- published: 18 Sep 2015
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A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club playing in Football League One. The club play at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.
Nicknamed The Cherries, the team traditionally played in red shirts with white sleeves until 1971, when the strip was changed to red and black stripes, similar to that of A.C. Milan. A predominantly red shirt was chosen for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons before announcing a return to the stripes for the 2006–07 season due to fan demand. After narrowly avoiding relegation from the football league in the 2008–09 season, Bournemouth were promoted in the 2009–10 to League One. In 2010–11 the club finished sixth, and qualified for the playoffs to the Championship, but lost on penalties in the semifinal against Huddersfield Town.
Although there is no authentic information as to the exact date of the club's foundation, there is proof that it was formed in the autumn of 1890 out of the remains of the older Boscombe St. John's Lads’ Institute F.C. The club was originally known as Boscombe F.C.. The first President was Mr. J.C. Nutt.
Bournemouth ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth. With Poole and Christchurch, Bournemouth forms the South East Dorset conurbation, which has a total population of approximately 400,000.
Founded in 1810 by Lewis Tregonwell, Bournemouth's growth accelerated with the arrival of the railway, becoming a recognised town in 1870. Historically part of Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974. Since 1997 the town has been administered by a unitary authority, meaning that it has autonomy from Dorset County Council. The local authority is Bournemouth Borough Council.
Bournemouth's location on the south coast of England has made it a popular destination for tourists. The town is a regional centre of business, home of the Bournemouth International Centre and financial companies that include Liverpool Victoria and PruHealth.