AFC Bournemouth adopted AC Milan's red and black stripes in 1970

Summarised from BBC Dorset's report · Updated 22 Oct, 08:20 · Archive

AFC Bournemouth adopted its distinctive red and black striped kit in 1970, inspired by AC Milan's colours. The club's then-manager John Bond and chairman Harold Walker made the change following the team's first-ever relegation that year. According to club historian Neil Vacher, the decision was deliberate: bosses wanted to emulate AC Milan because they were winners. Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic, as the club was then called, had previously played in red and white.

The similarity between the kits is no coincidence. Vacher explained: "They wanted to emulate AC Milan because they were winners." England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has played for AC Milan since 2023, told the BBC that Bournemouth's adoption of the colours showed how big AC Milan was and how it inspired other teams. Football historian Joey D'Urso noted that copying colours is quite common in English football.

Read the report

• How Milan inspired Cherries' red and black stripesAFC Bournemouth adopted its distinctive red and black striped kit in the 1970s.BBC Dorset · 22 Oct, 06:10

In this story: AFC Bournemouth · AC Milan · John Bond · Harold Walker · Neil Vacher · Ruben Loftus-Cheek · Joey D'Urso

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