Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Mitchell wants to be top off the pitch
HAVING seen Eddie Howe guide Cherries to the top of the league, Eddie Mitchell is fiercely determined to follow suit off the pitch.
A successful entrepreneur in his own right, Mitchell knows there are several hurdles to overcome before the caterpillar can turn into a butterfly.
Pleasure comes a distant second to business for the Dorset property magnate who insists the new Cherries board is not in situ to enjoy a “jolly boys’ outing”.
And notwithstanding the club’s parlous financial position, Mitchell is fully aware the Dean Court garden is anything but rosy behind the scenes.
Only this week, he hired – at his own expense – two new members of staff to carry out a thorough review of the club’s operations, both on and off the pitch.
In a candid interview with the Daily Echo, Mitchell outlined part of his blueprint for the future.
“The board spends five or six hours every Friday talking about how we can get the club stable and how we can start to push it forward,” said Mitchell, who became majority shareholder following the Murry Group’s takeover in June.
“I have engaged two people to analyse the situation and how we can improve it. We are working hard to get the club straight and are adamant we’re going to succeed.”
Having already taken the catering operation back in-house, Mitchell now wants to see it prosper: “On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the stadium is empty. We’ve got two kitchens and three restaurants and nobody is eating in them. We’re surrounded by a thriving town and we’ve got to open it up to the public on a daily basis.
“The facilities are fantastic. It’s an opportunity that’s been missed in the past and we’re going to get to grips with it. It’s got to be run as a business.”
Mitchell has also listened to supporters’ concerns over ticketing and pricing and admits he was “disappointed” Cherries failed to attract a crowd of 6,000 for the visit of Lincoln on Saturday.
“If Wayne Rooney had scored our third goal and Ronaldo had supplied the cross, it would have been all over Match of the Day. The goals were fantastic and you would have thought they had been scored by Premier League players. The people who aren’t coming are missing out.”
Mitchell said he was “aware” of issues regarding ticketing and added: “A friend of mine who is a lifelong supporter had trouble buying five season tickets. He sourced them elsewhere. I believe it was the BIC.
“It’s something we are looking at so if people could bear with us, it will be changed and it will be very easy to buy a ticket.
“I also appreciate it can be expensive for some people and that’s why we’re aiming to give value for money.
“We would love it to be more affordable but circumstances dictate the prices we’ve got to charge. If we could bring prices down, we would love to. When we get our house in order, it’s something we could possibly address.”
