Wimbledon Football Club se trasladó a Milton Keynes en septiembre de 2003, 16 meses después de recibir el permiso para hacerlo de la Football Association sobre la base de una decisión de dos a uno a favor de una comisión independiente designada por la FA. La mudanza llevó al equipo desde el sur de Londres , donde se había establecido desde su fundación en 1889, a Milton Keynes, una nueva ciudad en Buckinghamshire , a unas 56 millas (90 km) al noroeste del tradicional distrito local del club, Wimbledon . Muy controvertido, [1] [2] [3] la autorización de la medida llevó a los partidarios de Wimbledon descontentos a formar AFC Wimbledon, un nuevo club, en junio de 2002. El equipo reubicado jugó partidos en casa en Milton Keynes bajo el nombre de Wimbledon desde septiembre de 2003 hasta junio de 2004, cuando tras el final de la temporada 2003-04 cambió su nombre a Milton Keynes Dons FC (MK Dons) .
Wimbledon FC pasó la mayor parte de su historia en el fútbol fuera de la liga antes de ser elegido para la Liga de Fútbol en 1977. Una serie de propietarios de clubes creían que su potencial a largo plazo estaba limitado por su terreno local en Plow Lane , que nunca cambió significativamente desde el días fuera de la liga del equipo. Mientras tanto, la Corporación de Desarrollo de Milton Keynes imaginaba un estadio en la ciudad que albergara fútbol de primera categoría y estaba entusiasmada con la idea de que un equipo de la Liga establecido se mudara allí. El presidente de Wimbledon, Ron Noades, exploró brevemente el traslado de Wimbledon a Milton Keynes en 1979, pero decidió que no generaría multitudes más grandes. Charlton Athletic propuso brevemente una reubicación en 1973, y en la década de 1980 la Corporación de Desarrollo de Milton Keynes ofreció un nuevo terreno a Luton Town , que casi se convirtió en "MK Sombrereros".
Wimbledon ascendió a través de las divisiones profesionales de manera inusualmente rápida en lo que se ha llamado un "cuento de hadas", [4] y para fines de la década de 1980 estaba jugando en la cima del juego inglés. En 1991, después de que el Informe Taylor ordenó la remodelación de los estadios de fútbol inglés, el equipo entró en una groundshare al Crystal Palace 's Selhurst Park estadio, alrededor de 6 millas (9,7 km) al este de Plough Lane. Se suponía que esto era un arreglo temporal mientras el presidente de Wimbledon, Sam Hammam, buscaba un nuevo estadio en el suroeste de Londres, pero esta búsqueda resultó frustrantemente larga, tanto para Hammam como para los fanáticos del club. Para gran enojo de la mayoría de los seguidores de Wimbledon, Hammam propuso nuevas ubicaciones para el equipo fuera de Londres, incluida la capital irlandesa, Dublín . Vendió el club a dos empresarios noruegos, Kjell Inge Røkke y Bjørn Rune Gjelsten , en 1997 y al año siguiente vendió Plough Lane para la remodelación de un supermercado.
A partir de 1997 [5], un consorcio liderado por Pete Winkelman propuso un gran desarrollo comercial en Milton Keynes que incluía un estadio estándar de la Football League, y ofreció este sitio a Luton, Wimbledon, Barnet , Crystal Palace y Queens Park Rangers . Røkke y Gjelsten nombraron un nuevo presidente, Charles Koppel, quien anunció el 2 de agosto de 2001 que Wimbledon tenía la intención de trasladarse a Milton Keynes. Koppel dijo que, de lo contrario, el club cerraría. Después de que la Liga denegó el permiso, Koppel lanzó una apelación que condujo a una audiencia de arbitraje de la FA y, posteriormente, al nombramiento de una comisión independiente de tres hombres por la FA en mayo de 2002 para emitir un veredicto final y vinculante. La Liga y la FA manifestaron oposición pero los comisionados fallaron a favor, dos a uno. La gran mayoría de los fanáticos del equipo cambiaron su lealtad al AFC Wimbledon en protesta. [2] [3] La reubicación de Wimbledon FC se retrasó durante más de un año por la falta de un terreno interino en Milton Keynes que cumpliera con los estándares de la Liga de Fútbol. En junio de 2003, el club pasó a la administración ; El consorcio de Winkelman inyectó fondos para mantenerlo en funcionamiento y pagó la renovación del Estadio Nacional de Hockey en Milton Keynes, donde el equipo jugó su primer partido en septiembre de 2003. El Inter MK Group de Winkelman compró el club reubicado en 2004 y al mismo tiempo cambió su nombre, insignia y colores. El nuevo campo del equipo, Stadium MK , se inauguró tres años después. MK Dons inicialmente reclamó la herencia y la historia de Wimbledon FC, pero renunció oficialmente a esto en 2007. AFC Wimbledon recibió el permiso de planificación para un nuevo terreno en Plough Lane en 2015, al que finalmente se mudaron antes de la temporada 2020-21. [6]
Fondo
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , en el norte de Buckinghamshire , fue establecido por el Ministerio de Vivienda y Gobierno Local como una nueva ciudad el 23 de enero de 1967. [7] El nombre de la aldea de Milton Keynes ya presente en el sitio, se formó principalmente como un derrame de Londres acuerdo siguiendo las recomendaciones de estudios gubernamentales en 1964 y 1965 para construir "una nueva ciudad" en Buckinghamshire incorporando ciudades existentes como Bletchley , Stony Stratford y Wolverton . [8] [9] [10] Este sitio fue elegido porque era equidistante de Londres y Birmingham , cerca de las principales carreteras y ferrocarriles, y cerca del aeropuerto de Luton . [11] Alrededor de 40.000 personas vivían en el sitio de Milton Keynes antes de 1967; el gobierno estableció una población objetivo de 250.000. [12] [13]
Cuando se fundó Milton Keynes, ningún club de fútbol dentro de sus límites era profesional y ninguno jugaba en la Liga de Fútbol . Los equipos más avanzados en el sistema o "pirámide" de la liga de fútbol inglesa fueron los equipos de la Liga de los Condados Unidos Bletchley Town y Wolverton Town & BR , [n 1] [n 2] [14] [17] [21] [22] y Stony Ciudad de Stratford de la Liga de las Midlands del Sur ; [23] New Bradwell St Peter y Newport Pagnell Wanderers (Newport Pagnell Town desde 1972) se unirían a la South Midlands League en 1970 y 1972 respectivamente. [24] [25] [26] Sin embargo, la Corporación de Desarrollo de Milton Keynes , creada por el gobierno para supervisar la planificación y la construcción de la ciudad, previó un estadio en Milton Keynes capaz de albergar un equipo de fútbol de primer nivel. [27] [28]
Adhesión a la Football League; reubicación de clubes en el fútbol inglés
En el fútbol inglés, la reubicación de equipos fuera de sus distritos tradicionales es inusual debido a la naturaleza de la relación entre los clubes y sus fanáticos: el club de fútbol local es considerado por la mayoría de los fanáticos del fútbol inglés como parte de la identidad local y del tejido social en lugar de como un negocio que puede ser trasplantado por sus dueños a voluntad. Como resultado, cualquier plan de reubicación sería fuertemente rechazado por los fanáticos en el área original del club, y es poco probable que tenga éxito en la mayoría de las ubicaciones nuevas debido a la existencia de equipos establecidos en la mayoría de los pueblos y ciudades que ya habrían asegurado la lealtad de los fanáticos del fútbol local. . John Bale, resumiendo un estudio publicado en 1974, escribe que, en opinión de la mayoría de los fanáticos, " Chelsea simplemente no sería Chelsea" si ese club se mudara unas pocas millas dentro del mismo distrito a Wormwood Scrubs . [29]
La redistribución geográfica de los 92 equipos de la Liga de Fútbol fue considerada una posible eventualidad por algunos en ese momento, incluido Sir Norman Chester, quien dirigió una investigación sobre la condición del fútbol inglés en 1968. [30] Antes de la temporada 1986-1987 , los clubes podían no ser relegado de la Cuarta División de la Liga . Los cuatro últimos clubes tenían que solicitar la reelección de los otros clubes miembros al final de cada temporada, junto con cualquier equipo ajeno a la Liga que deseara ocupar su lugar, [31] pero el reemplazo de un equipo establecido de la Liga de esta manera fue bastante raro. Desde la temporada inaugural de la posguerra ( 1946–47 ) hasta 1985–86 , los clubes que ya estaban en la Liga fueron suplantados solo en seis ocasiones. [32] [n 3] "Se han desarrollado nuevas comunidades ... que carecen de clubes en la membresía de la Liga", informó Chester, en 1968. "Las fusiones de clubes antiguos proporcionarían vacantes para que nuevos clubes ingresen a la Liga". [30] La fusión de clubes de fútbol en Inglaterra ha sido descrita como un "anatema" para los fanáticos. [33] [34] Moore concluyó que "los clubes fusionados pierden seguidores además de ganarlos. Si se formaran hace mucho tiempo," Bristol United "probablemente habría obtenido mejores resultados que los [clubes de Bristol] City o Rovers de forma independiente, pero también hay mucha historia y animosidad para fusionarse ahora ". [33] " Alternativamente ", Chester también agregó," el movimiento de clubes establecidos a nuevas comunidades podría proporcionar una forma de salvar clubes antiguos y al mismo tiempo llevar el fútbol de la Liga a nuevos y áreas de cultivo. "Ajustándose estrechamente a esta descripción, Milton Keynes proporcionó un escenario claro para tal experimento. [30]
Al final de la temporada 1978-79 , 20 clubes líderes fuera de la Liga dejaron la Southern League y la Northern Premier League para formar la Alliance Premier League . [n 4] Esta división nacional que no pertenece a la liga comenzó en la temporada 1979–80 ; se llamó la Conferencia de Fútbol de 1986 a 2015, cuando se convirtió en la Liga Nacional. [35] Desde la temporada 1986-87, los campeones de esta liga han recibido el ascenso a la Football League, y el último club de la liga ha sido relegado a cambio. Esto se amplió a los campeones de la Conferencia y los ganadores de un desempate de ascenso antes de la temporada 2002-03 , con los dos peores clubes de la Liga de Fútbol descendiendo. [36] Por lo tanto, la situación de la "tienda cerrada" de la Football League, que durante casi un siglo impidió la adhesión a la mayoría de los clubes que no pertenecían a la Liga, ya no existe. [31] Cualquier club en la pirámide del fútbol inglés (que también incluye algunos clubes de Gales [n 5] ) puede potencialmente ganar suficientes ascensos para llegar a la Football League o la Premier League , la primera división separada formada en 1992. [37] [ n 6]
