Vitality Stadium redevelopment 'huge' and 'will complete the circle'

Bournemouth are yet to give an exact start date for their Vitality Stadium redevelopment project, but former Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn says the modernisation and expansion will "lighten up the club's vision" once completed.

If everything goes to plan, the club are hoping work will begin at some point between January and March 2026.

"It is massive news," Mostyn told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "It will complete the circle in so many ways.

"Maxim Demin decided that he wanted to invest in players because, as we both always said, we had never seen a seat in a new stadium jump up and score a goal that can keep a club in the Premier League, but we had seen footballers do it.

"That was Maxim's DNA - he was all about making sure we had the players to keep us in the top flight. Bill Foley then had the ability, having taken over the club in its existing form, to complete the task.

"The purchase of Vitality Stadium also elevated the status of the club. So, for a club of our size, these redevelopment plans are huge.

"It is going to look beautiful cosmetically and the players are going to continue feeling like they are part of a huge, professional football club that's here to stay.

"When we're looking at bringing in players, a new stadium will lighten the vision."

Mostyn went on to reveal that he did in fact try to buy the stadium back himself.

"I had been up to structure Dean Court and David Pearl has become a friend of mine," he said. "Whether that helped the long-term relationship I don't know, because I wasn't there at the final negotiations before the purchase.

"We had made many visits to David with numerous offers, but one of the problems we had is that he's a very wealthy man. With interest rates at zero, David would ask us what he was going to do with the money.

"It was like manna from heaven, so nobody in their right mind was going to accept our offer at that time."