POP superstar Sir Elton John is to play a major gig at AFC Bournemouth's Dean Court stadium next summer, it has been revealed.

The legendary singer-songwriter will be at the Cherries ground on July 1 for his first appearance in the town for 20 years.

Tickets go on sale on Monday at 9am, priced at £60, £40 and £35, with a limited number of premium tickets also available.

Cherries bosses hope Sir Elton - who has sold millions of albums and singles in a career spanning almost four decades - will be a guaranteed money-spinner for the cash-strapped division one side.

The concert will go-ahead regardless of the outcome of a shareholders' meeting tomorrow which could back a re-financing deal at the club or send it into administration.

Cherries chairman Peter Phillips said of the booking: "We're delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Sir Elton John to AFC Bournemouth. This really is fantastic news, not just for the football club, but for the whole area."

The club tried mounting three music concerts last year, including a 1980s pop night, but lost money.

Mr Phillips said: "It's the start of a payback for the concerts we ran last year, which as everybody knows were not financially successful but were very good events. They did establish our ability to hold big concerts at the stadium without any serious problems and so this really has come as a result of that.

"If we can make a good show of Elton John - and you couldn't ask for anyone better to have a good chance of a successful show - then there will be more to follow."

The show will be all-seater, with the audience taking up the pitch as well as the stands.

Sir Elton's last Bournemouth concerts were on December 30 and 31 1985, when he performed at the then newly-opened BIC.

Previously, he played successful gigs at the Winter Gardens concert hall in 1971, 1973 and 1982.

Tickets go on sale on Monday at 9am with Ticketmaster, 0871 230 2637; See Tickets, 0870 161 2123; BIC, 0870 111 3000; and Ticketline, 0870 444 5556. On-line bookings are available at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or www.seetickets.com. Customers with disabilities should book early. For hospitality packages, ring 01202 726302.

First published: November 10