Precursores del fútbol escocés e inglés
Según la declaración de la Football League a la comisión independiente sobre Wimbledon FC en mayo de 2002, la Liga inglesa "había permitido traslados temporales por buenas razones fuera de las ' conurbaciones ' con respecto a ciertos clubes a los que se pretendía que el club volvería, pero ha habido ninguna ocasión anterior en la que la Liga de Fútbol hubiera concedido permiso a un club para trasladarse definitivamente a un campo fuera de su 'aglomeración' ”. [39] Los clubes en las filas profesionales inglesas que se han trasladado a otros lugares dentro de sus conurbaciones tradicionales incluyen Manchester United y Woolwich Arsenal , que se movieron 5 millas (8 km) y 10 millas (16 km) respectivamente en 1910 y 1913. [n 7 ] South Shields de la Tercera División Norte se trasladó a 8 millas (13 km) al oeste de Gateshead en 1930 y se renombró como Gateshead AFC . [42] La comisión informó que no había un precedente de la Liga de Fútbol para un movimiento entre conurbaciones, pero enfatizó que había un precedente directo para tal movimiento en Escocia. [39]
La promoción y el descenso dentro y fuera de la Scottish Professional Football League no se introdujeron hasta la reorganización del sistema de la liga en 2014; [43] hasta entonces era casi imposible que se unieran equipos ajenos a la Liga. [44] Por lo tanto, la membresía de la Liga Escocesa permaneció en gran parte restringida a ciudades bien establecidas en contraposición a ciudades nuevas. Dos equipos de la Liga Escocesa dejaron sus distritos metropolitanos para dirigirse a nuevas ciudades durante la década de 1990. El club de tercer vuelo Clyde se mudó del estadio Shawfield (cerca de Rutherglen en el sureste de Glasgow ) a la nueva ciudad de Cumbernauld , a unas 16 millas (26 km) al noreste, en 1994, [45] y un año más tarde, Meadowbank Thistle , un club de Edimburgo con dificultades en el cuarto nivel , se mudó en medio de las protestas de los fanáticos a unas 20 millas (32 km) al oeste de otra ciudad nueva, Livingston . [46] Clyde mantuvo su nombre original, [45] mientras que Meadowbank se rebautizó como Livingston Football Club . [46]
En el fútbol inglés que no pertenece a la liga, los eventos que rodean al Enfield FC se han descrito últimamente como un reflejo de lo que iba a ocurrir en Wimbledon. [47] [48] El dueño de Enfield, Tony Lazarou, vendió el terreno del club en Southbury Road en 1999 y arregló varios terrenos compartidos a corto plazo antes de reubicar Enfield a 10 millas (16 km) al oeste en Borehamwood , temporalmente, dijo, mientras buscaba un nuevo estadio en Enfield. Dos años más tarde, después de que no se había identificado ningún sitio y se había desarrollado una disputa con respecto a una cuenta de depósito en garantía , el Enfield Supporters 'Trust resolvió en junio de 2001 que Lazarou no tenía la voluntad suficiente para traer el club de regreso a Enfield y, por lo tanto, fundó un nuevo equipo, Enfield Town. , que se basó localmente y ganó el apoyo de gran parte de la base de fans original de Enfield. [49] En un caso similar en 2012, la confianza de los partidarios afiliada a Northwich Victoria se separó para formar 1874 Northwich . [50] En cada uno de estos casos, Stephen Mumford comenta en su trabajo de 2013 Watching Sport: Aesthetics, Ethics and Emotion , "los seguidores han agonizado sobre dónde radica su lealtad". [47]
Propuestas tempranas de reubicación de Milton Keynes
Charlton Athletic (1973)
El Charlton Athletic del sureste de Londres se vinculó con un traslado a "un distrito progresivo de Midlands " en 1973, [51] un año después del descenso del Charlton al tercer nivel. [52] La familia Gliksten, propietaria de Charlton desde 1932 hasta 1982 y tenía un historial de proponer esquemas elaborados para el club, [53] [n 8] reveló planes para construir un complejo deportivo comunitario en The Valley y celebrar un público mercado en el suelo de lunes a viernes. El Consejo de Greenwich se negó a otorgar licencias al mercado e insistió en que el complejo se construyera en un espacio público en un parque local. El club reaccionó anunciando el traslado propuesto a los Midlands. [51] Los fanáticos inundaron los medios de comunicación locales y las oficinas del club con una fuerte opinión en contra de una medida, lo que llevó a Charlton a imprimir una declaración en el programa de la jornada del 14 de abril de 1973 diciéndoles a los fanáticos que la medida propuesta se debía a la actitud del consejo con respecto al mercado y planes complejos. que, según el equipo, amenazaba su futuro. "Ustedes, los aficionados, pueden asegurarse de que el club continúe en Charlton protestando tan fuerte como puedan ante el Consejo de Greenwich por su negativa a otorgarnos permiso para nuestros planes", explicaba el mensaje. [55] No se produjo ninguna reubicación permanente, [52] pero la capacidad del Valle se redujo repetidamente en los años siguientes: a 20.000 en 1975 ya 13.000 en 1981. [56]
Charlton se quedó sin hogar en septiembre de 1985 cuando comenzaron a compartir terreno con Crystal Palace en Selhurst Park . [57] Maguire afirma que el Consejo de Greenwich y algunas facciones del club deseaban que Charlton se mudara a 2 millas y media del valle a la península de Blackwall , aunque esto era impopular ya que esa zona está "más cerca del territorio de Millwall " y también concluye que "esto podría decirse que han obstaculizado el crecimiento futuro del club ". [56] Después de que los partidarios presentaran candidatos en las elecciones locales de 1990 como el Partido del Valle, obteniendo una participación del 10,9% [56] (14.838 votos) [57] se aprobó una devolución el 2 de abril de 1991. [57] En agosto de 1991 se mudaron con West Ham United en el Boleyn Ground , más conocido por su distrito epónimo Upton Park . [57] Finalmente, el 5 de diciembre de 1992, Charlton tuvo su primer partido en el Valle, una victoria por 1-0 sobre Portsmouth . [56]
Wimbledon (1979)
El club Wimbledon del suroeste de Londres, tradicionalmente un equipo semiprofesional no perteneciente a la Liga, ganó tres campeonatos consecutivos de la Liga Sur entre 1975 y 1977 y, a continuación, fue elegido miembro de la Liga de Fútbol. [32] [n 3] Apodados "los Dons", [n 9] procedieron a desempeñarse con fuerza en el fútbol totalmente profesional, ganando el ascenso a la Primera División de la entonces máxima categoría para la temporada 1986-87. [62] El rápido "cuento de hadas" del club surgió de la oscuridad a través de la pirámide del fútbol inglés hizo que alcanzara un nivel de prominencia muy por encima de lo sugerido por su modesto estadio en Plough Lane , que se mantuvo prácticamente sin cambios desde los días fuera de la Liga del club. [4] El récord de asistencia de Wimbledon en Plough Lane —18.000, establecido "en la década de 1930 contra un equipo de marineros del HMS Victory " [63] - nunca se rompió durante 14 temporadas de la Liga en tierra, incluidas cinco en la máxima categoría. [63]
Ron Noades , que compró el club por £ 2,782 en 1976, [64] llegó a ver Plough Lane como una limitación potencial en 1979. Supuso que solo podría atraer a un número relativamente pequeño de fanáticos debido a su ubicación, cerca de grandes áreas. de zonas verdes escasamente pobladas. [65] El interés de Noades fue despertado por el sitio que la Corporación de Desarrollo de Milton Keynes había destinado a un estadio al lado de la estación central de trenes de la ciudad, que aún está en construcción . [65] "Estaban muy interesados en conseguir un club de la Liga de Fútbol Americano, efectivamente una franquicia si se quiere, en Milton Keynes para ocupar ese sitio", dijo Noades en una entrevista en 2001. [65] Planeando trasladar Wimbledon allí mediante la fusión con un club establecido de Milton Keynes, Noades compró el club Milton Keynes City (MK City; antes Bletchley Town ) [n 1] por £ 1. Él y otros tres directores de Wimbledon, Jimmy Rose, Bernie Coleman y Sam Hammam, fueron elegidos de inmediato para formar parte de la junta de MK City "en calidad de asesores". [66] Esta fue una inversión personal separada de los cuatro directores, dijo Noades en ese momento, y no fue relevante para una movida, aunque también habló extensamente sobre la promesa superior a largo plazo de la ubicación de Milton Keynes. [66]
A pesar de su optimismo inicial, Noades pronto llegó a la conclusión de que un club de la Liga en Milton Keynes no atraería multitudes mucho más que las que Wimbledon ya atraía en el sur de Londres. "Realmente no podía vernos obteniendo puertas más grandes que las que Northampton Town tenía actualmente en ese momento, y, de hecho, todavía las están obteniendo", recordó en 2001. "Realmente no podía ver ningún futuro en eso". En realidad, no veo que exista una forma de atraer una gran asistencia a Milton Keynes ". [65] Abandonando su interés en MK City, [65] [66] Noades vendió Wimbledon a Hammam en 1981 por £ 40,000. [67] Más tarde ese año, Noades compró el cercano Crystal Palace y exploró brevemente la fusión de ese club con Wimbledon. [64] [68]
Luton Town: "MK Hatters" (década de 1980)
Luton Town , con sede a 20 millas (32 km) de Milton Keynes en Luton y apodado "los Sombrereros", también buscaba un nuevo sitio en este momento. Ya en 1960, la asistencia de la entonces Primera División de Luton había sido considerada demasiado baja para la máxima categoría por el Football Monthly de Charles Buchan , que también consideraba que su terreno en Kenilworth Road , en el centro de la ciudad, era de difícil acceso. [69] En ese momento, el club ya estaba planeando un terreno con capacidad para 50.000 personas cerca de Dunstable , al noroeste de Luton, [69] pero no se materializó ningún terreno nuevo. Luton descendió en 1960 y, aparte de la temporada 1974-75 , permaneció fuera de la división superior hasta 1982-83 . [70]
