AFC Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn has revealed that the Cherries have now deferred their decision on any Dean Court expansion plans.
In August 2014, Mostyn announced that the club had opted to explore plans to develop Dean Court.
With a ground capacity of 11,700 including segregation, the Cherries home at Dean Court is one of the smallest grounds in the second tier of English football.
Last season AFC Bournemouth’s average attendance of 9,951 was the third smallest in the Championship only eclipsing relegated sides Doncaster Rovers and Yeovil Town.
The divisional average for the 2013/14 campaign stood at 16,608.
In November 2014, Mostyn announced that Dean Court could be developed ‘to 15,000 without any problem’ adding that additional expansion plans such as filling in the corners ‘would probably take the capacity it to 18,000.’
Speaking to he BBC Radio Solent (click for previous article) he added ‘We want to remain at the Goldsands, our fans want us to remain at the Goldsands and if we could develop the stadium to 18,000 and increase the commercial capacity then I think everybody would be happy.’
This season AFC Bournemouth’s average attendance currently stands at 10,226 the second smallest in the Championship ahead of Rotherham United.
The divisional average for the 2014/15 season to date is 17,730.
However with Premier League rules demanding size of allocation to away supporters, along with various media regulations Mostyn has now put any plans on hold until the end of the season.
Mostyn told the Daily Echo…
“At this moment in time, no final decision has been made regarding the possibility of increasing the capacity. The dynamics could change quite dramatically if we were to add extra seating and there are a number of factors to consider.
“We have to be mindful of the fact that all away clubs are entitled to 10 per cent of the overall allocation and there could be issues regarding segregation if the capacity were to increase…’
‘…We also have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of investing in additional seating compared with how much revenue it would generate. Our attendances have been excellent in recent weeks but we also must remember that not every game this season has been a sell-out.”
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