AFC Bournemouth has a message for American soccer fans before it faces reigning Premier League champion Liverpool on Friday to kick off the 2025-26 season.
“Following a big six club is silly if you’re a U.S. fan,” Bournemouth president of business operations Jim Frevola said in an interview.
It’s cliche. It’s boring. It’s uncool. This summer, Bournemouth toured the U.S., pitching the benefits of following the Cherries instead.
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley bought the team in 2022 for roughly $150 million, with eyes on modernizing operations. AFC Bournemouth dates to 1899, but the club spent time in England’s fourth division this century and was in the second-tier Championship as recently as 2021-22. The team was the least valuable in the Premier League in 2023, playing in the division’s smallest stadium outside of a seaside town along England’s south coast.
In 2024-25, Bournemouth tied its best Premier League result, finishing ninth, with an aggressive, risk-taking style of play that won it many converts. The team had to reload this offseason, however, after selling players to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool for more than $150 million combined—a reminder of the different games being played within soccer’s top level. Foley’s hope is that Bournemouth will continue competing with England’s—and eventually Europe’s—top clubs.
Growing an American fan base, in addition to expanding the team’s stadium so it is at least the second smallest Premier League venue, is a key piece of the club’s financial formula to get there. “This is a long play,” said Frevola, who previously helped Foley establish the Golden Knights franchise. “It’s going to take years, years and years.”
The club’s inclusion in the Premier League’s official U.S. preseason swing this summer alongside Everton, Manchester United and West Ham was no accident. Frevola lobbied to be included in previous years, but Bournemouth’s potential relegation made it a risky choice.
“For the last two and a half years, I have been just harassing … the league,” Frevola said. “I was going to move heaven and earth to be on this tour.”
Bournemouth specifically advocated to set up shop in Chicago, because the same Ryan family that owns a sizable stake in the Chicago Bears invested in Bournemouth in 2023. Playing in Atlanta, Bournemouth benefited from the Falcons’ shared color palette.
The team has also leaned on celebrity investor Michael B. Jordan, American midfielder Tyler Adams and its nickname, which is based on the proximity of fruit orchards to the club’s original grounds.
“We’re leaning into the cherry mark more than we ever have,” Frevola said. “We’re going to be that fun, edgier, a little bit more youthful and more of a hipster brand in the U.S.”
Bournemouth has also set up soccer clinics in Las Vegas, with the hopes of holding a game there in a future summer, though Foley has been adamant that regular season matches shouldn’t take place overseas. The team has taken a region-by-region approach to its U.S. invasion strategy.
Back in England, the club has aimed to be the league’s most media-friendly, including participating in a halftime coach interview and sideline player chat. “We want to be the team that is saying yes for these requests,” Frevola said. Bournemouth will receive extra attention on Friday, with the kickoff match set to air on USA Network in the U.S., beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
There’s a virtuous cycle to be achieved, with a growing fan base fueling more media attention and in turn delivering new diehards as the team’s bottom line grows over time. On the other hand, one bad season could sour the entire Cherries experiment. If you like that kind of underdog attempt, Bournemouth might just be the club for you. Or you can just support Liverpool like so many others.