Con el equipo todavía basado en el "estrecho e inadecuado" Kenilworth Road en 1983, [71] la construcción de un nuevo camino al lado del suelo aumentó la necesidad de un reemplazo. La Corporación de Desarrollo de Milton Keynes se acercó a Luton proponiendo un nuevo estadio para todos los asientos en el centro de Milton Keynes , con capacidad para 18.000 o 20.000 espectadores, como parte de un desarrollo de ocio y venta al por menor. [72] Los propietarios de Luton se mostraron receptivos a la idea; Según The Luton News , los "MK Hatters" reubicados jugarían partidos en casa en un "super-estadio". [69] Según los informes, este terreno tendría un terreno de juego y un techo artificiales ; El Ayuntamiento de Milton Keynes invertiría mucho en su construcción. [71] El presidente de Luton, Denis Mortimer, supuso que si el equipo se mudaba, no solo obtendría nuevos fanáticos del área de Milton Keynes, sino que también retendría la base de fanáticos de Luton existente. [71] Dijo que el club era económicamente insostenible en Kenilworth Road y que iría a la quiebra si no se movía. [71] La idea de Milton Keynes fue muy mal recibida por los fanáticos de Luton y vista, en palabras de Bale, como "arrancar al club de sus seguidores más leales". [29] Los fanáticos de Luton realizaron marchas de protesta y mítines durante la temporada 1983-84 , [73] y alquilaron un avión para volar sobre Kenilworth Road durante un partido con una pancarta que decía "Keep Luton Town FC en Luton". [71] Unos 18.000 residentes de Luton firmaron una petición contra la salida del club. [71] Un consorcio de empresarios locales intentó persuadir a Vauxhall Motors , la marca británica con sede en Luton de General Motors , para que invirtiera en el club y ayudara con un nuevo estadio en Luton. [71] En Milton Keynes, algunos residentes expresaron temores de que la llegada de Luton al centro de Milton Keynes pudiera traer consigo el vandalismo del fútbol y amenazar las comodidades locales. [74] Algunos seguidores de Luton boicotearon el primer partido en casa del club de la temporada 1984-85 en protesta contra los planes de Milton Keynes. [73] La gran impopularidad del movimiento propuesto y la oposición constantemente vehemente del apoyo local de Luton se combinaron para evitar que ocurriera. [69] [75] "Los directores quieren nuestro apoyo y nuestro dinero", dijo Tom Hunt, miembro de un grupo de acción de aficionados de Luton contra la medida, "pero ignoran las opiniones de una comunidad que quiere mantener su club de fútbol . ¿Por qué los aficionados deberían pagar en los torniquetes para ayudar al club en los negocios para que nos lo puedan quitar? " [73]
Wimbledon deja Plough Lane
Informe Taylor
El éxito de Wimbledon como club en la máxima categoría del fútbol inglés se basó en una gestión financiera poco ortodoxa y tratos juiciosos en el mercado de fichajes , con muchos jugadores vendidos por tarifas que van desde seis cifras hasta £ 2 millones o más entre 1987 y 1992. [2 ] Los rumores de una mudanza o una fusión con otro equipo de Londres persistieron, lo que llevó al director ejecutivo del club, Colin Hutchinson, a renunciar en 1987 en medio de conversaciones sobre una fusión con el nuevo club Crystal Palace de Ron Noades o un terreno compartido en el terreno de Queens Park Rangers en Loftus Road en Shepherd's. Bush . [76] [n 10] Más tarde se supo que Charlton Athletic, que había sido los inquilinos del Palace desde 1985 hasta 1991, [79] también estaba incluido en el trato, para crear potencialmente un "superclub del sur de Londres". [34] Wimbledon recibió permiso de planificación para construir un terreno de 20.000 asientos en su ciudad natal de Merton en 1988, poco después de ganar la Copa FA , pero el sitio fue convertido en un estacionamiento por un consejo laborista recién elegido en 1990 El deseo de Wimbledon de mudarse se convirtió en una necesidad en enero de 1990, cuando se publicó el Informe Taylor , que ordenó la remodelación extensa de los campos de fútbol: Plough Lane no era adecuado para la remodelación como un estadio sostenible para todos los asientos de primera categoría. [4]
Cuando Hammam compró el club a Noades en 1981, Wimbledon también era dueño del terreno de Plough Lane; sin embargo, existía una cláusula de tanteo que reservaba el sitio para "fines deportivos, de ocio o recreativos" únicamente. Si alguna vez se liquidaba el Wimbledon Football Club, los propietarios de Plough Lane estaban legalmente obligados a vender el estadio al Merton Council por £ 8,000, independientemente de la inflación . [68] Esta cláusula redujo la posibilidad de que el club perdiera su estadio local, pero fue impopular con una sucesión de propietarios de Wimbledon, ya que hizo que el sitio prácticamente no tuviera valor como propiedad inmobiliaria. Hammam se quejó de que esto limitaba su capacidad para pedir prestado el dinero necesario para reconstruir el terreno. [68] Buscando aumentar el valor comercial de Plough Lane, Hammam entró en negociaciones con el consejo para eliminar la cláusula en 1990; el precio eventual acordado para la revocación de la cláusula fue una suma de entre 300 000 y 800 000 libras esterlinas. [68] Al menos un director del club de Wimbledon renunció a su cargo en protesta. [68]
Incluso con esta cláusula eliminada, el equipo no pudo permitirse el lujo de volver a desarrollar Plough Lane cuando se le solicitó hacerlo el año siguiente. Wimbledon se trasladó unas 6 millas (9,7 km) a través del sur de Londres antes del inicio de la temporada 1991-1992 para compartir el terreno de Selhurst Park de Crystal Palace. Se suponía que esto era un arreglo temporal mientras Wimbledon arreglaba la construcción de su propio terreno nuevo en un área más local, pero el movimiento aún era impopular entre los fanáticos, y el arreglo finalmente duraría más de una década y, en última instancia, tendría un efecto muy importante. Un resultado diferente al que se esperaba ampliamente en 1991. [4] Los críticos alegaron que estaba motivado, al menos en parte, por consideraciones financieras, en particular por las ganancias que podrían obtenerse vendiendo el terreno antiguo. [2] [80] Los respectivos equipos de reserva de Wimbledon y Crystal Palace compartieron terreno en Plough Lane después de que se fuera el primer equipo de Wimbledon. [81]
Wimbledon en Selhurst Park; Propuesta de Dublín
El Ayuntamiento de Merton había estado recomendando que Wimbledon se mudara a un sitio en las cercanías de Beddington , pero esta propuesta fracasó poco después del traslado a Selhurst Park. [4] Con la inflación en los costos provocada por la fundación de la FA Premier League en 1992, el club pronto comenzó a perder mucho dinero. [2] Los rumores de que el terreno compartido eventualmente resultaría en la fusión de Dons y Eagles llevaron a Hammam a decir "Prefiero morir y que los buitres se coman mis entrañas que fusionarme con Crystal Palace". [82] En 1992, la Greyhound Racing Association se ofreció a remodelar el estadio de Wimbledon (a menos de una milla de Plough Lane) en un campo de fútbol y carreras de perros con capacidad para 15.000 asientos . [4] Hammam se indignó dos años después cuando el consejo, intentando retener el sitio de Plough Lane para uso público, [4] se negó a sancionar su venta para la remodelación de un supermercado que Hammam dijo que financiaría un nuevo terreno en el sitio de carreras de perros. [83] Hammam declaró enojado que buscaría en otra parte, [4] y amenazó con cambiar el nombre del club y quitar el dispositivo de águila bicéfala , un símbolo de Wimbledon Borough , de la insignia del equipo. [83] "Nos han traicionado", dijo a la prensa. "El consejo dice que quieren que volvamos, pero cuando se trata de tomar medidas, no quieren saberlo". [83]
Hammam afirmó más tarde haber examinado todos los estadios posibles en Merton. Inicialmente trató de trasladarse al sur de Londres, examinando "siete distritos", incluidos Tolworth y Brixton . [84] También comenzó a considerar vender el club. En 1994, el entrenador irlandés de Wimbledon, Joe Kinnear, se puso en contacto con el experto en fútbol y exjugador Eamon Dunphy para informarle de esto y plantearle la idea de trasladar el club a Dublín . Dunphy estaba entusiasmado con la idea y se convirtió en su principal proponente en Irlanda durante los siguientes tres años. Se sugirió que los aficionados de Wimbledon de Londres podrían recibir vuelos gratis a Dublín para los partidos en casa, [85] y que British Sky Broadcasting podría pagar para llevar a los equipos rivales allí durante la primera temporada. [86]
Las encuestas de opinión en la República mostraron un alto apoyo constante a la idea de que Wimbledon albergue partidos de la Premier League en Dublín, [85] [87] pero la Liga de Irlanda argumentó que esto pondría en peligro su existencia, y en septiembre de 1996 unos 300 aficionados se reunieron en Dublín. bajo el lema "Resist the Dublin Dons". [85] Veinte clubes irlandeses "reafirmaron su oposición" a que Wimbledon jugara en Dublín el mes siguiente; [88] una semana después, Reuters calificó la propuesta de "muerta y enterrada". [63] Cuando Hammam solicitó conversaciones con los altos mandos de la Asociación de Fútbol de Irlanda (FAI) en abril de 1997, se negaron incluso a reunirse con él. [89] Surgió la oposición vocal de los fanáticos de Wimbledon, después de un partido amistoso en agosto de 1997, los fanáticos que sostenían carteles "Dublin = Death" y "Dons Belong in Merton" se negaron a abandonar el estadio durante dos horas. Poco después, Hammam se reunió con seis de los principales manifestantes, quienes le dijeron que, en caso de un movimiento, comenzarían un nuevo club local fuera de la Liga. [85]
Jugando lejos de Merton en una casa supuestamente temporal, Wimbledon estableció un récord para la asistencia más baja en la primera división inglesa el 22 de agosto de 1992 con 3.759 viendo el choque con Coventry City , [90] antes de romperlo dos veces más: 12 de diciembre de 1992 contra Oldham Athletic con 3.386, [90] y finalmente el 26 de enero de 1993, atrayendo sólo a 3.039 aficionados a un partido del martes por la noche contra el Everton , [91] [92] con 1.500 según se informa viajando desde Liverpool . [93] Las diez asistencias más bajas de la Premier League fueron partidos en casa de Wimbledon en las temporadas 1992–93 y 1993–94 . [90] Sin embargo, la tendencia general fue de un fuerte aumento: la asistencia promedio del club en casa aumentó más del doble en Selhurst Park de alrededor de 8,000 durante los últimos años en Plough Lane a un pico de más de 18,000 durante la temporada 1998-99 de la Premier League. [94] Los aficionados de Wimbledon eran una mezcla entre los locales que habían apoyado al club desde sus días fuera de la Liga y los seguidores que habían desertado de otros equipos de Londres. [95] Según estadísticas compiladas en 2000, el 56% de los poseedores de boletos de temporada de Wimbledon nacieron localmente (el segundo más bajo en la Premier League), y solo el 12% tenía padres que eran fanáticos de Wimbledon. [95] Muchos asistieron a los partidos de Wimbledon porque era más barato y seguro que otros clubes de la capital: Wimbledon tenía más mujeres y niños en sus juegos que cualquier otro club de primera categoría. [95] En 2000, el 23% de los poseedores de boletos de temporada de Wimbledon ganaban más de 50.000 libras esterlinas al año, la segunda cifra más alta en la división después de Chelsea (33%). [95]
