AFC Bournemouth announce season ticket price increase

Bournemouth fans will have to pay an extra 20% to watch their team after the Championship club announced season ticket prices for 2014-15.

The cost of the most expensive adult season ticket at the Goldsands Stadium will rise from £550 to £660, with the cheapest adult ticket increasing from £400 to £480 and family tickets going up from £600 to £720.

Season ticket prices have increased at AFC Bournemouth

The South Coast outfit came 10^th this year – their highest finish in the Football League – in their first second tier season since 1989-90, but recently posted losses of £15.3m in the financial year ending July 2013 and accepted a £3m bid from newly-relegated Cardiff City for striker Lewis Grabban.

And Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn says the advent of Financial Fair Play rules, as well as the size of Bournemouth’s current ground compared to their rivals, justifies the price hike for next term.

“The football club has looked very carefully at the Financial Fair Play regulations and I think all of our supporters are fully aware, having had out accounts published, that we have got to try and balance the books,” Mostyn told BBC Radio Solent.

He added: “We do have a massive disadvantage compared with our peers within the Championship in that we have the smallest stadium in the league.

“We only have 11,700 with segregation compared with 20,000 to 25,000 at some of the other Championship clubs.

“It is very easy for them to balance the books with cheap tickets in order to fill the ground, we don’t have that luxury.”