Why do Bournemouth wear red & black kit? AC Milan link revealed ahead of Europa League clash
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The Cherries will face the Rossoneri tonight.
There is going to be black and red in every stand at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium later tonight when the Cherries host AC Milan in their league phase clash in the UEFA Europa League 2026-27.
AFC Bournemouth’s stripes have more than a passing resemblance to those of the Italian club – and it’s not by accident. Ahead of their clash with the Rossoneri, the Cherries took to social media to reveal how the two clubs came to share their club kit colours.
In 1970, the club officials were seeking to put some magic back into their demoted team, and a new shirt was introduced. With time, red and white became an intrinsic part of the English club’s culture and have been their home kit colours for several years.
How Bournemouth’s kit colour is linked with AC Milan
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In the lengthy social media post shared by the Cherries, club historian Neil Vacher revealed that the new manager, John Bond, and chairman Harold Walker thought the colours of 1969 European winners AC Milan would help develop a new attitude.
Bond liked the glamour and European supremacy of AC Milan in the late 1960s and hoped the lower league side would accomplish the same.
The team modified its name in 1972 from Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic to AFC Bournemouth to make it sound more continental (and also to get to the top of alphabetical league tables).
The new look only improved their performance on the pitch with then Ted MacDougall, who netted a mammoth 42 league goals as the Cherries climbed to the Third Division in 1970-71.
The stripes persisted through all-red periods in the mid-1970s and 1980s, reappearing in the 1990s, while away kits have occasionally been inspired by Inter, most notably in 1990-91 and 2011-12.
However, few clubs have shared the kit-colour connection that exists between Bournemouth and AC Milan. This connection has now come full circle, with the Cherries qualifying for the UEFA Europa League and hosting the seven-time European champions at their home ground.
Who inspired Bournemouth’s red and black kit?
Manager John Bond and chairman Harold Walker chose AC Milan’s colours as inspiration when the Cherries introduced their new kit in 1970.
Why do Bournemouth wear red and black stripes?
The Cherries adopted red and black stripes in 1970 after manager John Bond and chairman Harold Walker took inspiration from AC Milan.
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