Getty Image / Robin Jones / AFC Bournemouth
The AFC Bournemouth Women’s Team currently sit 2nd in the WPL Division One South-West division while the men’s side sits safely in the middle of the Premier League standings at 13th but with an 11-point cushion over relegation slots.
On Monday, the Bournemouth ladies announced a new signing. They’d acquired Kelci Bowers from Portsmouth. Kelci is a former LSU Tiger by way of Fareham, England. She played her HS soccer at the Chelsea FC Women Academy. And despite most soccer fans having never heard of her until Monday, AFC Bournemouth appears to have picked up millions of new fans after announcing the signing.
Bournemouth shared a 5-second video announcing the signing. 5 seconds! And that video has racked up 20 million views in 24 hours. All she does is say ‘Hi guys, Kelci Bowers here. I’m at AFC Bournemouth and I can’t wait to get going.” That’s it… 20 million views in 24 hours.
A message from our new recruit 👋 pic.twitter.com/iYtIYHxzvy
— AFC Bournemouth Women (@AFCBournemouthW) March 11, 2024
In a press release, AFC Bournemouth announced the signing of their new defender. Bournemouth manager Steve Cuss said “We’re thrilled to bring Kelci to the club for the remainder of the season. She’s someone that can help us and will bring a lot of strength to the side. I’m looking forward to working with Kelci and seeing what we can achieve as a team in the coming months.”
Kelci Bowers added “I am really pleased. The girls seem great, there are really good facilities and Steve seems a great manager, so I’m really excited to get going. They have got a great ambition here and good goals to achieve. I want to help achieve that and be a part of that to take into next season.”
20. Million. Views.
Bowers doesn’t have a TikTok account. She doesn’t have an Instagram profile. So 20 MILLION new ‘fans’ have been thirsting after the AFC Bournemouth Women’s posts on X.
We are delighted to announce the signing of Kelci Bowers on a season-long loan from Portsmouth ✍️ pic.twitter.com/ykdenridpG
— AFC Bournemouth Women (@AFCBournemouthW) March 11, 2024
Dudes need to get it together. Where was all of this love on social media for Kelci Bowers when she was at Portsmouth?
ℹ️ Defender @KelciBowers has completed a loan move to AFC Bournemouth
Wishing you all the best, Kelci 💙 pic.twitter.com/RJCrYJp72q
— Portsmouth Women (@PompeyWomen) March 11, 2024
Kelci’s former team, Portsmouth, sits in 1st right now in the FA Women’s National League South division. Where were all of these dudes acting like they’ve been fans since her LSU days???
In the comments on Bournemouth’s announcement, new club fans made themselves heard. The top reply reads “world class. deserves the ballon d’or honestly.” Others joked “Bournemouth is my childhood club” and “I always loved Bournemouth and Solanke is our best legend” in attempts to poke fun at the incoming bandwagon fans. Another person chimed in with “She has my support, idk what she do.”
The comments really are top notch.