Former Bournemouth chairman eyes return

By Andy Mitchell

EX-AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell is looking for a club to take over on his stomping ground – despite two potential deals falling through.

Picture: Alamy

The Dorset-based property magnate wants to find – or even form – a club, partly to showcase one of his business ventures, and says negotiations with Southern League outfit Poole Town and Hamworthy United of the Wessex League had hit the buffers.

Mitchell’s Elite Skills Arena makes and sells football skills equipment used around the world and monitors its use in places from Barcelona to Las Vegas.

It has expanded to create its own indoor football skills centre – FTY Lab – in the Branksome area of Poole earlier this year and the next step in the former Dorchester Town chief ’s vision involves a return to the boardroom.

“We are actively looking for a local club,” he revealed. “We have progressed considerably and would be looking to get together our own team to put into the league system but we’d really like to take over an existing club, however big, to move forward with.

“I had the opportunity to take over Poole Town but they didn’t have a permanent ground so it was not the right investment. I have considered Hamworthy United but they didn’t want to sell the majority share.

“Somewhere like Christchurch, New Milton Town, Bashley, any club of that kind of size, or further up would be ideal provided it is relatively local to Bournemouth.

“I would like something like Hamworthy that has a base to play at. Poole is a tremendous club, it would be the ideal level to go in at and it is local but the ground is the issue.

“We have a profitable business and want to take our products out there, establishing it through social media, filming for YouTube. That’s the way we want to go.

“We want our own branded team that trains specifically with our products. We believe they improve footballing skills tremendously.

“To have a football club would be the next stage of our progression.”