Monday 18 May 2015 17:19, UK
Bournemouth will not be increasing the capacity of their Goldsands Stadium ahead of their debut season in the Premier League.
The ground can seat only 11,700 and it was reported that work would begin this summer to meet the need for rising ticket demand but the club have said it will not be possible to increase the number of seats in time for the 2015-16 season due to time constraints.
Chief executive Neill Blake told the club website: "When all of the factors were weighed up, it just wasn't feasible to push ahead with expansion of the stadium.
"There are a vast number of demands for change behind the scenes placed on any club following promotion to the Premier League, and we have to ensure we meet those demands in time for next season.
"It will take a great deal of planning, time and hard work to meet the guidelines within the space of the next few months, and factoring in the expansion of the South Stand as well was virtually impossible.
"There are also well-known complications with the land behind the South Stand, due to it being a former waste tip. With intensive testing necessary before any building work can be done, something which can take months to complete, this was one of the major stumbling blocks in our proposed plans.
"In addition, our first priority is to invest in the squad and football staff infrastructure to support (manager) Eddie Howe and his coaching staff, which we believe is the best strategy to maintain our Premier League status.
"If we are able to retain our place in the Premier League, stadium capacity will be a priority for the following season."
