The Reds are going up!

However, it is not a Club from up North I am referring to now, who, rather surprisingly, are also supported by some members of our team here at the Hotel Royale.

No! It is of course my local team, the mighty AFC of Bournemouth, who have achieved these heroics. The AFCB, also known by its supporters as the “Cherries”, has only for the second time in its history reached the heights of the second tier of English Football.

A large part of the praise must go to Eddie Howe, a local of the town and former player of the club, who was appointed for his second spell as the Cherries´ manager in October, a time when the club was trying to avoid relegation. Since then it has been an amazing turnaround which culminated in a 3:1 home win against Carlisle on the 20^th of April this year. Promotion was assured with one game to spare!

The whole town celebrated this victory with an open bus parade on the Sunday after the last game of the season and we are now looking forward to host some o f the heavyweights of English Football and to cause an upset to one if these teams!

Although the club might not be as famous as some of its larger neighbours, over the years some of the British game's best players have sported the red and black kit of our home side: Harry Redknapp, Jermaine Defoe and, yes, even George Best.

With the home ground of the AFC only 2 miles away from our Hotel and more than four bus routes connecting us on average every five minutes, why not choose the BEST WESTERN Hotel Royale to combine an away fixture of your club with a family weekend in sunny Bournemouth.

Up the Cherries in all Departments!!!

Mark