CHERRIES’ president of business Jim Frevola described what it was like to work for owner Bill Foley, stating: “He’s really a great owner.”

American businessman Foley headed a consortium, Black Knight Football Entertainment, that completed a takeover of Cherries in December 2022 from former owner Max Demin.

Foley also owns National Hockey League outfit Golden Vegas Knights, where he first worked with Frevola, who was appointed as Cherries’ first ever president of business in December.

Asked what Foley was like as a boss, Frevola told the official club podcast: “Amazingly fair. He really has a low ego. His approach is really about the organisation, it’s not about Bill, it’s not about anything that deals with individuals.

“When he interviewed me in Vegas the thing that I took away – I spent a couple hours with him talking about the job out there before I started – he kept emphasising to me that ‘I want to surround myself with people that don’t think for themselves, they don’t care about their own success, they don’t care about what it means for their own benefit.

‘What does it mean for the organisation, what does it mean for the people sitting next to you, to your left and to your right. How can we help the entire collective succeed?

“That can sound like it’s lip service, but it’s not. He truly believes that and means that. So, from a philosophy standpoint, when you start with that approach, that it’s about the whole. It’s not about the name on the back of the shirt, it’s about the name on the front of the shirt.

That’s really what that means. It’s not about Foley, it’s not about Frevola, it’s about Bournemouth. It’s about the Vegas Golden Knights in Vegas, or the Silver Knights, another one of the clubs that he owns. He truly believes that. His goal is to hire good people, and let them make decisions, and make recommendations.

“If he needs to weigh in, he will, but he really wants you to run your organisation and not have to worry about second guessing. He doesn’t do a lot of second guessing. He wants you to make decisions, and if you need his help and input, he’ll certainly be available.

“He’s really a great owner. I worked for a lot of owners in sports, and I can count on two fingers owners that I would say are top-notch in the world of sports, and he is one of those two.”

Frevola went on to explain the club’s ideas and plans for the future, including how Cherries are looking to expand their stadium capacity by either expansion or construction of a new stadium. The full podcast is available on all audio streaming platforms, as well as the club’s official website.