before a game, a steward said they used to have rivals in the area, but they’d left them all behind. Then he added, “Honestly, we’re just living the dream, punching way above our weight, and we don’t have a problem with anybody!” You would think that fellow South Coast clubs like Southampton and Brighton would qualify, but…

The women’s team is called AFC Bournemouth Development; they are in the Southern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division at level 5 of the pyramid. Home games are at the Verwood Town FC ground, a little north of town. Somewhat confusingly, in the same league is a women’s team affiliated with Bournemouth Sports FC, which also fields a…

They like to sing “Keep the Red Flag Flying High from Dean Court to Wembley.” They also do a cool old-fashioned tribute to their former selves with a simple “Boscombe—Back of the

The Vitality Stadium, named after a sponsorship deal with an insurance company, was called Dean Court until Bournemouth made the Premier League. It is tiny—like, 11,360 seats tiny. There are at least 10 high school football stadiums in Texas bigger than that and that’s almost what the place feels like. The new stadium was thrown together in…

GETTING THERE: The main rail station in town is about a 30-minute walk or about a £10 cab ride. You can also take the P2 or P3 Yellow Bus for six stops to Queens Park Hotel. It’s a five-minute walk from there. Or just get a cab and make sure you have their number for postgame, especially if you’re staying closer to the center of town. PUBS: There…