JIM Frevola has outlined ways for fans to start getting themselves “onto the ladder” by attending upcoming pre-season matches at Vitality Stadium.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Cherries’ president of business discussed a variety of topics including renovations to the stadium, new ticket initiatives, rising shirt prices and plans for a new space for supporters to meet up pre-match.

The full two-part special will be available to our online subscribers this week.

Here below is a section from the sit-down chat free for all to read, focused around getting more fans to obtain ‘home points’ in friendlies against Atalanta (July 29) and Lorient (August 5).

Frevola said: “Not including season ticket holders, 90 per cent of our database don’t have home points, which is absolutely crazy.

“We have about 10,000 seats in the building, 19 Premier League games, that’s 190,000 potential seats.

“Last season, we only had 12,000 unique people buy tickets, so basically it’s the same 12,000 people, amazing loyal supporters that we embrace and love, buying every single match.

“There’s very few new people buying tickets. If you’re trying to grow a fanbase, if you’re trying to make a fanbase deeper, if you’re trying to build or renovate a building and add 12,000 new seats, you can’t fill a 20-22,000-seater stadium with 12,000 people, it doesn’t work.

“So you have to grow your fanbase. But that stat is actual – the same 12,000 people bought every game last year. We’ve got to do better than that.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re not loyal to those people, so it’s a double-edged sword. It’s tricky. We’re not trying to change that overnight, but we’ve got to get some more unique people with access.”

He continued: “We’re keeping it (home points for friendlies), we’ll do it again next year. We’ve already sold more pre-season tickets this year than we did last year, by a good amount already.

“We’re opening the South Stand, for Atalanta we’ll be pretty close to capacity, I’m hoping the home seats will be full.

“We didn’t anticipate having to open the South Stand, so we’re excited that we’re doing it for Atalanta. We’ll see if we have to do it for Lorient.

“We have over 4,200 new people with points, just because of this pre-season.

“Making the assumption that they use their ticket, we’ve added 4,200 new people with points to the system. That’s 57 per cent growth already of our database that has points. That’s crazy. People want a home point, they couldn’t get it.

“The happiest people that we’re doing it, besides the people that now have the points, are the people that work in our box office!

“All the complaints, all the emails were people wanting to go to a game but couldn’t get a point. It was the chicken and the egg. Between pre-season, two women’s matches, three unders (development squad), now you have seven opportunities to get a home point this year.

“That’s a big deal.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Outlining the four different ways supporters can now get hold of tickets, Frevola added: “Cherry Tuesdays, a new initiative.

“Once the match sells out, on the following Tuesday, we release a very limited number of seats.

“We actually had a one per cent higher season ticket renewal rate this year than we did last year, when we were promoted. That is with a price increase.

“That was phenomenal, the fan reaction to season ticket renewals was great.

“The amount of folks that didn’t renew, that number of seats is about the same number we’re holding back for Cherry Tuesdays, so we’re not really taking ticket quantity-wise away from last year’s allotment.

“It’s not a lot of seats, but it’s enough that of the first two Cherry Tuesdays that went on sale, over 40 per cent were bought by people with one or two points.

“So there’s a real reason to go and get a point, now you can get onto the ladder.

“The other way is the ticket exchange. Season ticket holders can put a seat on the ticket exchange, if they can’t attend.

“You have to have one home point to buy on the ticket exchange. That’s why getting a home point in the pre-season or a women’s match is so important.

“You can get Premier League tickets from returns the day before a match. The away teams return tickets, we have to hold seats by league rules for players, if they release them, those get released the day before. You have to have one home point.

“The fourth way you don’t even need a point.

“I think people know about it but they don’t think about it - hospitality.

“We have hospitality tickets available right now for pretty much every match. Yes, it’s a little bit more money, but you get a nice meal, you get a nice experience, you’re in the Main Stand.

“We’ve doubled the size of our hospitality offering this year, so we have even more seats available to fans without a point.

“So we’ve got more ways for fans now with one point, we’ve got more ways for fans to get a point and we’ve got more seats available for no points. To me it’s a great win.

“Those are you four best ways in.”