A.F.C. Wimbledon
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| AFC Wimbledon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | AFC Wimbledon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Dons; The Wombles; The Crazy Gang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1889 (as Wimbledon Old Centrals FC) or 2002 (as AFC Wimbledon) |
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| Ground | The Fans' Stadium, Kingsmeadow, London |
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| Capacity | 4,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Erik Samuelson (acting) |
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| Manager |  Dave Anderson |
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| League | Isthmian League Premier Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wimbledon (full name AFC Wimbledon) is a semi-professional English football club, affiliated to both the London and Surrey Football Associations, representing the area of Wimbledon in South London.
The club, its supporters and football fans in general [1] regard AFC Wimbledon as the direct continuation of the now defunct Wimbledon F.C., and consider that the new MK Dons are no longer representative of the legacy and tradition of Wimbledon FC. [2]
The club spent its first two seasons in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League, but were promoted in only the second year of its existence to the Isthmian League First Division for the 2004-05 season, after winning the CCL championship with an unbeaten league season. They then proceeded to win the Isthmian League First Division at the first attempt, thereby earning automatic promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. The 2005-06 season saw the club finish fourth, thus entering the play-offs for promotion to the Conference South, however they were defeated 2-1 by Fisher Athletic.
The club currently hold the all-time English record for the most consecutive unbeaten league games by any senior football club, having achieved 78 leagues matches in a row without defeat over a period spanning three seasons.
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[edit] Foundation
The club was founded by the supporters of Wimbledon F.C. in May 2002, when the Football Association agreed to allow the owners of their club to relocate over 70 miles north to the new town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. Although Wimbledon F.C. was unable to physically move for more than a year, their traditional local support dried up almost immediately in a ground-swell of popular protest against the move.
Soon after moving, Wimbledon FC Ltd went into administration and the business was bought out by Pete Winkelman who, against the conditions of the club's move, cut all ties with the area of Wimbledon, launching a new club Milton Keynes Dons in 2004, with a new badge, name and colours, leaving AFC Wimbledon as the sole bearer of the "Wimbledon" name. By then, all organized supporters' groups that had followed the old club had long since pledged allegiance to AFC Wimbledon.
In order to assemble a competitive team at such short notice, AFC Wimbledon held player trials over three days on Wimbledon Common in June 2002, open to any unattached player who felt he was good enough to try out for the team. From these trials, the club's squad for its inaugural season was chosen.
The new team attracted an astonishingly large crowd, for a Non-league match, of 4,657 fans for its first ever game, a pre-season friendly against Sutton United on 10th July 2002.
Supporters of other clubs around the country initially boycotted matches against Milton Keynes Dons (mockingly referred to by many as "Franchise FC" [3]) in solidarity with Wimbledon's supporters, as a protest against the principle of relocation and the instant recognition of the new club in Milton Keynes by The Football League, which is perceived as completely alien to the traditions of the game in England.
[edit] Ownership and Legal Status
AFC Wimbledon PLC was placed under the ownership of The Dons Trust, a supporters' group which has pledged to retain at least 75% control of that ownership, though in 2003 they sold a minority interest in a share issue, in order to finance the purchase of Kingsmeadow Stadium, the ground they shared with Kingstonian.
The Dons Trust is an Industrial and provident society registered with the Financial Services Authority as "Wimbledon Football Club Supporters' Society Limited". This is not to be confused with Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association (WISA) although this has, as one of its stated constitutional aims, "To purchase shares in AFCW's holding company".
[edit] Ground purchase and the debt
Upon its foundation in 2002, Wimbledon entered into a ground-sharing arrangement with Kingstonian to play their home fixtures at Kingsmeadow, in neighbouring Kingston-upon-Thames.
Kingsmeadow had been the home of Kingstonian since the club moved to the ground in 1989 as part of a property deal to develop its previous Richmond Road ground however the club had hit financial difficulties following relegation from the Conference and administrators had sold the club including the lease to the stadium to business men, Anup and Rajesh Khosla. The Khoslas subsequently transferred ownership of the stadium away from the club and into subsidiary companies privately owned by the Khosla family in a move seen as an attempt at asset stripping.
