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The Away End

Away supporters' handbook

Away guide

Vitality Stadium

AFC Bournemouth, Bournemouth. Away support sits in the South Stand (approx. 1,700). Nearest station is Pokesdown (or Bournemouth), 10 min from Pokesdown. By road: A338 (Spur Road) from M27/A31.

Upcoming home fixtures

Seasonal calendar

  • Bournemouth Air Festival — August brings huge seafront crowds and traffic disruption if the fixture falls the same weekend.
  • Half-term staycation season — Easter and spring half-terms fill the town's hotels and trains — book well ahead.
Stylised illustration of Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth
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Getting there

  • Pokesdown station — The closer of the two stations, roughly ten minutes' walk through Boscombe to the ground.
  • Bournemouth station — Better served by fast trains from London Waterloo, but 25 minutes' walk or a short bus ride to Dean Court.
  • Driving — The Wessex Way (A338) brings you in fast from the A31; car parks around the ground are small and residential streets are permit-controlled.
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Safe away spots

  • Sixty Million Postcards — Boscombe bar and kitchen a short walk from the ground, relaxed and away-fan friendly. Map
  • Boscombe Precinct cafés — A row of independent cafés and takeaways on the walk up from Pokesdown. Map
  • Seafront kiosks — If you arrive early, Bournemouth's beach cafés are 15 minutes away and worth the detour. Map
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Worth the detour

Bournemouth beach and pier

One of the best seafronts in English football, a 20-minute walk from the ground.

Open in maps

Russell-Cotes Art Gallery

Eccentric Victorian villa museum on the clifftop above the pier.

Open in maps

Boscombe Chine Gardens

Small subtropical valley garden running down to the sea, close to the ground.

Open in maps
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Off the beaten track

Lower-profile pubs, cafés and corners the locals keep to themselves.

  • The Sir Percy Florence Shelley, Boscombe

    Wetherspoons named after Mary Shelley's son, a reliable and cheap option away from the main strip.

    Open in maps

  • Shelley Park

    Quiet Victorian park behind Boscombe with the poet's family grave nearby, missed by most visitors.

    Open in maps

  • Southbourne Chine coastal path

    A genuinely peaceful walk along the cliffs, a bus ride from the ground and away from all the matchday crowds.

    Open in maps

Transport alert

Standard Saturday

Nothing unusual in the Bournemouth diary for this date. Book advance rail tickets 12 weeks out and check the operator's works page the Monday before.

Ground note

Dean Court is a tight, old-fashioned ground squeezed into a residential area — legroom and concourse space are limited.

Ground note

Summer fixtures can clash with beach traffic on the A338; allow extra time on warm weekends.