{"id":683,"date":"2025-04-28T12:49:30","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T11:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/?p=683"},"modified":"2025-05-27T11:14:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T10:14:46","slug":"rising-from-the-floodwaters-a-testament-to-fan-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/04\/28\/rising-from-the-floodwaters-a-testament-to-fan-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0How AFC Wimbledon rose from the floodwaters to Wembley glory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AFC Wimbledon have been promoted to League One after a playoff victory over Walsall FC but to reach Wembley, they had to overcome one of their biggest challenges of their history: a flooded stadium. This captivating tale of resilience, community, and passion highlights the unique bond between fans and their team and serves as a powerful reminder of the heart and soul that drives football beyond the pitch.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday’s 1-0 win in the League Two playoff final at Wembley sees AFC Wimbledon return to League One for the first time since 2022. Go back eight months, and this seemed a distant pipe dream, with nightmare circumstances threatening not only their next fixture but their entire season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 23 September 2024, the dedicated fanbase of AFC Wimbledon woke up on the eve of one of their biggest games in history \u2013 or so they thought. Preparations were underway for a visit from Premier League giants Newcastle United, the club with the richest owners in the Premier League. The fixture provided quite the contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fans woke up to a surreal scene, resembling an unplayable golf course rather than a football ground. Their stadium, Plough Lane, was submerged in water after relentless rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ray Armfield, a dedicated volunteer for the club, says: \u201c The immediate area had something like three and a half months of rainwater in 9 hours and the local river was full so there was nowhere for the excess water to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the old schoolboy science thing. If you drop some Mentos into a bottle of Pepsi and watch it all burst up, that\u2019s kind of what happened really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This didn\u2019t just threaten the match the next day, but the whole foundation of a club built on the fans’ passion and resilience. This disaster once again showed Wimbledon supporters’ invincible spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming something as a community is nothing new for AFC Wimbledon. They\u2019re considered the most successful fan-owned club in English football, established by supporters after Wimbledon FC relocated to Milton Keynes, leaving them without a team. Fans created The Dons Trust, which now has over 4,000 members who can vote on important club decisions for just \u00a330. Overcoming significant obstacles, the club achieved six promotions, becoming the first team created in the 21st century to return to the English Football League. Despite facing corporate challenges similar to major clubs like Manchester United, including stadium reconstruction and financial struggles during the pandemic, AFC Wimbledon persevered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Womble
Graffiti on the gates near the stadium, Photo courtesy of
Anonymous AFC Wimbledon supporter<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In these dark times for the club, the burden lies on the fans, who aren\u2019t merely rooting for their team but are actively shaping its future as stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe woke up to these photographs of the pitch and it looked like a prank because it looked so unbelievable,\u201d says Graham Stacey, who\u2019s an ex-representative on the Dons Trust Board. He describes how the flooded pitch looked \u201clike a golf course, like a bunker in the middle of our pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When pictures began to spread and national news began to cover the story, Wimbledon fans quickly realised it was no joke. After nine hours of consistent rain, 100,000 litres of water had to be pumped from Plough Lane. With the club’s limited funds, there was concern that their stadium might not be usable for the rest of the season. However, some fans could not just sit back and watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo we need to go down with a mop and bucket?\u201d Graham thought – but he decided to pursue a more simple but effective idea. He set up a \u2018Go Fund Me\u2019 page, initially feeling a bit \u2018cheeky\u2019 putting the initial goal at \u00a310,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what happened next was unprecedented: an individual donation of \u00a315,000 appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNewcastle United came up. I thought it was a joke, but \u00a315,000 – that\u2019s an expensive joke.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This donation didn\u2019t just help the cause but also garnered attention, and within a few hours, it surpassed the original goal by five times the amount. Graham had to tell the club: \u201cWe\u2019re going to need a bank account to put this in because I don\u2019t want it going in mine. My bank manager will have a fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the page reached \u00a3120,000, Wimbledon could hire specialist water trucks, it meant the three cancelled home games would be covered for the revenue they lost, could pay-out the insurance excess and much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshot of Graham’s ‘JustGiving’ Page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a sugar daddy, so when things like this happen, we have to pay for it. We are the owners, so it has to come from somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such a substantial amount of money, Wimbledon needed to trust their board to make the right decisions. With a history of making decisions as a fanbase, this didn\u2019t seem like a challenge. Ivor Heller, one of the founding four members of AFC Wimbledon, said: \u201cCollaboratively, there\u2019ve been a couple of things we\u2019ve done in the past. One of them was we had to vote to sell Kingsmeadow (Wimbledon\u2019s ground prior to Plough Lane) to be able to buy our land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo do that, we had to get 75% of our eligible fans to vote.