It was felt that securing ownership of Kingsmeadow would safeguard the ground for the future of both clubs so in March 2003, the Dons Trust members voted to purchase part of the lease for the Kingsmeadow and in June 2003 the contract for buying the lease to the stadium was agreed with Rajesh Khosla, meaning that £3 million needed to be raised.
Various innovative methods of fundraising, primarily a share issue to supporters which quickly realised £1.2m, and the Dons Trust Bond, meant that the debt to Mr Khosla was steadily reduced. On 30th March 2006, a Dons Trust meeting was held at which the majority vote was in favour of accepting a commercial loan from Barclays Bank in order to clear the outstanding debt to Mr Khosla, which was at a much higher rate of interest. On 24th November 2006 a statement on the AFC Wimbledon website finally confirmed that the club had taken up the option on the Barclays loan, and had repaid Mr Khosla in full[4]. Although the club has now settled its debt to Mr Khosla, around £300,000 is still owed in the form of the commercial loan, with a further £300,000 to Dons' Trust Bond-holders.
The club continues to work on new ways of fundraising to clear the debt once and for all. Meanwhile, the future of the ground is secured as a home ground both for AFC Wimbledon and, equally importantly, for Kingstonian FC who lease the ground at a nominal rate, paid for in part by the proceeds of an annual pre-season friendly between the two clubs. The long term ambition for AFC Wimbledon however remains to secure a ground in Merton. Soon after the club's purchase of Kingsmeadow, then Finance Director and current Chairman, Erik Samuelson was reported as saying:
| It is difficult to find space for a ground in Wimbledon, but although Kingsmeadow is now home it doesn’t mean we will be here all our lives. But, for now, we are very happy at Kingsmeadow. | ||
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—Erik Samuelson, Finance Director, AFC Wimbledon, as reported in The Wimbledon Guardian[5] |
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[edit] On-the-pitch performance
[edit] 2002-03
In 2002-03, their first competitive season in the Combined Counties League (CCL), AFC Wimbledon started slowly but won their last 11 league games to finish the season in third place, narrowly missing promotion to the Ryman Isthmian League.
- League (Combined Counties League, Premier Division): 3rd of 24
- London Senior Cup: 3rd Round, lost to Barkingside 3-0
- Supporters Direct Cup: Won beating Enfield Town 2-1
- Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup: 2nd Round, lost to Southall 5-1
- Cherry Red Books Trophy: 2nd Round, lost to Frenford Senior 3-0
[edit] 2003-04
In 2003-04 they won their first 21 league games before a draw on 10 January 2004, giving them 32 consecutive wins in league games over two seasons. By this time, AFC Wimbledon was the only club in England at any level to maintain a perfect league record for the 2003-04 season. The Dons went on to complete an unbeaten regular season (42 wins, 4 draws, with a goal difference of +148), easily earning promotion to the Ryman Isthmian League First Division. On April 30, 2004 they completed a "double" by winning the CCL's Premier Challenge Cup.
- League (Combined Counties League, Premier Division): Champions, 1st of 24 (promoted)
- FA Vase: 4th round
- London Senior Cup: 1st Round, lost to Ilford 6-2
- Surrey Senior Cup: 3rd Round, lost to Banstead Athletic 2-1
- Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup: Winners, beating North Greenford United 4-1 at Woking
[edit] 2004-05
The 2004-05 season saw a Wimbledon side back in the Isthmian League for the first time since 1964. They won 29 games, drew ten, and lost three, and led the division all season to earn promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. Also, the Dons - in their first appearance in the FA Cup since the creation of AFC Wimbledon - reached the Third Qualifying Round, bowing out to Thurrock from Conference South (two divisions above). A 1-0 home win over Metropolitan Police on April 9, 2005 guaranteed the First Division title. They won the Surrey Senior Cup final 2-1 over league runners-up Walton & Hersham on May 3, having defeated teams from higher leagues in earlier rounds, including a reserve side from Premiership club Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals. Dons manager Dave Anderson was named Manager of the Year in the Isthmian First Division following the season.
One Wimbledon player received a unique honour in the 2004-05 season. After scoring all three of the Dons' goals with a hat-trick against Dunstable Town in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, Rob Ursell was shortlisted by the FA for The FA Cup Player of the Round Award. In an online fans' poll on the FA's official website, Ursell won that award in a landslide. Ursell and the season's other 10 winners, including Premiership stars Shay Given and Ruud van Nistelrooy, were introduced at halftime of the FA Cup final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Later in the season, Ursell also received a call up to the England national futsal team. The 2004-05 season also saw the Dons sign their first full international in the AFC era, when they acquired New Zealand international Shane Smeltz in mid-season.
