A.F.C. Bournemouth Logo

Although the exact date of the club's foundation is not known, there is proof that it was formed in the autumn of 1899 out of the remains of the older Boscombe St. John's Lads' Institute F.C. The club was originally known as Boscombe F.C.. The first president was Mr. J. C. Nutt.

In their first season, 1899–1900, Boscombe F.C. competed in the Bournemouth and District Junior League. They also played in the Hants Junior Cup. During the first two seasons, they played on a football pitch in Castlemain Avenue, Pokesdown. From their third season, the team played on a pitch in King's Park. In the 1905–06 season, Boscombe F.C. graduated to senior amateur football.

In 1910, the club was granted a long lease upon some wasteland next to Kings Park as the clubs football ground by President J. E. Cooper-Dean. With their own ground, named Dean Court after the benefactor, the club continued to thrive and dominated the local football scene. Also in 1910, the club signed their first professional football player B. Penton.

Around about this time, the club obtained their nickname "The Cherries," with two foremost tales on how the club gained the nickname. First, because of the cherry-red striped shirts that the team played in and, perhaps less plausible, because Dean Court was built adjacent to the Cooper-Dean estate, which, it is erroneously assumed, encompassed numerous cherry orchards.

For the first time, during the 1913–14 season, the club competed in the FA Cup. The club's progress, however, was halted in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, and Boscombe F.C. returned to the Hampshire League.

In 1920, the Third Division was formed and Boscombe were promoted to the Southern League, finding moderate success.