\u201d This process includes fans volunteering to run the vote and ensuring as many members as possible can have their say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like in politics, a fan-owned club must remain democratic; therefore, a constitution is necessary. The fans created it themselves, and Ivor adds that to keep it relevant to the modern game, \u201cwe make amendments to it, and we do that formally and legally; you can\u2019t just make it up as you go along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club is extremely important to many people, including Ivor, who notes that many fans sacrifice parts of their personal lives to keep the club afloat. \u201cIt certainly cost me a business, and there are some out there who say it cost me my marriage. I don\u2019t think it did, but it probably didn\u2019t help.\u201d This candid remark highlights how much the club means to its supporters and the lengths they are willing to go to save it. The flooding incident was just another challenge in a long history of resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a fan of AFC Wimbledon is not merely a pastime; it\u2019s a lifestyle. Ray Armfield, who is in charge of the Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA), an organisation that connects players and staff of both Wimbledon FC and AFC Wimbledon, embodies this commitment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m also part of a group called WISH. We love our acronyms here: Wimbledon Sporting History. There are about 40 of us who are all volunteers.\u201d Ray expresses his love for Wimbledon through his volunteer work, claiming no expenses. He conducts stadium tours and organises events that bring together former players, driven by his passion for sharing the club\u2019s history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the greatest story in football. I know that sounds a bit cheesy and boastful, but I\u2019ve been a Wimbledon fan for 50 years, and I think I\u2019ve seen us play in 12 or 13 divisions. So, I think that\u2019s a real rollercoaster journey.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the stadium tours, Ray has set up a museum within the ground, fully aware of the corporate benefits it brings to the club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One aspect that the media may overlook is the extent of the flooding’s impact. The club shop, the museum, and club offices were all affected; it wasn\u2019t just the pitch that suffered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything in and around the ground was ankle-deep in water for several hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, if people think, \u2018Oh, you know, you patched your pitch up and everything\u2019s fine,\u2019 that\u2019s simply not the case. It\u2019s shocked us a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This flooding was yet another corporate loss that the club could ill afford. Despite the difficulties, through the fans’ efforts, the museum and stadium tours are set to be back in business, though it took several months to recover. It\u2019s individuals like Ray that ensure the club continues to look forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cOur staffing levels are quite cut to the bone already. We didn\u2019t just have a group of people waiting around for something to happen; it was a team of overworked individuals having to do even more when they didn\u2019t need to. So, yes, it did bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their unity showcases the power of the football community in overcoming adversity. From Premier League teams sending \u00a315,000 donations to 10-year-old boys contributing their pocket money, the bonds within this community are strong. AFC Wimbledon has faced many challenges over the years, but its success is due to fans coming together in times of need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graham Stacey feels fortunate that his club doesn\u2019t have self-indulgent owners. \u201cIt\u2019s like going to McDonald\u2019s and saying, \u2018I want my money back. I didn\u2019t like those chips.\u2019 You have no say. You can\u2019t dial up Ronald and ask him to leave because he\u2019s not listening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deep emotional connection this fanbase has with their club guarantees that it will not perish; not even a flood can defeat them. When Ivor started working for AFC Wimbledon, he realised: \u201cThe club is more about the fans than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFC Wimbledon\u2019s model of collective ownership and resilient attitude serves as a powerful lesson for modern-day football clubs. With limited funds, Wimbledon still manages to run a charity. Ray Armfield says, \u201cThey started with literally one table outside the supermarket collecting food, and now it\u2019s a multi-million-pound operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now set for a League One return, this club exemplifies what can be accomplished when people come together, and the club and its fan have one of the greatest love stories in sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an expression: \u2018We are Wimbledon,\u2019 that\u2019s us, the fans.\u201d \u2013 Graham Stacey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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