Hammam vendió Wimbledon a dos empresarios noruegos, Kjell Inge Røkke y Bjørn Rune Gjelsten , por 26 millones de libras en junio de 1997, mientras permanecía en el club como asesor. [96] En diciembre de ese año, se informó que Wimbledon estaba considerando nuevamente la opción de fútbol y galgos. [97] La propiedad de Plough Lane se transfirió del club a Rudgwick Limited, una empresa fundada en 1993 con Hammam como director. [67] Habiendo cambiado el control político del Consejo de Merton, Hammam aseguró la venta de Plough Lane por £ 8 millones a los supermercados Safeway en 1998. [68] Intentó sin éxito obtener permiso para reconstruir una antigua fábrica de gas en Merton durante el mismo año. [68] y poco después entró en negociaciones fallidas sobre un sitio en Beddington. [68]
Frustrado por la falta de progreso, Hammam cambió su enfoque a Dublín y otros lugares fuera de Londres: Basingstoke , " Gatwick ", Belfast , Cardiff , Manchester , Wigan , Bristol y Escocia. [2] [4] [78] [84] [98] [99] Más tarde afirmó que durante este tiempo siete clubes de fuera de Londres se acercaron a Wimbledon con ofertas de suelo compartido. [84] [n 11] Una oposición similar a la que emana de la jerarquía del fútbol irlandés siguió después de que Kinnear hablara de la propuesta de Cardiff: la Asociación de Fútbol de Gales declaró que "se opondrán al plan incluso si significa que el fútbol de la Premiership llega a Cardiff". [100] En febrero de 1998, Clydebank del tercer nivel escocés también estaba intentando mudarse a la capital irlandesa. [85] [101] Influidos por la oferta de Hammam de £ 500,000 a cada club de la Liga de Irlanda, la misma cantidad a la FAI y "escuelas de excelencia en todo el país" a cambio de apoyo, cinco equipos irlandeses respaldaron la propuesta de Wimbledon en Dublín. [101] Más tarde ese año, después de que la Premier League aprobó la idea, el largo y acalorado debate en Irlanda terminó con un veto de la FAI. [68] [84] [102] [103] [104] Ahora que Dublín no es una opción, y Escocia igualmente prohibida, [82] Hammam intentó comprar Selhurst Park a Noades, que había vendido Crystal Palace en 1998, pero aún poseía el terreno. Esto no condujo a ninguna parte. [64] Hammam finalmente vendió sus acciones en Wimbledon en febrero de 2000, [105] y siete meses después se convirtió en el propietario de Cardiff City . [106] Wimbledon fue relegado de la Premier League al final de la temporada 1999-2000 . [62] La asistencia promedio a los partidos en casa de Wimbledon se redujo en más de la mitad durante el próximo año, de 17.157 durante la temporada 1999-2000 a 7.897 durante 2000-01 . [107]
Consorcio del estadio de Milton Keynes
Antecedentes y motivaciones
El consorcio del estadio de Milton Keynes o "Stadium MK", dirigido por Pete Winkelman y su empresa Inter MK Group, se formó en 2000. [68] [108] Proponía un gran desarrollo en el distrito sur de Milton Keynes en Denbigh North , incluido un Estadio de fútbol con capacidad para 30.000 personas, un hipermercado Asda de 13.935 m 2 (150.000 pies cuadrados ) , una tienda IKEA , un hotel, un centro de conferencias y un parque comercial . [109] [110] [111] [112] El plan para construir un terreno de este tamaño se complicó por el hecho de que no había ningún club de fútbol profesional en Milton Keynes y que el equipo mejor clasificado de la ciudad, (otro) Milton Keynes City [n 1] —con sede en Wolverton en el norte de Milton Keynes, y antes conocido como Mercedes-Benz FC— jugó en la entonces octava división Spartan South Midlands League , cuatro divisiones por debajo de la Football League. [14] Los desarrolladores no podían justificar la construcción de un estadio de este tipo para un club de esta pequeña estatura. [110] [113] En lugar de esperar a que MK City u otro equipo local avanzara a través de la pirámide, Winkelman resolvió "importar" un club de la Liga establecido para usar el terreno. [110] [113] [114]
Winkelman, un ex ejecutivo de CBS Records y promotor musical, se había mudado a la zona de Milton Keynes desde Londres en 1993. [115] Atestiguaba una gran base de fanáticos sin explotar del fútbol en Milton Keynes: un "frenesí futbolístico esperando suceder", dijo. dicho. [116] Los críticos de esta afirmación señalaron la aparente falta de interés público en la ciudad de Milton Keynes y los otros clubes locales que no pertenecen a la Liga, [108] [116] y argumentaron que los residentes de Milton Keynes interesados específicamente en la liga de fútbol ya tenían amplio acceso a Luton, Northampton y Rushden & Diamonds, todos en un radio de 40 km. [108] Winkelman fue la única persona en Milton Keynes asociada públicamente con el proyecto; [109] sus partidarios financieros, que luego se reveló que eran Asda (una subsidiaria de Walmart ) e IKEA, [110] [114] se mantuvieron estrictamente anónimos. [109] Según un informe de investigación de Ian Pollock, publicado en When Saturday Comes en julio de 2002, ni la oficina de prensa del Consejo de Milton Keynes, ni el editor del periódico Milton Keynes Citizen ni el director de Invest in MK, la agencia del consejo que fomenta las empresas para trasladarse a la zona, podría decirle quién estaba respaldando los planes. Winkelman le dijo a Pollock que sus partidarios eran "importantes empresarios de MK y algunos desarrolladores. Una serie de importantes socios internacionales que han hecho este tipo de cosas antes". [109]
Quienes se oponen a tal medida supusieron que el estadio era un " Caballo de Troya " incluido en el plan para eludir las reglas de planificación, y que aunque el consorcio describió el desarrollo más grande como permitiendo la construcción del estadio, sucedió lo contrario: el consorcio de Winkelman, afirmaron, tenían que tener un equipo profesional en el lugar de inmediato para justificar el terreno para que el desarrollo pudiera obtener el permiso de planificación. [110] [113] [114] [117] David Conn de The Guardian corroboró esta evaluación. "De hecho, todo el proyecto dependía de Asda e IKEA", resumió Conn en un artículo de 2012, después de entrevistar a Winkelman. "Habiendo visto la oportunidad de construir un estadio que le faltaba a Milton Keynes, y se dio cuenta de que Asda no tenía una tienda en la ciudad, Winkelman adquirió opciones para comprar el terreno a sus tres propietarios, incluido el ayuntamiento. Asda no habría obtenido el permiso de planificación para un gran supertienda fuera de la ciudad a menos que le diera al ayuntamiento el beneficio de construir el estadio. [Un club de la Liga] ascendería, se otorgaría el permiso, luego [Winkelman] ejercería la opción de comprar todo el terreno, venderlo a Asda e IKEA por mucho más, y la diferencia se utilizaría para construir el estadio ". [114] Conn describió retrospectivamente esto como un "trato de por vida". [114]
Charlas con Luton, Wimbledon, Barnet, Crystal Palace y QPR
El primer club al que se acercó fue Luton Town, todavía con sede en Kenilworth Road, en 2000. [69] [118] Como en la década de 1980, a los propietarios de Luton les gustó la idea de Milton Keynes, pero los fanáticos se opusieron fuertemente. La Football League declaró que ningún club miembro podía salir de su propia área y bloqueó el movimiento. [69] [119] Sin embargo, Winkelman intentó negociar un movimiento con dos clubes de la Liga de Londres durante los meses siguientes; se acercó a Crystal Palace y Barnet , pero ninguno estaba interesado. [69] [99] Winkelman luego ofreció el terreno a Wimbledon. [68] En junio de 2000 registró varios nombres de dominio de Internet con variantes de "Milton Keynes Dons" y "MK Dons". [120] [n 12] Wimbledon inicialmente rechazó la idea de Milton Keynes. [68]
Røkke y Gjelsten nombraron un nuevo presidente del club, Charles Koppel, en enero de 2001. [122] Según Stephen Morrow en The People's Game ?: Football, Finance and Society (2003), Koppel nunca había estado en un partido de fútbol antes de involucrarse con Wimbledon ya "daba la impresión de desconocer por completo la relación que existe entre un club de fútbol y sus seguidores". [123] Estaba interesado en un "desarrollo habilitador" mediante el cual se pudiera crear y financiar un estadio como parte de una oportunidad de negocios o de ocio [123], exactamente el tipo de propuesta presentada por Winkelman. [124]
Hacia el final de la temporada 2000-01, Wimbledon y Queens Park Rangers, que estaban en la administración financiera , entablaron conversaciones sobre una fusión; el nuevo equipo jugaría en Loftus Road. [125] La Football League anunció el 2 de mayo de 2001 que daría "consideración favorable" a la adquisición de QPR por Wimbledon, pero que el proceso tendría que ser muy rápido para que el equipo fusionado participara en la temporada 2001-02. . Noades, ahora el propietario de Brentford, que estaba interesado en mudarse de Griffin Park , ya sea para compartir terreno en Loftus Road [77] o para mudarse a Woking , [126], dijo que Wimbledon tendría que darle 12 con meses de antelación para salir de Selhurst Park. La mayoría de los fanáticos de Wimbledon y QPR rápidamente dieron a conocer su oposición a una fusión. [127] Tras el empate de Wimbledon con Norwich City en Selhurst Park el 6 de mayo, Koppel entró en la cancha y le dijo a la mayoría de los fanáticos locales que "nunca hubo una propuesta de fusión con QPR"; [128] el club Loftus Road había instigado las conversaciones, dijo. [128] QPR abandonó el plan de fusión dos días después, citando una posible alienación de los fanáticos, [129] al mismo tiempo que anunció que no habría más conversaciones con Brentford, [130] quien buscaría y eventualmente obtendría una opción para mudarse a Kingstonian . Ground Kingsmeadow , [34] [131] antes de que Noades vendiera sus acciones en Brentford a Bees United en enero de 2006, con el club todavía en Griffin Park. [132]
