Football is finally coming home - For AFC Wimbledon

[phantom]

On Tuesday evening, AFC Wimbledon will finally be home.

Eighteen years after starting life in the ninth tier, the Dons will move into their new stadium at Plough Lane as a League One club.

The road has been long and hard, and most supporters will tell you the wait for a ground to call their own stretches all the way back to 1991.

Even with the milestone achieved, fans will not be there to witness the first-ever game because of restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet a unique footballing odyssey will have a closing chapter.

The rebirth of a club

Formed in 2002, AFC Wimbledon had two founding aims; to return to the English Football League and return to playing in Merton, their spiritual home.

The phoenix entity was established by supporters of Wimbledon FC in response to the decision by an independent commission to allow the club to move to Milton Keynes.

The old Wimbledon relocated in September 2003 and were renamed MK Dons in 2004.

AFC Wimbledon made relatively light work of their first challenge, winning five promotions in the space of nine years to rise from the depths of the Combined Counties League and reach the EFL in 2011.

"We have been the underdogs all the way through and I have seen some amazing things," said Stuart Deacons of 9yrspodcast, a fan podcast about the Dons.

"We had to fight. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and think 'did that really happen?'"

The on-pitch target realised, the second goal of a homecoming proved much harder to achieve.

Time in the wilderness

When the original Wimbledon FC received permission to relocate to Buckinghamshire, the club had already been groundsharing for 11 years.

The Dons had moved out of Plough Lane in the summer of 1991 and become tenants at Selhurst Park.

The switch to Crystal Palace's home in Croydon came following the publication of the Taylor Report which, in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, recommended that top-flight sides should play in all-seater stadiums.

"When we went to Selhurst Park we were told it would be temporary," said Graham Stacey, a board member of the Dons Trust - the democratic supporters' organisation which owns AFC Wimbledon.

"We could have reformed anywhere. But we have always represented Wimbledon, so playing there is everything."

AFC Wimbledon began their existence playing at Kingsmeadow, in Kingston upon Thames, the home of non-league Kingstonian.

The Dons bought the ground from the K's in 2003, but the wish to return to their own corner of south-west London remained.

"It is a long-held passion to get the club back to Merton," said Laurence Lowne, a fan since 1968 and now in his 60s.

"It was one of the desired aims of Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association, which was formed in 1995.

"It has been one of the aims of the Dons Trust and has been part and parcel of the DNA of the club."

A home to call their own

The construction of a new stadium can be fraught with difficulties, especially in London, and even more so for a fan-owned club lacking funds.

The Dons launched their bid to return to Plough Lane in August 2012, but it was over two years before they could even submit a planning application.

With their old ground now turned into a housing estate, their intention was instead to redevelop Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium.

Permission to build was granted in December 2015, yet planning delays meant it was not until March 2018 that the site began to be cleared.

"The fact the land and the opportunity came up there, it was so poetic really," Stacey, 46, added.

"I'd have taken anywhere in Wimbledon, but to actually be back where it started, it couldn't have been written better."

Even then came a final financial hurdle in November last year, when the club announced it needed £11m by January to complete construction.

Wimbledon fans rallied once again, establishing the Plough Lane Bond which eventually raised over £5.4m and allowed the club to proceed.

"Wimbledon fans are an extraordinary bunch," said Charlie Talbot, who went to his first game in 1991 and is the co-creator of the Bond. "It was a phenomenal achievement.

"We are at our best when there is some slight air of crisis or calamity that needs to be averted."

The final construction contract was signed in May after investment from local businessman Nick Robertson, who became a new minority shareholder.

 

After beginning the 2020-21 campaign with a short-term groundshare with Queens Park Rangers, the Dons have finally realised their dream.

However, social distancing regulations mean no supporters will be in attendance for the landmark match against Doncaster Rovers.

Fans who have been fortunate enough to step inside the new stadium, which has an initial 9,300-capacity but has the potential to be expanded to 20,000, have been impressed.

"When you see plans for a ground, you can never quite grasp it until you see it," Deacons said.

"We have shared grounds like Selhurst, and we were at Kingsmeadow but we never really owned it.

