Are Bournemouth now a 'relative powerhouse in world football'?

Bournemouth feel like they are a club that are going places, and the end of last week felt very significant for a number of reasons.

American owner Bill Foley came over to open a brand new Performance Centre, which is the new home for the Cherries' first, academy, and women's teams - a beautiful complex which provides a tangible legacy from what we hope will be a long-lasting Premier League era.

Not only that, but he also announced the repurchase of Vitality Stadium, a facility which we have been renting for the last 20 years, since we had to sell it due to financial problems in 2005.

This alone symbolises the incredible journey that the football club has been on, and with plans to expand to 20,000 and possibly higher in the next few years, fans finally feel like things are moving in a positive direction off the pitch, as well as on it.

News of the purchase was relayed to supporters before the last Premier League game against Manchester United, and it was an emotional moment to hear the outpouring of joy at how this once bucket-rattling club has overcome its problems to somehow become a relative powerhouse in world football.

Sitting 10th in the league, and with European football a distinct possibility, entering into a match against the Red Devils on Sunday as favourites was something not many Cherries fans would have ever imagined.

Sadly, for us, Andoni Iraola's men dropped points in a match which was riddled with controversy, therefore many home supporters left the stadium feeling disappointed. However, in hindsight, to be sitting as a top-half side, with a stadium back under our ownership, and the chance of Conference League football still not out of the realms of possibility, we have to be optimistic for the future.

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