The Dons set a new all-time record for longest streak of unbeaten league games at any level of senior football in the United Kingdom with their 76th, a 1-1 draw at Bromley, on November 13, 2004, and a 2-1 victory over Bashley on November 27 made it 78. Withdean 2000, 2002/2003 CCL champions, delivered AFC Wimbledon's last league defeat (on Saturday 22 February 2003) before the undefeated sequence finally ended at Cray Wanderers with a 2-0 defeat on December 4, 2004.
- League (Isthmian League, Division One): Champions, 1st of 22 (promoted)
- FA Cup: 3rd Round Qualifying, lost to Thurrock 2-0
- FA Trophy: 1st Round, lost to Hendon 3-0
- Isthmian League Cup: Quarter Final, lost to Slough Town 4-2
- London Senior Cup: 4th Round, lost to Fisher Athletic 4-0
- Surrey Senior Cup: Winners, beating Walton and Hersham 2-1 aet at Woking.
- Supporters Direct Cup: Lost to Brentford 2-0
[edit] 2005-06
The 2005-06 season proved far more competitive than previous seasons, and after winning their first few games the Dons found themselves struggling to remain in the play-off places as injuries to key players (including Ursell) kept them below full strength. However, after fluctuating form they eventually confirmed their place in the playoffs with a 1-0 win against manager Dave Anderson's former club, Hendon on April 22. However the playoffs proved a disappointment as defeat at Fisher Athletic meant there was to be no promotion this year. The Dons again reached the final of the Surrey Senior Cup, losing 1-0 to Kingstonian in a fiercely contested derby game.
- League (Isthmian League, Premier Division): 4th of 22 (lost in playoff semi-final)
- FA Cup: 2nd Round Qualifying, lost to Walton and Hersham 3-0
- FA Trophy: 1st Round, lost to St Albans City 3-2
- Isthmian League Cup: 4th Round, lost to Hendon 1-0
- London Senior Cup: 4th Round, lost to Wingate and Finchley 3-2 aet
- Surrey Senior Cup: Finalists, lost to Kingstonian 1-0 at Woking
- Supporters Direct Cup: Won, beating F.C. United of Manchester 1-0
[edit] 2006-07
Progress to date in the 2006-07 season:
- FA Cup: 4th Round Qualifying, lost to Exeter City 2-1
- Isthmian League Cup: 3rd Round, lost to Burgess Hill Town 3-2
- London Senior Cup: 4th Round, lost to Dulwich Hamlet 3-2
- Supporters Direct Cup: Lost to F.C. United of Manchester 2-1
[edit] League history
| Season | League contested | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Points | Final league position |
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| 2002-03 | Combined Counties Football League Premier Division |
46 | 36 | 3 | 7 | 125 | 46 | 111 | 3rd of 24 |
| 2003-04 | Combined Counties Football League Premier Division |
46 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 180 | 32 | 130 | 1st of 24 Promoted |
| 2004-05 | Isthmian League First Division |
42 | 29 | 10 | 3 | 91 | 33 | 97 | 1st of 22 Promoted |
| 2005-06 | Isthmian League Premier Division |
42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 67 | 36 | 77 | 4th of 22 Lost in play-off semi-final |
[edit] Attendances
| Season | League contested | Average Attendance | Final league position |
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| 2002-03 | Combined Counties Football League Premier Division |
3,003 | 3rd of 24 |
| 2003-04 | Combined Counties Football League Premier Division |
2,606 | 1st of 24 |
| 2004-05 | Isthmian League First Division |
2,907 | 1st of 22 |
| 2005-06 | Isthmian League Premier Division |
2,705 | 4th of 22 Lost in playoff semi-final |
[edit] Shirt Sponsors / Manufacturers
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
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| 2002-03 | Tempest Sports | Sports Interactive |
| 2003-04 | Tempest Sports | Sports Interactive |
| 2004-05 | Tempest Sports | Sports Interactive |
| 2005-06 | Tempest Sports | Sports Interactive |
| 2006-07 | Tempest Sports | Sports Interactive |
[edit] Youth and Women's Football
The club places great emphasis on its role as a social focus for the local community, and part of this role is to offer the chance to play football to all.
