WOMEN’S team boss Steve Cuss says he continues to play a key role in recruitment of players at the club, but added: “We’ve got an expanding team that is doing it.”

Cherries are gearing up for another season in the fourth tier, agonisingly missing out on promotion, despite going through the entire league campaign unbeaten.

There are naturally comings and goings every summer, with Cuss right at the heart of matters, his knowledge invaluable having spent five years in charge of the team.

Men’s head coach Andoni Iraola has explained how he does not playing a lead role in recruitment, with an army of analysts and scouts assigned to that job.

Asked how things work on the women’s side at the club, Cuss told the Daily Echo: “We’ve got an expanding team that is doing it.

“I like to look at the players that might be available, but we’ve got people that are looking at players and the recruitment side of it and we’ve also got people that go and watch the opposition play.

“At our level, it’s a little bit challenging to get video clips of the opposition, so we do send somebody to watch the opposition play, where possible.

“That then provides me with as much information as I possibly can.

“So it is certainly a growth of the women’s team, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well.”

Cuss added: “There’s no doubt that we’re an attractive team to come and play for.

“I think players would like to come here and play.

“So when we have a target and we’re talking about it, we talk about what is on offer at AFC Bournemouth, both on the pitch, the special days like we have playing at Vitality Stadium, but we’re very lucky to have really good facilities to train on and at key times as well.

“Sometimes clubs have to train at awkward times, maybe eight o’clock at night or a little bit later to find a facility.

“We are able to train at key times at our Ringwood Community Hub, a really nice 3G pitch.

“Then we go to the Canford academy training pitch and we train in the dome on a Friday night. When the players walk in and see the dome and it’s a fantastic facility, it shows what we’re able to offer here at AFC Bournemouth.”

He continued: “The Football Foundation, that we worked with, to be able to get our improved facility at Ringwood, are doing great work up and down the country installing more quality 3G pitches and training pitches.

“From my day job in the community, having good pitches for young people to play sport on and play football on is just crucial, because we have had a tough winter and the recreational grass pitches are not always the most pleasant to play on.

“So having the 3G pitches, having these better facilities are keeping players in the game.

“If they stay in the game longer then they reach their potential, so the more clubs that are able to use the better facilities, the better it is all round for the game.”