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» The Dons Trust |
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1st July 2003 |
On May 28th 2002, Wimbledon Football Club were granted permission
to relocate to Milton Keynes, 70 miles north of the London Borough of Merton -
Wimbledon's home, history and community. The majority of Wimbledon fans were
firmly against the idea of franchising their club and the Wimbledon Independent
Supporters' Association vowed to fight the proposal.
Within days of this announcement, Wimbledon Football Club Supporters' Society
Limited, more commonly known as "The Dons Trust" were approached by a group of
members who wished to secure the future of senior football in Merton and the
surrounding area. They proposed that a new club should be founded with the name
of "AFC Wimbledon" and that it would be controlled by The Dons Trust in order to
continue the tradition of Wimbledon Football Club, in the community from which
it originated.
Close to 1000 supporters turned out at a meeting on May 30th and voted in
favour of forming this new club to play in the Ryman League (2/3 divisions below
Nationwide 3rd Division) from the 2002/03 season.
By 13th June, the AFC launch fund with a target of £20,000 had
passed the £70,000 mark, new strips had been launched, a Director of Football
appointed and over 450 season tickets sold.
AFC Wimbledon were rejected entry to the Ryman League but were elected into
the Combined Counties League (4 divisions below Nationwide 3rd
Division).
AFCW finished season 2002/03 in 3rd position in the Combined
Counties League, narrowly missing out on promotion by 4 points. Their average
crowd was over 3,000 - higher than all but three non-league clubs and higher
than many professional clubs.
The Club recently purchased Kingsmeadow Stadium from Kingstonian FC and are
currently running a campaign called "Make a Stand" where they plan to turn
Kingsmeadow into a centre for all football fans called "The Fans' Stadium".
This is an excellent example of just how effective a Supporters' Trust can be.
Take a look at The Dons Trust,
AFC Wimbledon
and The Fans' Stadium
websites for more information.
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