DEAN COURT
Dean Court has been a League ground for 103 seasons
from 9 November 2001 to the current day
and from 1 July 1923 to 29 April 2001
The 135th ground to be used for a League game
Current capacity: 11,360
Opened: 1910
GROUND HISTORY
adapted from "The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds"
Constructed on the site of an old gravel pit, Dean Court was not immediately ready for occupation at the start of the 1910/11 season, so Boscombe FC, having moved from Pokesdown, played their matches at the adjacent Kingβs Park until December. Even at this point the facilities, which eventually included a 300 seat stand, were not totally ready thus obliging the players to change at an adjacent hotel and access the ground through Kingβs Park.
Some improvements were undertaken following the clubβs election to the Football League in 1923 when Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic FC, as they had become known, purchased a batch of redundant material and fittings in 1927 from the Empire Exhibition at Wembley enabling them to build a new 3,700 seat main stand on the east side of the ground. The only other pre-WWII improvement was the construction of a covered terrace at the south end in 1936.
Following the FA Cup 6th Round tie on March 2nd, 1957 against Manchester United (1-2) at which the attendance record of 28,799 was set, a new cover was installed on the west side of the pitch. The club later purchased additional ground behind the north end with the intention of constructing a new stand and sports centre but having started it, ran out of money leaving just a skeletal construction. This scheme was aborted in 1984, leading to its demolition and replacement with housing and the only other improvement made up to the end of the 1990s was the refurbishment of the main stand.
Some improvements were undertaken following the clubβs election to the Football League in 1923 when Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic FC, as they had become known, purchased a batch of redundant material and fittings in 1927 from the Empire Exhibition at Wembley enabling them to build a new 3,700 seat main stand on the east side of the ground. The only other pre-WWII improvement was the construction of a covered terrace at the south end in 1936.
Following the FA Cup 6th Round tie on March 2nd, 1957 against Manchester United (1-2) at which the attendance record of 28,799 was set, a new cover was installed on the west side of the pitch. The club later purchased additional ground behind the north end with the intention of constructing a new stand and sports centre but having started it, ran out of money leaving just a skeletal construction. This scheme was aborted in 1984, leading to its demolition and replacement with housing and the only other improvement made up to the end of the 1990s was the refurbishment of the main stand.
In 2001 the ground was turned through 90o and re-opened as The Fitness First Stadium with all seated cantilever roofed stands around three sides of the ground (the south end remaining undeveloped). In 2005 a temporary uncovered 1,100 seat stand was installed at the south end and the capacity at the start of the 2007/8 season was 10,700. The pitch size is 112 x 74 yards.
GROUND DETAILS
adapted from "The Extreme Groundhoppers Guide"
- Ground address
- Dean Court, Kings Park, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH7 7AF
- Main phone
- 01202 726300
- Ticket office
- 01202 726338
- Ticket prices
- Adults Β£20, Concessions Β£11
- Food & drink
- Four hundred yards from Pokesdown Station on Christchurch Road is the Sir Percy Florence Shelley pub where you get a nice pint and food donβt wear any colours neutral or away.
- If driving
- Follow the North and North East take the A1 or M6 to Birmingham and then join the M40 at Junction 3A then at junction 9, take the A41/A34 exit to Bicester/ Aylesbury/ Oxford/ Newbury and at the roundabout, take the third exit onto A34 and follow it to Winchester.
Just before Winchester merge onto the M3 and follow it to Southampton then at junction 13, exit toward Southampton Docks/ Bournemouth and join the M27 and the go straight onto the A31 till you get to just after Ringwood take the A338 exit to Bournemouth/ Christchurch/ Bournemouth International Airport and at the roundabout take the first exit onto the A338 towards Bournemouth.
The ground is situated on the left of the A338 in the outskirts of town. Leave the A338 via the slip road which is (Signposted Boscombe/ A3049 Kings Park/ Football traffic). You will then reach a small roundabout at which you take the second exit onto Kings Park Drive. The entrance to the stadium and car park are 200yards down this road on the left. The car park at the ground is of a good size, however please note that this costs 50p per hour as they liked to hand out tickets!!! - Public transport
- 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 walking to the ground. If you do arrive at Pokesdown Station, then exit the station my way is to go left then left again down Clarence Road and walk across the park past the sports centre or you can turn right down the main Christchurch Road, after 200 yards and then turn right into Gloucester Road. Dean Court is located down the bottom of this road.
The other station which is just over a mile away is Bournemouth Central; leave the station by the South exit, facing Asda. Turn left and walk down to Holdenhurst Road. Turn left straight on along Holdenhurst Road past the Dolphin Pub for around 20 minutes, reaching the Queens Park Pub; continue straight on past the pub until you reach a roundabout at which you turn right into Kings Park Drive. The ground is just after the houses at the bottom of this road on the left.