Dean Court
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| Dean Court | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bournemouth |
| Built | 2001 (rebuild) |
| Opened | |
| Owner | Structadene |
| Tenants | A.F.C. Bournemouth |
| Capacity | 10,700 |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 78 metres |
Dean Court, currently known as the Fitness First Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a stadium in Bournemouth, England. Primarily used for football, it is the home of A.F.C. Bournemouth.
[edit] History
Dean Court was originally named after the Cooper-Dean family of Bournemouth, who granted the land to the football club in c. 1910, albeit, retaining a covenant on the ground, restricting the use of the land. One stand had previously been used in the Wembley Exhibition of 1924. The ground's attendance record of 28,799 was set at an FA Cup against Manchester United in 1957.
The ground was completely rebuilt in 2001, with the pitch rotated ninety degrees from its original position. The stadium was also moved away from adjacent housing. Although it was rebuilt as a three sided stadium, seats were placed on the undeveloped South End in the autumn of 2005. The club sold the stadium in December 2005 in a sale and leaseback deal with London property company Structadene.
The stadium has also been used for concerts, hosting Elton John in 2006.