"To now see a ground in blue and yellow colours and Dons on the seats is really, really exciting.

"It is a shame we have the stadium done and we can't get in there, but it just builds the appetite even more for when we can finally attend in numbers."

The club will display banners and flags from supporters in the stands, but Dons chief executive Joe Palmer has appealed to fans to refrain from gathering outside their new home.

"It is not quite the way you want to open a stadium," Talbot, 40, added. "It is just an unfortunate manifestation, but we don't tend to do things the easy way at Wimbledon.

"It means that this feels more like a milestone than the big celebration. The journey isn't really complete until all the fans can be there and celebrate what we have all achieved."

'What we have done is correct'

Most AFC Wimbledon supporters still retain animosity towards fellow League One side MK Dons - a club which effectively came into existence by extinguishing the life of another.

The decision by the independent commission which sanctioned the relocation remains a controversial part of English football's history.

But that does not detract from AFC Wimbledon's own story, of fans rebuilding a club from nothing - beginning with open trials for players on Wimbledon Common.

"We will start the day at Plough Lane above that other club (MK Dons) in the table," Combyne said.

"It is really confirmation that what we have done is correct - and we went about it the correct way as well.

"Everyone has worked towards this. Every time we have had a big event, like the League Two play-off final at Wembley, you have seen supporters come out in their thousands.

"You saw the flags and people talking about excitement, and what was achieved every step of the way.

"It has been such a journey, and it is not going to be replicated ever."

So what next for AFC Wimbledon, the phoenix club who have finally achieved their dual aims?

"We have fulfilled the two parts of our re-founding ambition, so it is time to draw up some new plans," Talbot said.

TAKEN FROM: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54779977

 

 

[Numero Uno]

Nice story and a really tidy little stadium with the capacity to expand. Puts one or two other League 1 clubs to shame.......

[Tipps69]

Really pleased for them, no going above their station, just wanting to get back to being their own football club in their own home.

[Prinny]

Yup, no reason for Franchise FC to exist anymore. the real club has been restored.

Make Milton Keynes start at the bottom tier and work their way up!

[bristolcitysweden]

MK Dons still hold he formal registration number of the original company though 

[Yellow&Blue&Red]

26 minutes ago, bristolcitysweden said:

MK Dons still hold he formal registration number of the original company though 

Football is about much more than just business. It's about community, shared history, memories. And it's about being proud of and connected to where you come from and where you live.

When the business got taken away from us in Wimbledon and relocated  to MK it was a sh*t end to a sh*t story of being taken completely for granted for years. But the fact that the community was resilient and established a new club, a new business that better represented us, feels amazing to me.

A series of owners got rich acting against our interests but now after years of fantastic work by a small number of individuals, we've got something that's our own. A stadium where we always said there was space for one. And a club which should be able to hold it's own in the football League for the long term.

And I think it's a good story for all real fans because it proves what we ALL hope is true - fans ARE the most important part of any club.

[Ska Junkie]

Good for them. Like most, I despised what the odious owner  (Winkleman?) did to Wimbledon and I'm genuinely chuffed to bits for the supporters, especially those that started the fledgling club some years ago.

Well done Wombles.

[Yellow&Blue&Red]

Sam

1 minute ago, Ska Junkie said:

Good for them. Like most, I despised what the odious owner  (Winkleman?) did to Wimbledon and I'm genuinely chuffed to bits for the supporters, especially those that started the fledgling club some years ago.

Well done Wombles.

Sam Hammam sold the stadium and pocketed the cash. Then sold us to a Norwegian consortium whose focus was only ever to 'sell the franchise'. Winkelman was the MK buyer who did what they'd all planned all along. 

[Jeez]

Used to go to Plough lane as a kid in the 80s & was lucky enough to experience the crazy gang era. I'm so pleased for AFC to make it back to the lane where they belong.  1st memories of live football was there on terraces behind the goal.

[Nogbad the Bad]

3 minutes ago, Red Alert said:

Used to go to Plough lane as a kid in the 80s & was lucky enough to experience the crazy gang era. I'm so pleased for AFC to make it back to the lane where they belong.  1st memories of live football was there on terraces behind the goal.