A month later, Winkelman offered his Milton Keynes stadium site to QPR, promising that the club's name and blue-and-white hooped strip would be kept in Buckinghamshire and that the fans would be represented on the board of directors.[133] "We have real resources to put behind the club," said Winkelman. "They are fast running out of solutions and we are the answer to their problems."[133] QPR dismissed the offer, leading the developers to once again contact Wimbledon later that month.[68] With Koppel in charge, Wimbledon were more receptive this time around—Koppel said that Wimbledon's owners were subsidising the club to the tune of £6 million per year and that such action was necessary to prevent its liquidation.[68] As talks progressed, Winkelman approached the owner of Milton Keynes City, attempting to buy the club name.[117] It soon became clear that the bulk of Wimbledon's support strongly opposed a move of this kind.[134]
Proceso de autorización
Announcement and rejection; appeal
Koppel announced Wimbledon Football Club's intent to move to Milton Keynes on 2 August 2001 with a letter to the Football League chief executive David Burns requesting approval. The letter stated that Wimbledon had already signed an agreement to relocate and "subject to the necessary planning and regulatory consents being obtained" intended to be playing home games at a newly built stadium in Milton Keynes by the start of the 2003–04 season.[135] The proposed move was opposed in most quarters: along with most of Wimbledon's fans and many football supporters generally, the League, the Football Association (the FA), Merton Council, most football writers in the national press and a 150-man Parliamentary All-Party Committee voiced disapproval.[1][2][3] Two similar club relocations had occurred in the Scottish professional ranks during the 1990s, but the permanent relocation of an English League club to another conurbation was unprecedented.[39] A group of Wimbledon fans decided to boycott club merchandise in protest against the plans, and launched an "alternative matchday programme for both home and away fans", Yellow and Blue, to compete against the official publication.[95][136] The League board unanimously rejected Wimbledon's proposed move on 16 August 2001,[135] stating that any Milton Keynes club would have to earn membership by progressing through the pyramid and that "franchised football" would be "disastrous".[137]
Koppel appealed against this decision, calling it and the process by which it was reached "deficient and unlawful"; he insisted that re-basing in Milton Keynes was the only way Wimbledon could survive.[138] Burns expressed strong personal opposition in response, declaring that allowing such a move would "destroy what football is about".[138] To consider whether Wimbledon had the right to contest the League's decision, the Football Association formed an ad hoc arbitration panel made up of FA vice-chairman and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, York City chairman Douglas Craig, and Charles Hollander QC.[139][140][141] Craig was a controversial choice for some because of his actions as York chief;[137] he had sold his club's stadium Bootham Crescent to a holding company he also owned for £165,000 in July 1999, then in December 2001 announced his intention to evict the team and sell the ground for £4.5 million.[142] Winkelman told reporters that even if the appeal were unsuccessful "our door will be open to any club in trouble".[143]
After considering extensive written evidence from Wimbledon F.C., the Football League, the FA, the Premier League, the Football Conference, the Scottish Football League, Milton Keynes City F.C., Merton Council, the Football Supporters' Association and the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association (WISA), and oral submissions from Koppel, Burns and Andrew Judge of Merton Council,[144] the arbitration panel unanimously ruled on 29 January 2002 that the League's decision had "not been properly taken in the legal sense, and that the procedures had not been fair"—the League, the panel reported, had rejected Wimbledon's application "not on its merits, but on the basis of an inflexible view or policy".[139] The question of Wimbledon's proposed move was remitted to the Football League board,[139] which reconvened on 17 April 2002 and concluded that the matter should be considered by an independent commission appointed by the Football Association.[145]
The FA agreed and in the first week of May appointed Raj Parker of the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer law firm to chair the commission, with Steve Stride, Aston Villa's operations director, and Alan Turvey, member of the FA Council and chairman of the Isthmian League, as commissioners.[146] Under FA Rule 'F', the Football League and Wimbledon were informed of these appointments; neither objected.[146] Acknowledging Koppel's request that the matter be resolved by the end of the month because of Wimbledon's financial problems, the FA set a deadline of 31 May 2002 for the commission's "final and binding" verdict,[147] and released a press statement on 10 May inviting anyone interested to send written submissions care of the FA.[146] By this time, the fans' matchday publication Yellow and Blue was outselling the official Wimbledon F.C. programme by three to one.[95]
Independent commission; approval
Parker, Stride and Turvey sat at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's Fleet Street offices on 14, 15, 16 and 22 May 2002. Legal counsel instructed by Olswang appeared for Wimbledon; the League, which had engaged external lawyers for the arbitration hearing, this time did not, deciding that its objections were adequately set out in the written material.[148] The League and FA contributions were summarised in the commission report as concerns that a relocated club would, in effect, "drive a coach and horses through the pyramid structure", "herald, or risk heralding, a franchise system for football whereby the investors in football could relocate clubs at will" and "dramatically change the defining characteristics of the English domestic game where clubs are identified with the locality or community built up over time".[149] "English football is not organised on the basis of a franchise system in which different communities may bid for clubs competing in competitions," the FA statement concluded. "If a move effectively involved a break of the links with the community with which the club is traditionally associated, and a move to an entirely new community, with an intent to put down new roots and reinvent the club with a new identity and a new set of allegiances, and yet the club did not want to relinquish its place in the pyramid, go down to a lower level and work its way back up, the FA believes that allowing such a move would have a fundamental impact on the organisational framework of the game."[150]
Wimbledon's statement centred on the club's precarious financial situation and a claim that its case was unique. It stressed that Wimbledon (referred to in the statement as "WFC") had lacked its own home stadium for 11 years and asserted that the club did not have "firm and extensive roots within the conurbation from which it takes its name". According to the club statement, "the vast majority" of Wimbledon fans were not from Merton and "less than 20% of the 3,400 season ticket holders" lived there.[151] Milton Keynes was, the statement said, Wimbledon's "last chance of financial survival"; the move's opponents did not properly appreciate the club's fiscal troubles and "wrongly assume[d] that there is a viable alternative in south London."[152] The new ground in Milton Keynes was feasible despite the club's financial problems as it would be almost entirely funded by the consortium's enabling development. Wimbledon's identity—"traditions, history, colours, name, strip, stadium design and the like"—would be preserved in Milton Keynes and supporters from London would be offered subsidised travel and tickets. The statement concluded that "infinitely more harm would be caused to football if WFC went out of business" and that a "proportionate exercise of discretion ... would allow the relocation in WFC's exceptional circumstances."[124]
The commissioners heard oral statements from Winkelman, Koppel, Louise Carton-Kelly of the Dons Trust fundraising group, Kris Stewart of the WISA, Nicholas Coward of the FA and Steve Clark, Merton Council's head of planning.[153] Winkelman was described in the report as "a passionate and frank witness, who is genuinely concerned to promote the interests of Milton Keynes and WFC."[154] He expressed a wish to retain Wimbledon's "name, strip, branding and the like", and spoke of renaming local roads and calling the stadium site "Wimbledon Park". Winkelman predicted that an overwhelming majority of Wimbledon fans would continue to follow the club in Milton Keynes.[154] The commission summarised the fans' submitted views as almost universally negative and reported that most perceived a continuation of the club in Milton Keynes as no better than liquidation.[155] Stewart, when asked if he would prefer life for the club in Milton Keynes or death in Merton, said he regarded both as death and that in either case he would attempt to "resurrect the club and start at the bottom of the pyramid".[156]
The commission report described redeveloping Plough Lane, which Merton Council insisted remained viable "if there is a will for the club to pursue this option", as the only recourse for Wimbledon other than Milton Keynes.[157] A feasibility study carried out by Drivers Jonas, commissioned and funded jointly by Wimbledon F.C. and Merton Council,[158] described a 20,000-capacity stadium at Plough Lane as physically possible but "extremely ambitious", risky and financially unsustainable given the club's money problems.[157] The commission ruled that it was unreasonable to expect Wimbledon's owners to pursue a move back to Plough Lane under these circumstances. Parker and Stride concluded that on the evidence presented Milton Keynes was the only option that would give the club a chance of financial survival,[159] and therefore ruled in favour of the move, two to one—Turvey dissented[160]—on 28 May 2002.[3][161]
Reubicación
- Wimbledon F.C. and AFC Wimbledon are named in full throughout the following sections to avoid ambiguity.