The Dons' success in 2004-05 was not limited to their senior side; many of their youth sides also had strong seasons. Both of their under-13 and under-11 sides won league championships (in different leagues); one under-13 side and both under-11 sides added their league cup for a double. One of their two under-14 sides also won a league-cup double. The Dons placed two under-15 sides in the top two positions in their league, and also saw one under-11 side lift a County Cup. Finally, one of their two under-12 sides, plus their only under-8 side, won league cups. Overall there are 19 male youth sides representing AFC Wimbledon from under 8's to under 19's, with some of the under 19's managing to play some games in the reserves, and even in the first team.
As well as the various youth teams, AFC Wimbledon also have a women's team, AFC Wimbledon Ladies who play in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division, the second highest tier of national Women's football. The women's team was formerly affiliated with Wimbledon F.C., but switched affiliation to AFC Wimbledon in the 2003 close season.
Two new junior girls sides (at under 12's and under 14's age groups) have been set up for the 2005-06 season.
This means that there are now a total of 25 teams representing Wimbledon, in a mixture of men's, women's, boys' and girls' football.
[edit] Why "AFC"?
In naming the club, the founders sought a name as close to "Wimbledon FC" as possible, but their first choice, "FC Wimbledon", was rejected by the London F.A. as being too similar for legal reasons. They then gained approval for "AFC Wimbledon", the initials A.F.C. being common in many official club names and standing for "Association Football Club".
Interestingly, in January 2005 Marc Jones - one of the founders of the club - suggested that in actual fact the initials 'AFC' meant nothing in particular... "we thought it sounded 'non-league' but it never really stood for anything." That said, an alternate meaning "A Fan's Club" has been used by some (and was first introduced by advertising agency TBWA when working on the sale of shares during the purchase of the stadium) to memorialize the intent of the Wimbledon supporters who formed the club.
In the summer of 2005, the club's founders offered their support and advice to the Manchester United fans proposal of setting up a club, in a similar manner to the Wimbledon fans, following Malcolm Glazer's purchase of the club. AFC Wimbledon and the new FC United of Manchester competed for the Supporters Direct Cup at The Fans' Stadium, Kingsmeadow on 23 July 2005, a game won 1-0 by the Dons.
[edit] Players
[edit] Current Squad
As of 4th November, 2006:
[edit] First Team
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[edit] Former Players
The Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA) was formed in 2005, as part of the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association's (WISA) campaign to reclaim the history of Wimbledon Football Club for AFC Wimbledon and the community of Wimbledon. Membership of WOPA is open to all former Wimbledon FC and AFC Wimbledon players and managers. Among the sixty founder members were John Fashanu, Dave Beasant, Efan Ekoku, Neil Sullivan, Dave Bassett, Wally Downes, Marcus Gayle, Neal Ardley, Alan Kimble, Andy Thorn, Roger Joseph, Dickie Guy, Allen Batsford, Roger Connell, Ian Cooke, Roy Law and Steve Galliers.
WOPA fielded a team in the Masters Football Tournament on Sunday 16 July, at Wembley Arena, with AFC Wimbledon's backing. [6] The team included Carlton Fairweather, Scott Fitzgerald, Marcus Gayle and Dean Holdsworth.
[edit] Honours
Since the move of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes and the clubs subsequent relaunch as Milton Keynes Dons FC, there has been much debate over the home of the honours won by Wimbledon FC. Supporters of AFC Wimbledon have argued that the honours and trophies won by Wimbledon FC rightfully belong to the community of Wimbledon and should be returned to the local area.
Currently trophies won by Wimbledon FC legally belong to MK Dons FC, however after much discussion, lead particularly by the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and involving the Football Supporters Federation (FSF), Milton Keynes Dons has agreed to return them to the people of Wimbledon. The trophies will be donated to the London Borough of Merton to be put on public display within the Borough. The trophies will be available for short term loan to AFC Wimbledon. In addition, ownership of trademarks and website domain names related to Wimbledon FC, will also be transferred to the London Borough of Merton. On receipt of the trademarks and domain names, the London Borough of Merton will immediately transfer their ownership to AFC Wimbledon.
