With plans being developed for a new stadium for AFC Bournemouth, we're taking a salivating look at what the future might have in store for our club. We've scoured the world for what we feel are best stadia with a capacity broadly within the club's stated range - around 20,000, give or take a few. We're going to talk about what we like about them, what features we think can be incorporated into a new stadium for us - and where they could be improved. A new entry in the top 10 will be published every few days until we've completed our countdown - and then we'll collate it all into one post for posterity. Opened in 2013, after a 10 year development the 20,000 capacity Ghelamco Arena in Belgium is home to KAA Gent. It sits in a largely industrial area to the south of the vibrant city of Ghent. The seating is a continuous bowl, which is the main drawback to this otherwise excellent stadium. The stunning glazed exterior has real wow factor from the kerb, but the interior and ancillary facilities are where this stadium comes into its own. The interior design won the prestigious Contract Design magazine interiors award for sports in New York in 2014. Surfaces are primarily white, with pops of blue ambient lighting emphasizing a loosely hexagonal shape. This hexagonal motif is found throughout the arena, from the lobby to the concourses to the seating areas. It is used in the design of the walls, floors, ceilings, and even the furniture. The blue lighting adds to the dynamic and modern feel of the interior. One of the most distinctive features of the Ghelamco Arena interior is the entrance lobby. The walls are covered in white panels with a sculptural form, which create a sense of movement and fluidity. The ceiling is also suspended and features a hexagonal pattern. The concourses are wide and spacious, with plenty of room for fans to move around. The floors are covered in a white marble-effect material, and the walls are decorated with blue and white graphics. The stadium offers numerous lounges and restaurants from the simple Buffalo Sandwich Club to Michelin starred fine dining at the Restaurant Horseele. Boxes are available in multiple configurations to suit different budgets and all offer executive seating in the arena. Multi-sports is in the DNA of KAA Gent - the football club was instituted as a part of an existing sports and athletics club and the presence in the stadium of a gym, runners lab, sports performance centre is a reflection of this, alongside a hotel, retail space and office space all of which serve to make the stadium a 7 day a week multi use facility. There are many things that AFC Bournemouth could take from the Ghelamco Arena - just not the seating bowl please! <iframe class="yt_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wI4Oi321dZA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> ✅ Beautiful, glass fronted buildings ✅ Stylish, incredibly well laid out interiors ✅ Multiple diverse functions ❎ No safe standing ❎ Under the undulating roof and hospitality areas, the seating area is just a bowl8. Ghelamco Arena, Gent
What we like:
What we'd change: