guys! its all about eastleigh fc, 3 sucessive promotions in the last 3 years, now in the conferance south! soon to be the conference!!!
Although the move was and is hugely unpopular (and not just amongst Wimbledon fans) I doubt anyone's pockets got lined. I think, essentially, the FL were scared that Wimbledon would go to court (and possibly win) if the FL turned down the move. Better to make a one-off exception to policy than lose in court. I do think Milton Keynes will end up being a relatively successful lower divisiion team at some point down the road.
When l learned of this story, the only thing l want to say is---what can l say??? l mean the fact the club the supporters followed had gotten ripped from under them shows what can happen when PASSION for something means you can organize and get active!!! The fact they have performed and have created a feel good factor tells me that this side has made a statement. The highs are getting raised every day God Bless 'em in the future endeavors, Though l would like to hope they remain in Non-League as a spoiler to any bunch of pretentious Premiership, League sides. l mean that underdog sense of things going on at AFC Wimbledon just kept me smiling about football when run for the right reasons.
You know AFC Wimbledon's big problem is that they are in the wrong country. If they were in Italy they would go straight to the Premiership, a la Fiorentina's "rise" to the top after folding with financial problems!
Quite, but that is Italy and usually its influence or some other under-the-table arrangement to get somewhere, not that it was illegal or anything, but certain kinds of gestures were made on Fiorentina's behalf to get them back into the Serie A. Whereas in England, they believe in fair play. Their finances, the stadium of course, etc. qualify for their status. Just for them to officially be given a vote which is done by Football League officios etc.
Has anyone got a pic of AFC Wimbledon's new ground, is it new or have they moved into an old stadium?
They are sharing Kingsmeadow with Kingstonian at the moment. I bet if you google either AFC Wimbledon or Kingsmeadow you'll get a photo'.
I wish them all the best, all the respect for the way they reacted to the Milton Keynes joke. Big respect to the loyal fans who sticked with the teams even in the lowest divisions of the English pyramid. Good to see them get the respect from other English clubs nationwide...
Me, too. I only wish they could get the crest and colors back from MK, since they're not using it. That way, when Wimbledon returns to its heights, they can look the part and truly honor their heritage.
You would hope that it would be a reality. l have to tell you at first, l really never gave cared about Wimbledon. However, the more l read and saw what their story was, slowly l was convinced that this is the story of what football, passion for the game, and rebirth can be. Say aren't they playing in their official blue/gold trim kit??? the crest l think AFC has because MK could not take it with them by FA rules. lf lm wrong sorry, but lm sure they are at least playing in their normal colors.
Yeah, well syrup on shyte don't make 'em pancackes. AFC Wimbledon's supporters can call their team whatever they want. Franchise FC had soured their "brand" and have all to do to keep from dropping even lower. That being said, I'm waiting for the first meeting between the two clubs.
I'm pretty sure Wimbledon could call themselves "The Dons" if they wanted to. There is no trademarking of team nicknames here. It seems odd that the new club even bothered adding "Dons" to their name, as all of their support is from milton keynes and is unlikely to have the slightest attachment to the old wimbledon or that club's achievements. The old club logo would be a different story as that can be trademarked.
Current Standing as of today. http://www.afc-wombles.com/ English Football Pyramid Level League(s)/Division(s) 1 FA Premier League (Barclays Premiership) 20 clubs 2 Football League Championship (Coca-Cola Football League Championship) 24 clubs 3 Football League One (Coca-Cola Football League 1)---------This is where Milton Keynes Dons plays. 24 clubs 4 Football League Two (Coca-Cola Football League 2) 24 clubs 5 Conference National (Nationwide Conference) 22 clubs 6 Conference North (Nationwide North) 22 clubs Conference South (Nationwide South) 22 clubs 7 Northern Premier League Premier Division (UniBond League Premier Division) 22 clubs Southern League Premier Division 22 clubs Isthmian League Premier Division (Ryman Football League Premier Division) 22 clubs . . . 10 Level (Division) is where FC United is playing at. MK Dons currently standing in League One 16 Colchester 12 3 5 4 12 14 2 2 2 7 7 1 3 2 5 7 -2 14 17 Bournemouth 12 3 5 4 11 13 2 3 1 5 3 1 2 3 6 10 -2 14 18 Hartlepool 12 3 5 4 13 16 0 4 2 6 9 3 1 2 7 7 -3 14 19 Blackpool 12 3 5 4 14 19 2 1 2 6 7 1 4 2 8 12 -5 14 20 Tranmere 12 3 4 5 14 14 2 3 0 11 6 1 1 5 3 8 0 13 Relegation Zone (bottom Four) 21 Bristol City 12 3 4 5 15 21 2 4 1 10 6 1 0 4 5 15 -6 13 22 Gillingham 12 3 4 5 10 17 3 0 4 6 10 0 4 1 4 7 -7 13 23 Milton Keynes Dons 12 2 6 4 13 16 2 4 1 8 7 0 2 3 5 9 -3 12 24 Swindon 12 2 1 9 13 21 2 0 3 11 11 0 1 6 2 10 -8 7 If AFC Wimbledon wins promotions twice and MK Dons get relegate twice, they will meet in Conference National (Nationwide Conference) which is level 5 in English football pyramid.
No problem. I am only aware of AFC Wimbledon recently when the whole FC United situation seems so damn fascinating to me. I click on the 'sort by views' from the beginning in this forum and been catching up on some really good old threads. Anyway, I found this article on one of those old threads and I highly recommend everyone to read it to understand the whole history of Wimbledon FC-AFC Wimbledon-Milton Keynes Dons. I now know a lot more than before just by reading this very great article. http://football.guardian.co.uk/clubsincrisis/story/0,11737,871574,00.html
I want to expand on this after reading an article on soccernet. AFC Wimbledon bought the stadium from some businessman and are sharing it with Kingsmeadow FC.United we stand The culmination of this union is a friendly at AFC Wimbledon's own ground - purchased at a cost of almost £3million - in Kingston-upon-Thames, just two miles from the Dons' spiritual home in Plough Lane. The match on July 23rd is expected to attract a capacity crowd of 4,500 - not bad for two clubs who didn't exist four years ago. However, the cost is actually £2.5m according to AFC Wimbledon. This info is in the year 2004 so the debt number will be less today. Q2: How much do we still owe Mr Khosla? A2: We currently owe £1.075m. The price of Kingsmeadow was £2.5m, and we have made five payments to Mr Khosla towards that total. Read more about the stadium which is renamed The Fans' Stadium at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fans'_Stadium,_Kingsmeadow
Wow, talk about glossing over history... the stadium was actually the stadium of Kingstonian FC who played in the Conference until their downhill path started. Kholsa has effectively asset-stripped the club with this sale. All rather ironic given the circumstances under which AFC Wimbledon were set up. Btw, this is the reason why many non-league teams were unwilling to host FC United: they were concerned that a similar scenario would play out for them.
A friend of mine (who grew up playing soccer) had been trying a little to get me interested in the sport for years, with almost no success. I was visiting him one day, and there was a story about AFC Wimbledon on either "Futbol Mundial" or "Sky Sports News" -- I forget which. I was like, "What the hell?" He started explaining to me how Wimbledon FC was moving, and the fans, instead of pouting and whining and protesting, just basically said "Screw you! Go ahead and leave -- we'll just form our OWN team!", and even though they were playing 5 or 6 levels below the original team, AFCW were drawing 3-4000 fans a game, compared to the 500 or less that they were now getting. I thought that was the greatest thing I'd ever heard. I immediately said "Well, I've got a favorite soccer team, now", and started following their progress through their website. I've now got an AFCW jersey, scarf, ball, a few programs, three DVD's, and I forget what all else at the moment. I started going to my local team's games (the Atlanta Silverbacks -- who are team #1A ), and eventually started following other teams in other leagues all over the world, bought three more jerseys (Valencia, Hannover 96 and Chievo Verona) -- and have been to two USMNT World Cup Qualifiers. I'm going to England in April, and HOPEFULLY (crosses fingers), I'll get to attend a game at The Fan's Stadium -- and another one or two elsewhere, as well. But THAT's the MAIN one I've gotta get to, somehow. All that because I stumbled across a TV story about a bunch of fans who had so much passion about their club, that they took it upon themselves to keep it's legacy going...
It does pose the rather thorny question of what happens if/when Wimbledon want to build a new ground back in Wimbledon? If they sell up, they all but kill off Kingstonian. They could in theory let Kingstonian move in as well and share, but similar arrangements in non-league football have been a disaster, seeing crowds plunge to pitiful levels.
See the results and attendance of each game of the season Today, AFC Wimbledon won 1-0 away Current League Table Pos Club P W D L F A GD Pts 1 Hampton & Richmond 10 8 0 2 25 11 14 24 2 Fisher Athletic 10 7 2 1 24 12 12 23 3 Staines Town 10 7 1 2 17 8 9 22 4 Braintree Town 10 6 2 2 17 10 7 20 5 Worthing 10 5 4 1 18 12 6 19 6 AFC Wimbledon 11 4 6 1 18 9 9 18
Though I am not a true Wimbledon fan (a Liverpool fan can never hold in high regard the team that unceremoniously achieved one of its greatest victories at our expense), I follow the re-incarnated team with a visit to the website on a twice-weekly basis. AFC Wimbledon has an ambitious and energetic manager and they have done a good job appealing to players who want a chance to play for a "big minnow". They have gotten many guys of Conference or at least Conference (South) quality to spend time at the club due to the support of the fans and they are doing a good job paving the way for future success with their management of the wage bill and various fundraising initiatives. This season is finding them out a bit, as it is always difficult to be promoted in three successive seasons. However, a small setback when they were in the Combined Counties division (IIRC) in 2003 was overcome the next year when they were promoted to the Ryman First Division, followed by another promotion to the Ryman Premier. Dons have struggled a bit with injuries this season, as well. Perhaps a late season tear will help them draw closer to the leaders in the Isthmian/Ryman's Premier Division. I bet that they will come up just short this season and make it to the Conference (South) the following year.