The big interview: Bill Foley

Since Foley’s takeover of AFC Bournemouth, the club has gone from strength to strength. Six signings arrived at the club in January, an upturn in form has moved the Cherries to 13th in the Premier League and a number of improvements are continuing to be made at Vitality Stadium.

Foley sat down with MATCHDAY for an extended interview as he discusses his recent visit to the UK, the progress that has been made at the club and the impressive work done by head coach Gary O’Neil.

In the shining sun in Bournemouth, Foley reflects on another successful visit to the south coast before he returns to Vegas.

He said: “The past week has really been fantastic! The win over Leeds really demonstrated the kind of team we are and the team we can be. I thought it was really exciting.

“The visit gave me a chance to catch up with Neill Blake, Richard Hughes and Gary O’Neil. I got the chance to go to the lounge and eat with the players, which is always fun and they’re friendly.

“They’re getting to know me slowly, there’re no ‘Mr Foley’s’ anymore, there’s Bill. I believe we were getting pretty close, we were having a lot of fun together and joking around.

“I spent time with Jim Frevola, a pretty good amount of time together focusing on sponsorship and ticketing for next year.

“I toured the stadium and looked at all the new wrappings we’ve done, which are fantastic."

The work done to the stadium has moved quickly, with the concourses given a new look and new flags adorning the side of the ground.

Foley reveals that the refurbishment is just the start of the work that Frevola is leading on: “Our goal was to do little things that we could accomplish quickly and get them done quickly. I believe we’ve done that.

“Jim has brought in a couple of key individuals, he’s moved a few people around and promoted people, and is going to promote a few more.

“We’re doing a lot of things internally to restructure because we’ve already done this with the Golden Knights, the Silver Knights and the Silverhawks so we really do have a good vision on how to structure the business side of the organisation and we’re doing that. I think we’re doing great and it’s going to be better next year.

“We’re going to do all kinds of things before the new season starts in terms of relocating some food service and hospitality such as having more food service available in the stadium itself.

“All the poles that look so rusty and tired will be scraped and painted red or black, alternating around the stadium, which is not inexpensive. So, I’m anxious to be here in August and see all these results, it’s going to be fun.”

Having reflected on his first four-and-a-half months as chairman of the football club, Foley admits he’s been very impressed with the culture at the Cherries.

“The club has a good culture already, it’s really solid. I do believe on the business side and even the football side, the team has been restricted by finances.

“What we’re bringing to the game is changing the thinking to fans as well as the players, in terms of a new training facility, the academy, the women’s teams.

“We’re really committed to the training facility, which is under construction. The indoor pitch will be finished in September or October, and we’ll hopefully get our category two status in late May, so that’ll help keep some of the young players in the area here.

“That’s the long-term strategy, we want to keep our young players here and involved in the first team.

“In our training facility, we’re making space available for the women’s team so they’ll be able to train there, they’ll have their own pitch. We’re going to invest in the women’s team and we’re going to do what some other teams do, which is pay some players so we make sure we can keep them around for a period of time. That’s starting right away."

As the discussion shifts towards the men’s team, Foley takes a moment to highlight the good work that O’Neil has done as head coach.

He enthuses: “He’s done a great job. We got a lot of criticism when we made the decision but I’d spent time with Richard and Neill and we looked at Gary and what he had accomplished after the change and while we started stumbling a bit in November and we were certainly stumbling after the break, we always felt with the new players coming in, once they assimilated, they would take us to a different spot.

“I feel Gary has the talent and the tactical finesse to allow this team to win and he’s proving it and he’s got the team with him, which is the most important thing as a coach, to have the confidence from the players that they want to support you and want to win for you.

“I hope Gary is around for a long time, he’s the right kind of guy, he’s the type of coach that I really like, that I get on with."

Foley is particularly impressed with the performance of the team given the injuries that the squad has had to deal with.

He expands: “Our game is about the culture of the team, the character in the football sense and making sure we have a group that is together.

“We’ve done that in Vegas with Golden Knights. In the first year, we were underwhelming in terms of talent, but we went all the way to the Stanley Cup because of the strength of the team as a whole instead of the individual.

“I believe you’re seeing it right now in terms of some of the wins we’re having, we don’t have a full team! Tavernier’s out and he’s a big part of that team, Traorè’s been hurt with a lower body issue so we have some guys who are out who could help this team more, but the other boys are stepping up so that’s really satisfying for me. I love winning and I love accomplishing things, this is good for me.

Foley and the Cherries appear to be a match made in heaven so far and the Texan revealed that he’s fallen in love with the local community, having purchased a home in the area.

He comments: “The town is fantastic, the scenery is terrific and there’s all kinds of things to do here.

“I’m looking forward to coming back and probably spending a month here in August and being here for the whole start of the season. If I’m here long enough, I can bring my dogs and we can walk down to the beach and have a good time!

“I wanted to show my commitment to the community by purchasing a house, having a place to hang out and to show that I’m dedicated to spending time here. That’s been a fun experience for me."