So did I, what City fan could resist travelling up to watch Errington and Nyrere Kelly in action for City in Div.4!

[Numero Uno]

9 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

So did I, what City fan could resist travelling up to watch Errington and Nyrere Kelly in action for City in Div.4!

Didn’t Errington Kelly score for us in a win against Wimbledon......back in the days when a win against anyone was a huge success for us rather than the present where anything below Championship top 6 is deemed a disaster?!!!

[Nogbad the Bad]

Just now, Numero Uno said:

Didn’t Errington Kelly score for us in a win against Wimbledon......back in the days when a win against anyone was a huge success for us rather than the present where anything below Championship top 6 is deemed a disaster?!!!

Don't think so, Errington only scored 1 goal for us and pretty sure the game I remember above was a stultifying 0-0.

Maybe it was in Div.3 thinking about it, but City already relegated iirc.

Also recall a 4-2 home win against Wimbledon early the next season ( both clubs relegated presumably) with Alan Crawford netting a couple.

[GrahamC]

19 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Didn’t Errington Kelly score for us in a win against Wimbledon......back in the days when a win against anyone was a huge success for us rather than the present where anything below Championship top 6 is deemed a disaster?!!!

Think he did, but we lost 3 or 4-1, if I recall correctly.

6 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Don't think so, Errington only scored 1 goal for us and pretty sure the game I remember above was a stultifying 0-0.

Maybe it was in Div.3 thinking about it, but City already relegated iirc.

Also recall a 4-2 home win against Wimbledon early the next season ( both clubs relegated presumably) with Alan Crawford netting a couple.

See above Noggers, pretty sure that was his only goal in red.

[Numero Uno]

9 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Don't think so, Errington only scored 1 goal for us and pretty sure the game I remember above was a stultifying 0-0.

Maybe it was in Div.3 thinking about it, but City already relegated iirc.

Also recall a 4-2 home win against Wimbledon early the next season ( both clubs relegated presumably) with Alan Crawford netting a couple.

Yeah I thought it was the 4-2er he scored in but that was about 40 years ago so memory could be hazy.

[Nogbad the Bad]

2 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Think he did, but we lost 3 or 4-1, if I recall correctly.

See above Noggers, pretty sure that was his only goal in red.

Ah, you must be thinking of the home game the same season as the away 0-0, when we lost 3-1.

Happy to take your word for it that he scored his only City goal v Wimbledon, but if it's that game you're remembering, wasn't Errington still at Rovers at that time - Jan '82?

 

[Ska Junkie]

Went up to the old Plough lane for a cup match, Andy May scored I think. There weren't many of us there I know that, I just happened to be in London that week so went.

We won 1-0 IIRC,

[GrahamC]

4 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Ah, you must be thinking of the home game the same season as the away 0-0, when we lost 3-1.

Happy to take your word for it that he scored his only City goal v Wimbledon, but if it's that game you're remembering, wasn't Errington still at Rovers at that time - Jan '82?

 

 

Definitely only went to Plough Lane once, we definitely lost & Errington Kelly scored our goal, seems likely to have been in the 82/3 season though, thinking about it.

Just checked- we lost there 2-1 in March ‘83 which would fit, though I thought we were more heavily beaten..

[Numero Uno]

Whatever our hazy memories of that time there’s one game that does stick crystal clear....

1-0 down, 2-1 up...........

and TC giving it large to the North Stand!!

[Nogbad the Bad]

 

5 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

 

Definitely only went to Plough Lane once, we definitely lost & Errington Kelly scored our goal, seems likely to have been in the 82/3 season though, thinking about it.

Just checked- we lost there 2-1 in March ‘83 which would fit, though I thought we were more heavily beaten..

It would indeed, good memory Graham - and you Ska!

