Supporter Liaison Officer: Fans' return to Vitality Stadium

You will hopefully be aware of the news earlier this week that spectators are allowed to once again attend our games.

We have very much missed you all being here at Vitality Stadium but before moving on to the issue of supporters’ return, we would like to make mention that while everyone will have faced difficulties since the onset of the pandemic, there will be those who will have suffered severe illness and lost a loved one or friend. The club’s sincere condolences are with them all. 

We have also seen the valiant efforts of our key workers and so many others to fight the virus on many different fronts and we all very much appreciate that amazing work.

Following today’s Government announcement that Dorset will be in Tier 2 when we come out of lockdown on Wednesday 2nd December, the club felt it important to provide supporters with some initial information regarding the permitted return of fans to watch the team at Vitality Stadium.

We learned of the proposed return of supporters to elite competition at the same time as you will have done and so while the below will answer some of your questions, we appreciate that you will have many more.

We are in the process of finalising our plans and will be in touch again shortly with more detailed information, which will hopefully answer all your queries. Please bear with us during this initial period and we will provide you with all the relevant information as soon as we have it.

The maximum number of spectators permitted in this Tier is 2,000.

However, it is important to note that we are required to operate these games under Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) 02 guidance, which focuses on socially distanced attendance. This encompasses a number of factors including seat widths, seating platform depth, gangways, walkways, toilets and, importantly, the area of concourses. 

As part of that guidance we are required to hold a test event at 50 per cent of the permitted reduced capacity. Therefore, the fixture against Huddersfield Town will see 1,000 spectators return to Vitality Stadium. Thereafter, we will increase to 2,000 supporters.

As with every other aspect of life since the onset of the pandemic, attendance at Cherries’ home games will not be as we previously knew it and we would ask that supporters assist the club in making sure these matchdays are as safe and secure as possible for everyone involved.

Season ticket holders will be invited to take part in a ticket ballot for each fixture.

They will be able to apply to be seated in groups of four, two and one and should start to consider their groups now.

Those successful season ticket holders will be allocated seats by the ticketing team, notified by email and their order will be available to purchase on the ticketing website.

Anyone who is unsuccessful in a ballot can reapply for the next game’s ballot.

Please note, however, season ticket holders who have been successful in a ballot are very unlikely to be seated in their usual seats and/or stand.

We will endeavour to ensure all season ticket holders who wish to attend a match are able to do so before a second application to attend is successful.

Should we reach a situation where there is spare capacity beyond season ticket holders’ requirements, we will ballot the highest band of Cherries Points Holders.

All supporters offered the ability to purchase a ticket for these games will have to agree to the terms of a Code of Supporter Behaviour in order to complete their order. This confirms match attenders’ agreement to adhere to Covid-19 measures, together with other health and safety measures that will be in place.

We anticipate the ballot being open for applications soon and will directly communicate further with season ticket holders over the coming days, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox.

We appreciate that, while this is a positive first move towards the return of a full ground at Vitality Stadium, there will be many supporters who will be disappointed that they will not be able to attend in the near future. We will continue to work with our governing bodies to set a good example for the safe enjoyment of live football and look forward to being able to have more supporters attend in time. 

In the meantime, we need to work within the set guidelines as we do in all other environments to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Once again, we would ask you to be patient and respectful during an incredibly busy time for club staff. We will provide communication and detailed information directly to supporters as soon as we are able to, which should be able to answer any questions you have.