2002–03
The FA stated that although the decision was final and binding, it still strongly opposed the relocation. It emphasised that its recommendation to the commissioners had been against the move. "The Football Association sees it as vital for the game to stop these circumstances ever happening again," the statement concluded.[3] The chief executive of the FA, Adam Crozier, said that he believed the commission to have made an "appalling decision".[162] Koppel said the decision had saved Wimbledon Football Club.[163] A spokesman for Milton Keynes Council said the people of Milton Keynes were looking forward to the team's arrival, stating: "It will be of great benefit to the city. Milton Keynes is becoming a city of sport."[163] In the eyes of the WISA, the Dons Trust and most of the Wimbledon F.C. fanbase, the move's sanctioning marked the "death of their club".[3] "If it moves it will mean nothing to us," said Marc Jones, a WISA spokesman.[3] Wimbledon F.C. became widely reviled by football supporters across the country and pejoratively nicknamed by some as "Franchise F.C.".[98][164]
A group of disaffected Wimbledon F.C. fans led by Stewart, Jones, Ivor Heller and Trevor Williams resolved to found their own team, in their view a spiritual continuation or "phoenix" version of the original.[165] Within weeks, they had done so; the new side, AFC Wimbledon,[2] entered a groundshare arrangement with Kingstonian at the latter club's home ground at Kingsmeadow, in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, adjacent to Merton and about 5 miles (8 km) from Plough Lane. The fans' club was accepted into the Combined Counties League, seven levels below Wimbledon F.C.'s place in the second tier, and began play at the start of the 2002–03 season.[98] The WISA, the Dons Trust and the vast majority of Wimbledon F.C.'s fanbase switched allegiance to the new club.[2][166] The assertion in the commission report that "resurrecting the club from its ashes as, say, 'Wimbledon Town'" would be "not in the wider interests of football"[167] particularly infuriated AFC Wimbledon's founders and became an integral part of club lore.[141][165]
Wimbledon F.C. hoped to move to Milton Keynes immediately, but as the new ground was yet to be built an interim home in the town would have to be found first.[168] The first proposal, to start the 2002–03 season at the National Hockey Stadium in central Milton Keynes, was abandoned because it did not meet Football League stadium criteria. While alternative temporary options were examined—Winkelman suggested converting the National Bowl music venue[168]—Wimbledon F.C. started the season at Selhurst Park and set a target of playing in MK by Christmas. Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre became the team's new sponsor; "GO–MK" was emblazoned across the players' shirts.[169] Before Wimbledon F.C.'s first game of the season, against Gillingham on 10 August 2002, AFC Wimbledon supporters picketed outside Selhurst Park, tried to dissuade home fans from entering and shouted "scab" and "scum" at those who did. The attendance was officially announced as 2,476, including 1,808 from Gillingham.[166] The breakaway club claimed an average crowd of over 3,700 during its first months,[98][166] while Wimbledon F.C. attracted less than 3,000, most of whom were followers of visiting teams.[2][166] The loss of income from gate receipts would contribute to Wimbledon F.C. subsequently entering administration.[170]
Safeway demolished Plough Lane and sold the site to a property developer in November 2002.[171] Milton Keynes Council meanwhile granted planning permission to convert the National Bowl into a temporary football stadium, but the Football League delayed a decision on these plans in October 2002.[172] At Selhurst Park, Wimbledon F.C. reported a divisional record low attendance of only 849—including over 200 away fans, around the same number of complimentary tickets, and Wimbledon F.C. youth players and members of the press—for the Tuesday-night game against Rotherham United on 29 October 2002,[2][173] setting a post-Second World War record for the top two tiers.[91] A temporary stadium in Milton Keynes proved difficult to arrange and Wimbledon F.C. remained in south London at the end of the season.[174] On the field, the side finished the second-tier campaign in 10th place.[62] Koppel re-adopted the National Hockey Stadium as his preferred interim destination, announcing a plan to convert the stadium for football and play there from the start of the 2003–04 season.[174]
2003–04
The College of Arms had informed Wimbledon F.C. in August 2002 that its continued use of the Wimbledon double-headed eagle device for its logo was illegal, so the club adopted a new badge before the 2003–04 season. It featured a stylised eagle's head drawn in navy blue and yellow outline, the yellow forming the letters "MK".[175] The club was concurrently compelled to stop using a Womble for its mascot after the owners of the Wombles brand refused to renew the relevant licence agreement in protest against the move to Milton Keynes.[174][n 13] Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic and Luton Town scheduled pre-season friendly matches against Wimbledon F.C., but then cancelled them in quick succession after each set of supporters protested.[177][178][179] Koppel accused the WISA of orchestrating a campaign against the club, and said the Tottenham and Charlton friendlies had been cancelled in part because of concerns that the National Hockey Stadium might not be ready on time (Luton would have been an away match).[179] It was widely speculated that Wimbledon F.C. would be "renamed, 'rebranded' even" after moving,[180] with "MK Dons" reported in the press as a possible new name, but Koppel denied this. "It remains Wimbledon Football Club. That is our history and the tradition of the club," he said.[180]
On 5 June 2003 Gjelsten told Koppel he could not go on subsidising Wimbledon F.C., and withheld the scheduled monthly injection of £800,000.[112] Koppel declared Wimbledon F.C. insolvent the next day and put it into administration with reported debts of £3.5 million.[170][181] John Gurney, who had just become the chairman of Luton Town following a takeover by a consortium from Hong Kong and the United States, briefly floated the idea of buying Wimbledon F.C. and merging it with Luton, in his words "effectively buying a back door to Division One" (Luton were in the division below),[182] but was soon ousted by Luton supporters.[183] In late June, after Wimbledon F.C. missed a deadline to invest in renovations to the Hockey Stadium,[184] the National Hockey Foundation pulled out of discussions over the ground's use, creating confusion as to where the club would now be located. The administrators said on 27 June that as things stood the move to Milton Keynes was off.[185] A week later, after Watford refused to let Wimbledon F.C. share their ground at Vicarage Road,[186] the administrators announced a return to Selhurst Park.[187]
Winkelman had not intended to own Wimbledon F.C. himself; his plan had been to work alongside it while the stadium was built in Denbigh and then give the ground to the club in exchange for shares and a place on the board.[112][114] He had not expected it to go into administration.[188] With the move threatened and the club facing liquidation, he made "the life-defining decision", to quote Conn, "of taking it on himself".[114] He secured funds from his consortium for the administrators to pay the players' wages, keep the club operating, and pay for the necessary renovations for the National Hockey Stadium to host League football.[184][188][n 14] He made clear that his group's interest was conditional on the club moving to Milton Keynes.[113] In late July Winkelman and the club's administrators concluded a deal with the Hockey Stadium's owners to carry out conversion work and play there from October—Wimbledon F.C. would return to Selhurst Park in the meantime.[184][191] Meanwhile, Milton Keynes City F.C. went out of business before the start of the season following an unsuccessful drive for new directors and investors.[15][16][108][116]
After hosting the first few home matches of the campaign at Selhurst Park—1,054 saw them lose 4–2 to Wigan Athletic in their last home game in London[94]—Wimbledon F.C. received Football League clearance to host matches at the National Hockey Stadium on 19 September 2003,[192] and eight days later played their first match in Milton Keynes, against Burnley.[193] The game drew a crowd of 5,639, including 893 away fans.[194] Wimbledon F.C. went two goals down before coming back to draw 2–2; Dean Holdsworth scored the club's first goal in Milton Keynes.[195] The team struggled on and off the pitch for the rest of the season, losing important players regularly as the administrators sold them to keep the club afloat,[112] and eventually finished bottom of the second-tier First Division.[62] Attendances at the National Hockey Stadium were higher than those at Selhurst Park during the 2002–03 season,[196] but lower than those of the 2001–02 season.[116] The 2–1 defeat to Sunderland on 7 April 2004 that confirmed Wimbledon F.C.'s relegation was attended by 4,800, of whom 2,380 were away fans.[196]
After Gjelsten agreed to write off the £24 million he and Røkke had lent to the club since 1997, a (CVA) was put together on 18 March 2004 under which Winkelman's consortium would take Wimbledon F.C. out of administration, reportedly using a holding company called MK Dons.[112] This was accepted by most of Wimbledon F.C.'s creditors, but delayed while the Inland Revenue decided whether or not to pursue the club's £525,000 debt to the UK taxpayer before the Law Lords. The Football League threatened to expel the club if the takeover were not completed by 31 July.[197] In May Property Week reported that the new stadium in Denbigh would be cancelled if Wimbledon F.C. were wound up.[198] Richard Foreman, a director of the consortium's development consultant, denied this, saying that the project would continue with "the total support of the council";[198] the consortium would invite another League team to move, he said, and would have 18 months to do so.[198] This did not prove necessary. After the Inland Revenue announced on 27 May that it would not pursue the club's debt,[197] Winkelman's Inter MK Group brought Wimbledon F.C. out of administration in late June 2004,[199] paying £850,000 for the club,[114] and concurrently announced changes to its name, badge and colours.[199][200]
MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon
The new name of the relocated club was Milton Keynes Dons F.C. (commonly shortened to MK Dons).[200] Inter MK explained that this name was intended to "represent the past, present and future and place the club at the heart of its new community" as well as to retain a connection with the club's former identity.[200] The Football League gave final approval to the CVA on 1 July 2004, and the same day confirmed the transfer of the Wimbledon F.C. League share to Milton Keynes Dons Ltd.[201][n 15]
The blue and yellow home colours that Wimbledon F.C. players had worn[n 16] were replaced by white shirts, shorts and socks, with black, red and gold as accent colours.[204][205] The first MK Dons away outfit comprised red shirts, shorts and socks. Both white and red had been used by Wimbledon F.C. as away colours over the previous two decades. The club badge became a rendering of the letters "MK", with the "K" positioned below the "M", rotated 90° anti-clockwise and defaced with the year "MMIV" (2004).[204]
