Dean Court
 |
|
| Former names | Goldsands Stadium, Seward Stadium, Fitness First Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location |
Kings Park Bournemouth Dorset BH7 7AF England |
| Owner | Structadene |
| Capacity | 11,464 |
| Record attendance | 28,799 (A.F.C. Bournemouth v Manchester United, 2 March 1957) |
| Field size | 105 x 78 m (114.82 x 85.30 yds) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1910 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Tenants | |
| A.F.C. Bournemouth (1910–present) | |
Dean Court, currently known as the Vitality Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Bournemouth, England and the home ground of A.F.C. Bournemouth.
In 1910 Boscombe F.C. was given a piece of land by the town's Cooper-Dean family, after whom the ground was named. The land was the site of an old gravel pit, and the ground was not built in time for the start of the 1910–11 season. As a result, the club played at the adjacent King's Park until moving into Dean Court in December 1910. However, the club facilities were still not ready, and players initially had to change in a nearby hotel. Early developments at the ground included a 300-seat stand.
In 1923 the club were elected to Division Three South of the Football League, at which point they changed their name to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. The first Football League match was played at Dean Court on 1 September 1923, with 7,000 watching a 0–0 draw with Swindon Town. Subsequent ground improvements were made following the purchase of fittings from the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, which allowed the construction of a 3,700-seat stand. A covered terrace was added at the southern end of the ground in 1936.
The club's record League attendance was set on 14 April 1948, when 25,495 watched a 1–0 defeat to QPR. The overall record attendance was set on 2 March 1957, when 28,799 spectators watched an FA Cup match against Manchester United. Shortly afterwards, a roof was added to the western stand. The club also purchased more land behind the northern end of the ground, with the intention of enlarging the stand and building a leisure centre. However, the club ran out of money during its construction and abandoned the scheme in 1984. As a result, the half-built structure was demolished and housing was built on that part of the site. The club's lowest Football League attendance was set on 4 March 1986, when only 1,873 saw a 2–2 drawn with Lincoln City.
The ground was completely rebuilt in 2001, with the pitch rotated ninety degrees from its original position and the ground moved away from adjacent housing. Because the work was not finished in time for the start of the 2001–02 season, Bournemouth played their first eight games at the Avenue Stadium in nearby Dorchester. When Dean Court reopened with a game against Wrexham on 10 November, it gained its first sponsored name, becoming the Fitness First Stadium. Although it was rebuilt as a three sided stadium with a capacity of 9,600, seats were placed on the undeveloped south end in the autumn of 2005. On 24 February 2004 Bournemouth's James Hayter scored the Football League's fastest-ever hat-trick at Dean Court, scoring three goals in 2 minutes and 20 seconds during a 6–0 against Wrexham. The club sold the stadium in December 2005 in a sale-and-leaseback deal with London property company Structadene.
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