AFC Wimbledon maintain that the honours of Wimbledon FC belong to AFC Wimbledon, as illustrated by the statement on the club's official website:
| The supporters of AFC Wimbledon believe that our club is a continuation of the spirit which formed Wimbledon Old Centrals in 1889 and kept Wimbledon Football Club alive until May 2002. We consider that a football club is not simply the legal entity which controls it, but that it is the community formed by the fans and players working towards a common goal. We therefore reproduce the honours won by what we believe was, and will always be, 'our' club, in our community. | ||
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—AFC Wimbledon, statement on club's Official Site[2] |
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Listed below are the honours of Wimbledon FC up to 2002 and the honours of AFC Wimbledon since 2002:
[edit] Pre- 2002
(Honours as Wimbledon FC)
- Football League:
- Division Three Runners-up (1): 1983-84;
- Division Four Champions (1): 1982-83;
- South Western Cup:
- Winners (1): 1900-01;
- South Western Charity Cup:
- Winners: 1930-31;
- Herald League:
- Champions (1): 1896-97;
- Herald Cup:
- Winners (1): 1900-01;
[edit] Post 2002
(Honours as AFC Wimbledon)
- Isthmian League:
- First Division Champions (1): 2004-05;
- Combined Counties League:
- Champions (1): 2003-04 (unbeaten);
- CCL Premier Challenge Cup:
- Winners (1): 2003-04;
[edit] Records
[edit] Club records
- Biggest victory: 9-0 against Chessington United (at Leatherhead) on 14 February 2004.
- Biggest Defeat: 4-0 vs. Walton & Hersham on 2 April 2005; 4-0 vs. Hampton & Richmond Borough on 1st April 2006.
- Most consecutive unbeaten league games: 78 games from 26 February 2003 to 27 November 2004 (This is the longest unbeaten sequence of league matches of any team at senior level in the UK)
- Record attendance: 4,560 at The Fans' Stadium, Kingsmeadow, 5th May 2003 versus Raynes Park Vale.
[edit] Player records
- Most Appearances: Gavin Bolger 129, between October '02 and May '05.
- Most Goals: Kevin Cooper 107 goals in 105 appearances, between August '02 and May '04.
- Most League Goals in a Season: 53 (66 in all competitive games) - Kevin Cooper 2003-04.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official sites
- AFC Wimbledon official site
- AFC Wimbledon matchday commentary
- The Dons Trust
- The Wimbledon Old Players Association
- The Fans' Stadium
- AFC Wimbledon Ladies official site
[edit] Unofficial sites
- AFC Wimbledon Messageboard
- Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association
- An unofficial AFCW fan site, "SW19's Army"
- The Big Tissue (fan site hosted by Rivals.net)
- Dons Online - video footage of every match
- An unofficial AFCW fan site, "It Must Be Dons"
- Womble Underground Press - independent fanzine
- A statistic and history site
- AFC Wimbledon Supporters Groups
- AFCDons.net - Comprehensive Stats & Quick access to all the latest team information
- US Dons - AFC Wimbledon Supporters Club of the Americas
[edit] Other Sites
- Football Club History Database - history as AFC Wimbledon
[edit] Notes
- ^ As evidenced by the long-running and highly successful boycott of MK Dons fixtures, called for by the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and endorsed by the Football Supporters Federation and observed by fans of clubs up and down the country
- ^ a b AFC Wimbledon Website, Honours
- ^ As evidenced by Lord Faulkner of Worcester's speech to the Lords of 3rd July 2002 Hansard, 3rd July 2002
- ^ Official Statement on the club debt
- ^ Taken from an article from The Wimbledon Guardian, published Monday 7th July 2003, titled Home sweet home by Mike Simmonds
- ^ Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association news item re Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA)
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AFC Wimbledon | Ashford Town | Billericay Town | Boreham Wood | Bromley | Carshalton Athletic | Chelmsford City | East Thurrock United | Folkestone Invicta | Hampton & Richmond Borough | Harrow Borough | Hendon | Heybridge Swifts | Horsham | Leyton | Margate | Ramsgate | Slough Town | Staines Town | Tonbridge Angels | Walton & Hersham | Worthing edit |
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