Here’s everything that went down at the AFC Bournemouth Women v Swindon Town game

[Honor’s words] Attending the Vitality Stadium makes for an incredible day out; a true must-see experience for students during their time at Bournemouth University. Whether you are an avid football fan, or if you are just looking for a hearty day out with your friends, there is plenty to get involved in at the stadium. From live music stages, cheerleading performances, bustling bar queues, and half-time football challenges, football fanatic or not, this is the place to be! It is a particularly excellent outing if you are a student at BU, as the university is the official higher education partner of AFC Bournemouth (AFCB) and the principal partner of the girl’s and women’s teams.

Join Emily and I at the forefront of one of the stadium’s incredible events, as we share our experience of AFC Bournemouth Women’s match against Swindon Town.

[Emily’s words] As the whistle blew to commemorate the one-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday, many thoughts came into my mind. Naturally, the solemn remembrance of the brave souls who served in the World Wars, but, beneath that, a profound sense of gratitude—gratitude for the privilege of being a woman in today’s world, sitting in The Vitality Stadium, watching a women’s football match. I felt compelled to involve myself passionately and whole heartedly, learning the names of the players and chanting their songs alongside the many young girls around me. One of the girls who shared these special 90-minutes with me was my fellow student, contributor to this article, and colleague, Honor Dench. Together, we cheered, threw our arms in the air, and danced to the beats of female DJ’s, including Radio 1’s Beren Olivia, and local female talent Gemma Leanne, with additional guidance from female host Rebecca Chaplin.

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[Honor’s words] In light of the day’s significance, entering the game meant that the camaraderie of the crowd was already strong and powerful, but what particularly caught my attention was the music. Little Mix’s ‘Salute’ poured out of the speakers as the players entered the pitch, soon to be followed by Beyoncé’s ‘Run the World (Girls)’, which made a wonderful addition to the atmosphere of female empowerment. What’s more, seeing the team play in front of a crowd of aspiring, young female players who after the match took pictures together in their matching kits, was a rather special moment to witness.

[Emily’s words] Working alongside Honor was an invaluable experience. As an English student, I was keen to carefully observe her journalistic expertise, such as how she would strategically take down the detail of each minute of the match, which proved challenging to my attention span. It became further challenging when I attempted to replicate this process myself, poking her shoulder at every minute of the game to ask “What was the minute again?”. Luckily, we have Honor’s report below to remind ourselves of the girls’ greatness. Here is a run down of the match highlights:

1st Half:

AFC Bournemouth hosted league rivals, Swindon Town FC, in front of 6,054 people at home.

‘The Cherries’ (AFC Bournemouth), dominated from the first whistle, as all the players fought hard to create numerous chances for goals.

Player of the match, Katie James, scored the first goal of the game in the 35th minute.

James wasn’t finished however, as in minute 40 she scored again, ending the first half on a 2-0 lead. Despite this, the girls felt they should’ve had a stronger lead, after some early misses from Ellie Strippel and Kenni Thompson.

2nd Half:

The Cherries entered the second half determined to maintain a clean sheet and extend their lead.

Swindon Town FC’s captain, Annie Colston, made a good attempt for a goal, but keeper Erin Foley caught it.

Play was driven back to Swindon’s half and, after several attempts, AFC Bournemouth’s Molly Barron-Clark slotted the ball in the back of the net in the 65th minute.

The Cherries held possession of the ball and in the 76th minute new sub, Erin Bloomfield, was awarded a penalty and successfully converted this to the fourth goal of the game (Bloomfield has now scored 12 goals, in six appearances).

The match ended, AFC Bournemouth 4, Swindon Town Fc 0.

[Emily’s Words] In its totality, the game exceeded all expectations when taking my first footsteps into the stadium. From the first to the final whistle, I was in awe of the many talented women who played before me. I walked away with my finger traced down the timetable, eager for the next game (and feeling better prepared to kick the next football that comes flying towards me in Bournemouth’s lower gardens). So, let this be a message to you students; if you’re on one of the many Media and Communications courses at BU, why not get involved and gain some real, industry experience by supporting your local women’s team? And for everybody else who is interested too, on occasion, students can get discounted tickets to attend games at the stadium, so keep your eyes out!

To find out more information about upcoming fixtures, you can check out the FA Women’s National League, accessible here.

In the meantime, we are off to the gift shop to spend our student loan on AFC Cherry Bears!