In line with its self-perception as the spiritual continuation of Wimbledon F.C., AFC Wimbledon attempts to emulate the original team's appearance in almost every way. The fans' club plays in the same blue and yellow home colours and uses the Wimbledon double-headed eagle for its badge.[206][203][n 17] AFC Wimbledon continue to use the "Dons" nickname, despite its synchronous use in Milton Keynes. They also retain the "Wombles" label formerly applied to Wimbledon Football Club.[206]
Stadium MK
Milton Keynes Dons continued to play at the National Hockey Stadium while the development including the new ground was constructed in Denbigh. Asda paid Inter MK £35 million for its section of the site, Ikea £24 million.[114] Ground was broken on the stadium in February 2005.[208] In December 2005 MK Dons set a target of playing at the new ground by January 2007;[209] in February 2007 they revised their proposal to a 22,000-seater stadium ready in July of that year, with provision for expansion to 32,000 (it had originally been intended to seat 30,000).[210] The new ground, named Stadium MK, hosted its first match in July 2007.[211]
MK Dons' last match at the National Hockey Stadium was on 18 May: the home leg of the semi-final of the League One play-offs in 2007, a 2–1 loss to Shrewsbury Town.[212] The supersession of the Hockey Stadium by field hockey facilities in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park–firstly the Riverbank Arena, and latterly the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre–rendered it redundant so after the Dons' departure for Denbigh, it was demolished in 2010,[213] having not been notably used for its eponym since 2003.[214] Network Rail's new national centre, Quadrant:MK, opened on the site in June 2012.[215]
Legado de Wimbledon FC
The location of the history and legacy of Wimbledon F.C., as well as the honours won by the club, was disputed for four years after the independent commission's approval of the move on 28 May 2002. In the view of AFC Wimbledon and that club's supporters, the "identity of a football club is implicitly bound up in its community".[216] The club regards itself as Wimbledon F.C.'s spiritual continuation to this day, holding that the community maintaining and backing AFC Wimbledon is the same one which originally formed Wimbledon Old Centrals (later Wimbledon F.C.) in 1889, "and kept Wimbledon Football Club alive until May 2002".[217]
MK Dons initially maintained that any debate was pointless as their club was simply a renamed Wimbledon F.C. Winkelman was unequivocal when answering readers' questions in FourFourTwo magazine in November 2004: "MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon share the same heritage, but we're the real child of Wimbledon", he wrote.[120] One reader asked: "Now that you have renamed the team, and changed the badge and colours, do you agree that AFC Wimbledon now carry the true spirit of Wimbledon?"; Winkelman replied that AFC Wimbledon's founders had betrayed their club and "left their team before their team left them".[120] In another answer, he poured scorn on suggestions that he might give Wimbledon F.C.'s trophy replicas to AFC Wimbledon, writing that the fans had "abdicated their right to it when they all walked away."[120] "The fans who have continued to support us from London—they're the ones who've had to put up with this shit for so long," he concluded.[120]
The Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association founded the Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA) in September 2005 as part of its drive to "reclaim the history of Wimbledon Football Club for AFC Wimbledon and/or the community of Wimbledon".[218] Membership was opened to any former Wimbledon F.C. or AFC Wimbledon player or manager. There were 60 founder members.[218] A "Wimbledon" team, organised by WOPA and backed by AFC Wimbledon,[219][220] played in the London Masters indoor football tournament in July 2006.[n 18] Plough Lane was replaced by a residential development comprising six blocks of flats. Representatives of AFC Wimbledon, the WISA, Merton Council, Barratt Homes and the Dons Trust attended a ceremony in November 2008 at which the development's gate and each of the buildings was named after a figure from Wimbledon F.C.'s past.[222]
Despite Winkelman's strong words in 2004, his club later agreed to hold talks with the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), the MK Dons Supporters Association and the WISA. The FSF was refusing to admit MK Dons supporters, discouraging friendly matches against MK Dons, and urging football fans generally to boycott MK Dons home games.[223] The parties reached an agreement in October 2006.[224] The FSF would end its calls for a boycott and admit MK supporters as members, and in return MK Dons would "recognise and genuinely regret the hurt which was caused to supporters of the former Wimbledon F.C. by the move to Milton Keynes",[224] renounce any claim to Wimbledon F.C.'s history up to 2004 and transfer the Wimbledon F.C. trophy replicas, copyrights, web domain names and other patrimony to Merton Borough.[n 19] All of this was done in August 2007.[225] The Wimbledon F.C. trophies were put on display at Morden Library in Merton in April 2008.[226]
Sections of MK Dons' fans continue to relate to their club's former identity as Wimbledon. When AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons met on the playing field for the first time in 2012, some MK supporters wore scarves bearing the Wimbledon name, and Wimbledon F.C. shirts.[227][228] Others have attempted to reclaim the "Franchise F.C." label for their own use, chanting "you're getting beat by a franchise" during matches.[229] Elsewhere in the Milton Keynes fanbase, attempts to create a club culture separate to Wimbledon are visible, largely driven by the Concrete Cows. MK supporters have christened Stadium MK "the Moo Camp",[230][231] while as early as the first match in Buckinghamshire, mooing was heard in the crowd.[194] The South Stand is known as the Cowshed,[232] a tradition maintained from their National Hockey Stadium days,[233] and is reported to be "the stand where the most passionate MK Dons fans sit".[234]
In January 2012 the Wimbledon Guardian newspaper launched a campaign called "Drop the Dons", with the aim of persuading MK Dons' owners to remove "Dons" from their club's name.[235] The WISA joined the campaign almost immediately, saying that it believed the use of "Dons" by MK Dons was counter-productive for all parties.[236] The campaign was publicly backed by several former Wimbledon F.C. and AFC Wimbledon figures,[237][238] both Merton Members of Parliament and all 60 of the borough's councillors.[239] Most MK Dons supporters reacted to the campaign with anger. One MK season-ticket holder interviewed by the Milton Keynes Citizen, a former Wimbledon F.C. fan based in London, suggested that "AFC Wimbledon should drop Wimbledon from their name as they don't play in Wimbledon."[240] The leaders of Merton and Milton Keynes Councils met in Milton Keynes in April 2012 to discuss the campaign, and agreed to differ on the matter of a name change.[239] Later that year, shortly before the first AFC Wimbledon–MK Dons match, Winkelman told reporters that "Dons" would not be dropped from his club's name unless it was the will of MK supporters. "I have learned to do what the supporters want," he said.[241] At that match, MK Dons' supporters unfurled a banner reading "we're keeping the Dons...... just get over it!"[242]
In a December 2012 interview, Winkelman expressed some regret about what had happened. "I'm not proud of the way this club came to exist, and I am totally prepared to be the villain of the piece, but I can't put the genie back in the bottle," he said. "Do I think it was right? No. Do I think it was a great thing that happened to Wimbledon? No ... I don’t feel in the right over the way this club was born. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I hadn't gone out and bought the club when it was hours away from liquidation. It was about to be completely finito ... What happened was my fault, and I have to take responsibility for it. But I don’t see why my players, staff and our young supporter base should be forced to carry the can and live with the nastiness, it's nothing to do with them."[243]
Since the relocation, football magazine When Saturday Comes—which annually publishes a pre-season questionnaire of fans from every League club in England and the top two Scottish divisions—has never invited an MK Dons fan to contribute. The magazine has each year left MK's space empty but for the words "No questions asked".[244]
Propuesta de nuevo estadio AFC Wimbledon en Plough Lane
AFC Wimbledon remain at Kingsmeadow as of the 2016–17 season.[245] In December 2015 Merton Borough Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 11,000-seater stadium on Plough Lane, with provision for expansion to 20,000, on the site of the greyhounds stadium less than a mile from where the former Wimbledon F.C. ground stood.[246] The plans also include 602 homes.[245] Jim White suggested in the Daily Telegraph that a move to this site on Plough Lane would "represent the most romantic of homecoming stories" for AFC Wimbledon,[247] but the proposal met with caustic opposition from the dog racing community as it would leave their sport without a track in London.[247]
The plans were put on hold in March 2016 when London Mayor Boris Johnson decided to review Merton Council's decision following objections from neighbouring Wandsworth, but his successor Sadiq Khan reversed this stance in August 2016.[245] A month later the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid announced that the government would allow Merton Council's decision to stand.[245] AFC Wimbledon's chief executive Erik Samuelson said in response: "Now, at long last, we can start planning with confidence to give AFC Wimbledon a secure future at the heart of the community the club represents. After so many years in exile, the Dons are coming home."[245] The Daily Telegraph predicted in October 2016 that the first AFC Wimbledon match at the new ground would be in 2019.[247]
The plan itself is not without controversy, as it has made the local club Kingstonian F.C.'s future very uncertain, with them unable to play in a ground that is now too big and expensive for a non-league side and one which they no longer have any decision over.[248]
Partidos entre AFC Wimbledon y MK Dons
The two sides met for the first time on 2 December 2012, in the second round of the 2012–13 FA Cup. MK Dons won 2–1;[249] with an injury time winner scored by Jon Otsemobor with his heel;[249] MK fans dubbed the goal the "Heel of God" (a spoof on the 1986 Argentina–England "Hand of God").[250] Kyle McFadzean's opening goal for MK Dons in the second match between the two clubs, a 3–1 MK win in the first round of the League Cup in August 2014[228] was also scored with his heel, and was consequently labelled "Heel of God II".[250] Two months later, in the Football League Trophy Southern section second round, AFC Wimbledon defeated MK Dons 3–2 with a winning goal by Adebayo Akinfenwa.[251]
The two clubs played each other in the same league for the first time during the 2016–17 season, after the 2015–16 campaign ended with MK Dons' relegation to League One and AFC Wimbledon's promotion via the play-offs to the same division.[252][253] Whenever MK Dons have visited, AFC Wimbledon has not acknowledged the "Dons" part of its opponent's name in match programmes or on the scoreboards, instead referring to the opposition simply as "MK". As a result, the English Football League charged AFC Wimbledon for breaching its regulations.[254] MK Dons were relegated again in 2018, leaving AFC Wimbledon in a higher division than them for the first time in history. MK Dons returned to League One in 2019 while AFC Wimbledon stayed up, rekindling the derby for 2019–20 season.
