How Success Is Spreading Through Every Bournemouth Team

Since Andoni Iraola took charge of AFC Bournemouth at the start of the 2023/24 season, they have been on the rise and now have a very real chance of finishing in a European place. While the Spanish coach has helped transform the team over the last two years, he isn’t the only factor that has taken Bournemouth to where they are now. Bill Foley, an American businessman, took over the club at the end of 2022 and he has put a lot of effort into improving every aspect of the club. He has taken the club saying: ‘Up The Cherries In All Departments’ very seriously as the first team, the development squad and the women’s team have all taken huge strides under his ownership.

Bournemouth’s First Team

All the way from the scouting network to the performances on the pitch, Bournemouth have been improving ever since the takeover in December 2022. The first transfer window with Foley in charge saw Bournemouth buy both Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara, who are both performing well this season after slow starts on the South Coast. From then on, Bournemouth’s scouting has been fantastic, with the likes of Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Justin Kluivert joining for a combined £30m over the last two seasons.

On the pitch, Iraola struggled to start with, however once the players had bought into his philosophy, he started breaking records on the South Coast. Despite pundits and Premier League fans saying that Bournemouth would finish bottom of the league for sacking Gary O’Neil, Iraola took them to their highest ever points tally of 48. This season he could break that record again, as they are only four points off that total.

WHAT. A. TEAM. 😍

48 points, our NEW @premierleague record points tally 😤 pic.twitter.com/FoJqRxlUei

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) April 28, 2024

Even in the FA Cup this season, Bournemouth have improved. Their fixtures haven’t been the most difficult but they have beaten Everton and Wolves to set up a quarter final match against Manchester City. This marks the joint furthest that they have ever gotten in the competition, and should they beat the Citizens as they have done this season, then they have a very real chance of lifting their first ever major trophy.

Bournemouth’s Development Squad

When Foley took charge, Bournemouth had a Category 3 academy alongside the likes of Lincoln City, Swindon Town and Morecambe. However at the start of the 2023/24 season, they were awarded Category 2 status and now compete in the Professional Development League. Foley made it clear that he wanted to develop the academy as it is pretty woeful. There are currently just two players from the Bournemouth academy playing in the top five European leagues: Danny Ings and Jordan Zemura, and a handful more playing in other top flights such as the Scottish Premiership, the MLS and the Romanian first division.

Wow 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zlBbfCGZcM

— AFC Bournemouth Academy (@afcb_academy) March 25, 2025

Last season they narrowly missed the knockout stage finishing third in the Southern Division, behind Swansea City on goal difference. This season they are currently fourth, but with three games in hand on Charlton in third. They will likely miss out on qualifying for the knockout stage again, however this marks a stark improvement to where the squad was when Foley took over. His aims are to achieve Category 1 status within the next few years and achieve better integration into the first team for the club’s academy graduates.

Bournemouth’s Women’s Team

The season prior to Foley’s take over of Bournemouth, the women’s team were a mid table team in the fourth division of English football. There had been times where they had challenged for the title and promotion into the third tier, however they had never managed to take that step. Last campaign was a heartbreaking one for the Cherries, as they finished the season with 19 wins, three draws and no losses, however they were beaten to the title and promotion by Exeter City Women, who had won 20 and drawn just twice. They also managed to reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, but were knocked out of the competition by second division side Charlton Athletic.

Bournemouth women haven't lost a game in the league for two years 😲👏 pic.twitter.com/DUrvTa2Ag9

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 7, 2025

This season, the AFC Bournemouth Women’s team have already won promotion to the third tier, even though they still have four matches to play. They have so far won all 18 of their 18 matches, scoring 82 in the process while conceding just three times. This is one of the most dominant seasons in football history and yet has been brushed over by most media outlets in favour of focusing on Bournemouth’s men’s side and attributing all of their progress to Iraola, even though their successes are echoed throughout the club’s teams.

The Future Of Bournemouth

Iraola’s name has been linked to jobs away from the South Coast in recent weeks, however he has made it clear that his focus is on Bournemouth at the moment. When he inevitably leaves, there won’t be too much worry amongst Bournemouth fans, as it is clear that Foley knows what he is doing, and that their success isn’t just down to Iraola. Off the pitch, their new training ground is almost complete, which will make space for either a whole new stadium or some redevelopments to take place. Foley is an ambitious owner and he wants to put Bournemouth on the European map and quickly too. He hasn’t shied away from the fact that is 80 years old, and that he won’t be around forever, and so wants to make an impact on the sport now, so that he will be able to see the results.