Getting to see the Cherries often may be trickier this summer

The way the ground improvements have to be carried out before the start of the season have really played havoc with the pre-season schedule for AFCB this summer. While there is a home fixture against Cardiff City and not to far to travel to get to Salisbury, and the newly announced Exeter City and Yeovil Town games, the Premier League status of the team now has certainly pulled out some big fixtures away in the USA, France and Germany.

AFCB will be on the road a lot this summer.

It is important that the team does get at least one game to play at home before the start of the season as any time on the home pitch will be added experience for the players with the new surface and floodlights. I do imagine that the club will probably provide an internet link perhaps through YouTube like they did last summer for the FC Copenhagen game, and that should give us all a pretty good idea of how Eddie Howe is integrating the new players into the team.

The lucky few will no doubt find the cash to travel around the globe to follow the Cherries, and while AFCB are abroad I'll hope that they pick up a few new supporters in the places they visit. I know from statistics on Cherry Chimes that the club has a good following in the USA and in Germany and it can only help to grow the supporter base even if they are further away than the home fans. I know how special exiles feel when they can get to make a trip to see AFCB play at Dean Court and one day some of those new fans will hopefully be able to make a trip like that.

In the meantime I am also expecting there to be a few local fixtures for the Development Squad which continues to improve and some of the players could well find themselves playing a reasonable amount of football perhaps on loan.