Bournemouth prepares for first European home games

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 15:32 · Archive

Bournemouth will host Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday in the club's first European home match.

Sturm Graz will visit Bournemouth on Thursday for the club's first home match in European competition. The match will be followed by a visit from AC Milan the following week, marking a significant moment for the Dorset club.

Dorset Police has been preparing for the occasion for several years, with officers attending fixtures elsewhere to understand European fan behaviour. Assistant chief constable Lindsay Dudfield told the Bournemouth Echo that over 150 officers will be deployed on Thursday, including mounted police, which she described as new for the communities to see. The force has worked with the local authority, the football club and other emergency services to prepare for the matches.

Bournemouth Stadium will host the match under its official name, as UEFA has a long-standing ban on stadium sponsor names for European competitions. The stadium may see its highest home attendance since its reconfiguration in 2001, with recently completed corner sections now available for use. Sturm Graz were runners-up in last season's Austrian Bundesliga and finished 26th in last season's Europa League group phase.

Bournemouth prepares for first European home games — Image: BBC Dorset

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How it is being reported

Cherries seek European tonic at 'Bournemouth Stadium'With back-to-back home games against Sturm Graz and Sunderland coming up, this feels like a big week for Bournemouth to restore the feelgood factor.BBC Dorset · 13 Oct, 14:58
Mounted police, more officers, pyro and ultras - Force ready for Cherries in EuropeEuropean football makes its long-awaited arrival in Bournemouth this week.Bournemouth Echo · 13 Oct, 00:00

In this story: Bournemouth · Sturm Graz · AC Milan · Dorset Police · Lindsay Dudfield · Dorset

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