AFC Bournemouth

Founded as Boscombe St. John's Institute in 1899, the club went through several name changes before becoming AFC Bournemouth in 1971. For over a century, the Cherries were a modest lower-league outfit, playing at Dean Court (later renamed the Vitality Stadium) with crowds rarely exceeding a few thousand.

The club's history in this period was defined by survival rather than glory. There were occasional highlights - Harry Redknapp managed the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s, reaching the third tier - but Bournemouth were perennially overshadowed by bigger south-coast neighbours like Southampton and Portsmouth. Financial crises were a recurring theme, and by 2008 the club were in genuine danger of going out of business, hit with a 17-point deduction in League Two that seemed to seal their fate.

Yet even in their darkest hour, the Bournemouth community rallied. The club survived administration, and the appointment of a young, ambitious manager named Eddie Howe in December 2008 planted the seeds for the most extraordinary transformation in the club's history.

Eddie Howe's first spell as Bournemouth manager, beginning in December 2008, saved the club from relegation out of the Football League despite the massive points deduction. After a brief spell at Burnley, Howe returned in 2012 and orchestrated one of the most remarkable ascents in English football history. Playing attractive, attacking football with limited resources, Bournemouth won promotion from League One in 2013 and then from the Championship in 2015, reaching the Premier League for the first time ever.

Rather than simply surviving in the top flight, Howe's Bournemouth competed with verve and style. Players like Callum Wilson, Joshua King, and Ryan Fraser became household names, and the club finished as high as ninth in 2016-17. The tiny Vitality Stadium, with its capacity of just over 11,000, became one of the most atmospheric grounds in the league.

Five consecutive Premier League seasons exceeded every reasonable expectation, though the bubble burst during the COVID-disrupted 2019-20 campaign when Bournemouth were relegated on the final day. Howe departed, but his legacy as the most important figure in the club's history was already secure.