 

v Bristol CityGames won:

	2
Games drawn:	2
Games lost:	3

Date	Match	Result	Score	Competition
24 Nov 1962	Bristol City v Wimbledon	L	2-1	FA Cup
02 Jan 1982	Bristol City v Wimbledon	W	1-3	League Division Three
08 May 1982	Wimbledon v Bristol City	D	0-0	League Division Three
23 Oct 1982	Bristol City v Wimbledon	L	4-2	League Division Four
05 Mar 1983	Wimbledon v Bristol City	W	2-1	League Division Four
04 Jan 1992	Bristol City v Wimbledon	D	1-1	FA Cup
14 Jan 1992	Wimbledon v Bristol City	L	0-1	FA Cup

[jrabrewer]

1 hour ago, Ska Junkie said:

Good for them. Like most, I despised what the odious owner  (Winkleman?) did to Wimbledon and I'm genuinely chuffed to bits for the supporters, especially those that started the fledgling club some years ago.

Well done Wombles.

Hmm. You should read up on their treatment of Kingstonian who were effectively left homeless thanks to AFC's dealings over Kingsmeadow and now groundshare with Corinthian Casuals. You would think a club who had been through that themselves would have had more of a conscience.

[Oh Louie louie]

When andy may scored the game was at selhurst park

Cracking goal that night.

[shepton red]

As I live in Kingston, it is sad that I won’t see the Dons fans in my local, the Bricklayers, but over the moon that they are returning to their spiritual home. Good luck, may you rekindle the spirit of Dennis Wise, vinny Jones etal. 

[pongo88]

2 hours ago, Numero Uno said:

Didn’t Errington Kelly score for us in a win against Wimbledon......back in the days when a win against anyone was a huge success for us rather than the present where anything below Championship top 6 is deemed a disaster?!!!

I can’t remember  the exact Wimbledon match but I can remembering him scoring against them as it cost me money. There was a weekly competition at work where we had to predict certain scores. If no winner the money was carried over. It had reached jackpot level when Errington scored to prevent me winning

As for the new ground, it’s £36m for 9,300 capacity. Nothing is cheap these days 

[1960maaan]

2 hours ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

So did I, what City fan could resist travelling up to watch Errington and Nyrere Kelly in action for City in Div.4!

Went there a few times, Plough lane was the last time I missed a goal by going to the toilet. Kelly got the equaliser I think, while I was away. We had just gone 1-0 down and I thought they'd scored a 2nd.

[Numero Uno]

6 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

I can’t remember  the exact Wimbledon match but I can remembering him scoring against them as it cost me money. There was a weekly competition at work where we had to predict certain scores. If no winner the money was carried over. It had reached jackpot level when Errington scored to prevent me winning

As for the new ground, it’s £36m for 9,300 capacity. Nothing is cheap these days 

Not cheap at all tbf although a fair chunk of that money would have been providing the structure that enables it to go up to 20k.

[Red-Robbo]

A return for the club I watched off-and-on when I lived in London.

Although I'd argue that the old Wimbledon Stadium site is really in Summerstown, and that's really part of Tooting - and I'll miss the greyhounds - I'm glad they're back.  

When small clubs get too big they find it hard to fight off sharks. 

I hope all the lessons of the franchise fiasco are remembered by the EFL.

[Ronnie Sinclair]

Welcome home Wimbledon FC - if only Milton Keynes would drop the 'Dons' bit now (how that was allowed to occur in the first place was a disgrace to football)

[Oh Louie louie]

Il bet there was 20 greyhound stadiums in london at one point.

Romford , crayford left which is out of london to me.

  My dads friend used to run greyhounds at eastville, they ran him at catford once, and the whole motorway after eastville,

He was running around the back of the van like crazy wondering what was going on!

Ended up coming last!

The only reason crayford and romford survive is because the bookies fund the track,

[Coppello]

I live a couple of miles from the ground so look forward to visiting when it opens to the public. @Yellow&Blue&Red, is there any room to expand the ground? I've passed the stadium a number of times recently and you wouldn't really know it's there from the road. It appears to be quite boxed in by the apartments which were built the finance build and the club has quite a big catchment area. It's a great story and I'm glad that Wimbledon are home! 

[Midlands Robin]

Reading this has put a big smile on my face. This is a lot of what football is about. The community.

Well done the Wombles.

Apart from the appalling decision to allow the MK move to happen, another thing that stuck out from that era was the line from the FA stating that a pheonix club would be "bad for football".

Tonight will be a gigantic middle finger to a lot of people who were involved in that incident.