Philadelphia Union will host AFC Bournemouth for an international friendly on Tuesday, July 14 at PPL Park, the club announced Monday. Bournemouth won the Football League Championship, the second-highest tier in 2014-15, and was promoted to the English Premier League for the 2015-16 season. The match will be classified as a Bonus Game for Union Season Ticket Members.
“What an amazing story AFC Bournemouth is and we are truly excited to welcome a club that has overcome such long odds to achieve a great amount of success in such a short period of time,” Union CEO and Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz said. “Bournemouth epitomizes what hard work and dedication can accomplish and personally, I couldn’t be happier to continue a great relationship with their club. On behalf of our entire organization, we are honored to host AFC Bournemouth and celebrate our new found relationship with a great match at PPL Park on July 14.”
Founded in 1899, Bournemouth has spent most of their history in the third tier of English Football until recently. In just the last five years, the club has incredibly risen from League Two, the fourth tier of English Football, all the way to the premiership for this upcoming season. Last season, the club scored a remarkable 98 goals in 46 league games en route to winning the Championship on the final day of the season with a record of 26-12-8.
“I cannot think of a more fitting location than Philadelphia, the birthplace of the United States of America, to play our first ever overseas match as an Barclay’s Premier League club,” chairman Jeff Mostyn said. “I sincerely hope that the fixture at PPL Park on July 14 will be the start of a long and successful relationship between our two clubs.”
Bournemouth will train in Philly at the NovaCare Complex from July 7-15. Individual tickets for the match are on sale at www.philadelphiaunion.com or by calling 877-21-UNION.
