Real Madrid match is not just a gimmick

You could be quick to judge the Real Madrid match with AFCB on Sunday night as a sheer publicity stunt. In some ways you are probably correct, but I think its significance is far greater than that. Yes we will have a huge crowd and the ground will be buzzing with the prospect of seeing the famous Real Madrid white shirts fizz the ball around the Goldsands stadium. While some will expect the Cherries to be on the end of a heavy defeat, there will be curiosity as to just how well they can play against the Spanish giants. In England, we all like an underdog and I would hope that the people of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole would all want to see the Cherries do well in this friendly. 

So why is it not simply a publicity stunt? Sure the match puts Bournemouth right in the public-eye of the nation. There will not be a bigger showpiece game than this on Sunday. While I can't predict that there will be two evenly matched teams on the pitch, it will not be like a heavyweight and a featherweight mis-match in the boxing ring. AFCB will look to create opportunities and do more than simply defend for 90 minutes. The Bournemouth players know that this is one of the biggest opportunities they may ever have to take on the world's best and I am sure they will raise their game. And who know if they go in at half time still even, the pressure will start to turn against Real Madrid and a noisy crowd could set the underdogs on to greater things. I've seen it happen before when AFCB played Manchester Utd in the 1980s.

More importantly though, for our fans it will be a night of celebration with our new Ted MacDougall stand and our and newly extended club shop, plus the visit of a truly great team. A night to remember! AFCB will be putting on an exhibition football match in southern England and hopefully a smile on people's faces. That's what I feel it's all about, bringing new fans to the game. The club is laying down the foundations for a larger fan base and its starts right here on Sunday night. There will be  lots of football to see this coming season and much cheaper priced matches than this, but Real Madrid hits all the right buttons to get our club in the minds of people who haven't yet realised how far the club has come.

Just the ticket, can't wait for the AFCB v Real Madrid match.

When it is over, will the result really matter? If Real Madrid win comfortably then I think not. If the Cherries manage to hold Real Madrid or dare I say do even better, then the back pages of the tabloids will be a sea of Red and Black on Monday morning. That would not be a simple publicity stunt, it would be signalling the arrival of a team in the Championship that has belief and some very good players. At the moment such a result would seem unthinkable. But then again, even the biggest of teams can have an off day. 

AFCB says the game can be listened to on Cherries Player while it is also being shown on Real Madrid's in-house TV channel. For Real Madrid fans this will be manager Carlo Ancelotti's first game.

If you are a Cherry fan and have not got a ticket to the game, you just might want to hear how this one turns out. There are a few extra tickets for the game on sale this morning as well.