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Ground Name: Fitness
First Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Main Stand (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? East Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train Ground Layout South Stand (photo) Admission Prices Local Rivals Programme & Fanzine Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| Anyone who visited the old Dean Court will not recognise the completely re-developed ground. In a matter of months the old ground was completely demolished and a new stadium built. This currently comprises three new permanent stands and a temporary stand at the South End of the ground. The three permanent stands are of roughly the same design and height and are quite smart looking, with the Main Stand having a row of executive boxes to its rear. Each is a covered single tiered stand, with good views of the playing action, with perspex wind shields at each side. The stand roofs have perspex panels, helping get more light to the pitch. They sit at each side of the pitch and at one end. During the 2005/06 season the Club installed a 1,100 capacity seated stand at what was previously the open South End of the stadium, giving the ground a better overall look. The corners of the ground are also open and these are home to some unusual looking floodlights. The pitch has been rotated 90 degrees from its old position and if you ever visited the old ground, try figuring out where the old Brighton Beach End was located! | |
| Future Developments | |
| The Club still intend at some point to build a permanent fourth stand at the South end of the stadium. If completed the overall capacity would rise to around 12,000, but no firm timescales have been announced as to when this is likely to take place. | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are located
on one side of the East Stand, at one side of the pitch.
The normal allocation for this area is 1,500, but this can be increased to
2,000 if required. The stand is shared with home supporters, offers a good
view of the playing action and generates a good atmosphere. The facilities
are okay and beer is served on the concourse as well as such delights as
'Football's Famous Chicken Balti Pie' (£2.20). The larger games the
temporary South Stand at one end of the ground may be allocated to away
supporters. Although I have yet to view a game from this particular stand, my experience
of others at other grounds around the country, has not been that good with
the temporary facilities being less than desirable. If you add to this the
fact that the new stand does not have a roof and is open to the elements,
then you could end up having a wet miserable afternoon. Please also note that the stadium is a no smoking one, which met with cries of 'get your fags out for the lads' from the away support. (But note the stewards may throw you out if you are caught smoking in the seated areas). Bournemouth is a nice seaside town, with good nightlife, so why not make a weekend of it? |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| There is a bar behind the Main Stand, called the Cherry Tree, which welcomes away supporters to its downstairs bar. There is one pub by the dual carriageway, called the Queens Park, that is popular with both home and away fans. The pub shows SKY Sports and serves Ringwood real ale. On my visits it has been pretty relaxed, with home fans tending to congregate in the bar and the away fans in the lounge. To find this pub, simply walk away from the ground, on the road going from the main entrance to the stadium. At the end of the road turn left and the pub is a little way up on the left. | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| Follow the A338 towards Bournemouth. The ground is
situated on the left of the A338 in the outskirts of Bournemouth. If you keep looking up
to the left as you go into Bournemouth you will eventually see the tops of the ground
floodlights. At this point take the next exit off the A338 and turn left towards the
ground. There is a large car park located at the ground. Alternatively, there is a council
run car park, on the opposite side of the dual carriageway, which is handy for getting
away quickly after the game. For a map showing the location of Dean Court click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. |
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| By Train | |
| The nearest train station is Pokesdown
which is roughly a mile from the ground and is around a
15 minute walk away. However, most trains arrive at
Bournemouth Central, which is around a half an hour walk to the ground.
Either try to get a train to Pokesdown or grab a cab
(£7-£8). If you do arrive at Pokesdown Station
(which is served by trains from London Waterloo), then exit the station
(there is only one exit) and turn right down the main Christchurch Road
(A35). Proceed for about 400 metres and then turn right into Gloucester
Road. Dean Court is located down the bottom of this road. Thanks to Andy
Young for providing the directions from Pokesdown Station. If you arrive at Bournemouth Central, then leave the station by the South exit, thereby facing an Asda Supermarket. Turn left and walk down to the main Holdenhurst Road. Turn left (going away from the town centre) and then keep straight on along Holdenhurst Road for around 25 minutes, reaching the Queens Park pub (recommended by this Guide). Continue straight on past the pub until you reach a roundabout at which you turn right into Kings Park Drive. The ground is down the bottom of this road on the left. Alternatively you can catch a Yellow Number 33 bus to the ground, normally a half hourly service. Come out of Station again by the South exit, facing Asda and turn left until you get to a Texaco Garage. There is a bus stop with shelter on the same side of the road. Ask the driver to be let off near Kings Park Drive. Please note that if you decide to use the same service coming back, take a yellow number 2 bus as this is a circular service'. Latest bus timetables can be accessed by visiting the Yellow Buses website. Thanks to Richard Barnes for supplying the directions from Bournemouth Central. |
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Thanks to Mick Cunningham for providing the photo above. |
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| Admission Prices | |
The Club operate a
category system for pricing match tickets (Gold, Silver & Bronze), meaning
that the most popular games cost more to watch. Gold prices are shown below,
with bronze prices shown in brackets: |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth and from further a field Reading & Leeds. | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
| Official Programme: £3. View from the tree Fanzine: £1. |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Bournemouth fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
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10,375
England v Poland |
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| Fans Reviews Of The First Fitness Stadium | |
| James Hewitt (Doing The 92) 28/3/05 | |
| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. To access their Bournemouth page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me and I'll
update
the guide. |
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