- AFC Wimbledon win Draw MK Dons win
2 December 2012 FA Cup R2 | MK Dons | 2–1 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
12:30 GMT (UTC) | Gleeson 45' Otsemobor 90+2' | Report | Midson 59' | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 16,459 Referee: Scott Mathieson |
12 August 2014 League Cup R1 | MK Dons | 3–1 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
19:45 BST (UTC+1) | McFadzean 19' Powell 49' Afobe 76' | Report | Tubbs 90+4' (pen.) | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 7,174 Referee: Dean Whitestone |
7 October 2014 League Trophy R2 South | MK Dons | 2–3 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
19:45 BST (UTC+1) | Powell 2' Afobe 40' | Report | Azeez 26' Rigg 68' Akinfenwa 80' | Stadium: Stadium MK Attendance: 4,407 Referee: Tim Robinson |
10 December 2016 League One | MK Dons | 1–0 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
13:00 GMT (UTC) | Bowditch 63' (pen.) | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 11,185 Referee: Geoff Eltringham |
14 March 2017 League One | AFC Wimbledon | 2–0 | MK Dons | Norbiton, London |
19:45 GMT (UTC) | Reeves 62' Taylor 68' | Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 4,112 Referee: Roger East |
22 September 2017 League One | AFC Wimbledon | 0–2 | MK Dons | Norbiton, London |
19:45 BST (UTC+1) | Seager 7' Ariyibi 26' | Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 3,973 Referee: Mike Jones |
13 January 2018 League One | MK Dons | 0–0 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
15:00 GMT (UTC) | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 9,504 Referee: Paul Tierney |
13 August 2019 EFL Cup R1 | AFC Wimbledon | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | MK Dons | Norbiton, London |
19:45 BST (UTC+1) | Wagstaff 8' O'Neill 90+4' | McGrandles 16' Kasumu 50' | Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 2,191 Referee: Craig Hicks | |
Penalties | ||||
|
|
7 September 2019 League One | MK Dons | 2–1 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
15:00 GMT (UTC) | Nombe 10' Healey 26' | Forss 83' | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 8,267 Referee: Ben Toner |
18 April 2020 League One | AFC Wimbledon | A-A | MK Dons | Norbiton, London |
15:00 BST (UTC+1) | [n 20] | Stadium: Kingsmeadow |
31 October 2020 League One | MK Dons | 1–1 | AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes |
15:00 GMT (UTC) | Fraser 13' | Report | Pigott 10' | Stadium: Stadium mk Attendance: 0[n 21] Referee: Chris Sarginson |
30 January 2021 League One | AFC Wimbledon | 0–2 | MK Dons | Wimbledon, London |
15:00 GMT (UTC) | Report | O'Riley 60' Sorinola 62' | Stadium: Plough Lane Attendance: 0[n 21] Referee: Ben Toner |
Summary of results
- As of 18 April 2021
MK Dons wins | Draws | AFC Wimbledon wins | MK Dons goals | AFC Wimbledon goals | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
League | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Football League Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
Football League Trophy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Total | 6 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 11 |
notas y referencias
Footnotes
- ^ a b c The name "Milton Keynes City" (MK City) refers to two different non-League clubs. The first was formerly known as Bletchley Town F.C., and was called MK City from 1974 until its liquidation in 1985. The second was previously called Mercedes-Benz F.C., and played as MK City from 1998 until its own demise in 2003.[14][15][16]
- ^ Wolverton Town & B.R. went through a variety of names after the founding of Milton Keynes in 1967. It dropped the "B.R." suffix from its name in 1981, then added "(Milton Keynes)" in 1987, becoming Wolverton Town (Milton Keynes). A year later the naming order was reversed, with the club now calling itself Milton Keynes Wolverton Town. Finally, in 1990, the name Wolverton A.F.C. was adopted. This remained until the club's closure in 1992.[17][18][19][20]
- ^ a b When Workington usurped them in 1951, New Brighton A.F.C. became the second New Brighton side (after New Brighton Tower) and the last Third Division North club to lose their League status, fifty years after the Towerites' exit. The Fourth Division was founded in 1958, and Peterborough United were elected to it in 1960 in Gateshead's stead. A decade later Bradford Park Avenue fell victim to Cambridge United, and in 1972 Barrow lost out to Hereford United. Wimbledon replaced Workington in 1977, a year before Wigan Athletic saw off near-neighbours Southport in the final re-election failure.[32]
- ^ The twenty-strong founder membership of the 1979–80 Alliance Premier League comprised seven clubs from the 1978–79 Northern Premier League (Altrincham, Bangor City, Barrow, Boston United, Northwich Victoria, Scarborough, and Stafford Rangers) and thirteen from the 1978–79 Southern Football League's Premier Division (AP Leamington, Barnet, Bath City, Gravesend & Northfleet, Kettering Town, Nuneaton Borough, Redditch United, Telford United, Wealdstone, Weymouth, and winners Worcester City). Selection was not based on league position: Northern Premier League champions Mossley remained to defend their title, effectively dropping down a level, while Barrow and Wealdstone joined the Alliance, despite having finished 16th in the Northern and 15th in the Southern respectively.
- ^ Welsh clubs Cardiff City, Merthyr Town, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham play in the English pyramid as of the 2019–20 season. Aberdare Athletic, Abertillery Town, Bangor City, Barry Town, Bridgend Town, Caernarfon Town, Colwyn Bay, Lovell's Athletic, Mardy, Merthyr Tydfil, Newtown, Rhyl, Ton Pentre and Treharris also formerly did so.
- ^ As organised at the end of the 2011–12 season, the pyramid comprises more than 480 interconnected divisions, spread across 24 tiers. The top five levels each comprise one division of between 20 and 24 teams from across the country, while those below include multiple regional divisions of varying sizes.[38] All of these divisions exchange clubs at the end of each season through promotion and relegation.[37]
- ^ Manchester United moved from Clayton, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of central Manchester, to Old Trafford, 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west, in 1910.[40] Woolwich Arsenal migrated from Woolwich in south-east London to Highbury in the north of the city in 1913, and dropped "Woolwich" from their name the following year.[41]
- ^ On buying the team in 1932, they briefly planned to expand The Valley to house 200,000 fans, which would have been a world record capacity. Jimmy Seed, Charlton's manager from 1933 to 1956, claimed in his autobiography that the Glikstens later considered moving the club to South Africa to avoid taxes.[54]
- ^ This nickname is common among sports teams in the Wimbledon locale, including, outside of football, the now-defunct Wimbledon Dons speedway squad and Wimbledon Rugby Football Club.[58] Teams from elsewhere using the name include Aberdeen and Hendon football clubs,[59][60] Doncaster Rugby League Football Club[61] and others outside the UK.
- ^ The idea of pooling the resources of two or more of the smaller London clubs was visited in 1967, between western clubs Brentford and QPR,[77] and regularly explored in the late 1980s; another proposal was to fuse QPR with Fulham to make "Fulham Park Rangers".[78]
- ^ The clubs Hammam named were Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City, Luton Town, Portsmouth, Watford and West Bromwich Albion.[84]
- ^ These included mkdons.com, mkdons.co.uk, miltonkeynesdons.com and miltonkeynesdons.co.uk, all of which were registered through Tucows Domains on 23 June 2000.[121]
- ^ The Wimbledon F.C. mascot had been called Wandle the Womble. A similar character, Haydon the Womble, became AFC Wimbledon's mascot in 2006.[176]
- ^ Two new stands holding 2,000 people–one of which being the designated away end, the West Stand–were constructed in addition to the 1995-built field hockey arena's existing ends: a 4,000-capacity main stand (the only sheltered accommodation at the site) and the smaller 1,000-seater section opposite, bringing the National Hockey Stadium's capacity up from 4,000 to 9,000. Other renovations included a new football pitch to replace the facility's former field hockey pitch and the addition of floodlights, turnstiles, and closed-circuit television.[189][190] The replacement of the artificial turf with grass prevented the Stadium from being used for field hockey.
- ^ The old company, The Wimbledon Football Club Ltd, legally endured until 2009.[202]
- ^ Having worn the inverse colour scheme from 1974 to 1976 and from 1978, Wimbledon F.C. assumed blue and yellow for their home strip from 1981, though from 1993 until 2004, the shade used was navy blue.[203]
- ^ AFC Wimbledon launched in the 2002 pre-season in a blue and white Umbro uniform reminiscent of Wimbledon F.C.'s kit when they won the FA Amateur Cup, beating Sutton United in the Final in 1963, featuring the sponsor Sports Interactive's logo where a club badge would traditionally appear. The identity they assumed upon starting in the Combined Counties League later that year, according to Moor, was the "mid-blue and yellow associated with Wimbledon [F.C.]'s rise to the top of the Football League and the crest was based on the older version worn by the older club".[207]
- ^ The nine-man team included seven ex-Wimbledon F.C. players—Marcus Gayle, Scott Fitzgerald, Alan Reeves, Alan Kimble, Carlton Fairweather, Andy Clarke and Dean Holdsworth—and one formerly of AFC Wimbledon, Glenn Mulcaire. The goalkeeper was Gary Phillips.[221]
- ^ For statistical purposes 7 August 2004, the date of MK Dons' first League match under that name, was settled upon as the dividing line between separate Wimbledon F.C. and MK Dons records.[223]
- ^ Abandoned following suspension of League One season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England
- ^ a b Played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England
References
- ^ a b Independent Commission 2002, pp. 17–18. "51. The proposal has met with considerable opposition, and not just from the WFC fans. ... Respected football writers in our national press were generally supportive of the Football League's decision [to block the move]. ... A Parliamentary All Party Committee ... is opposed. ... Merton BC is opposed to the move and believe a stadium can be built in Merton ... the Football Association, the Football League, the FA Premier League and the Football Conference Ltd have all provided statements which ... weigh against permission being granted for a move of this nature and distance. ... [M]ost of the hundreds (over 600) of communications we have received have argued against the proposal. They have generally been from individual WFC fans. 57. Supporters' associations and individual fans from many other clubs and people from as far afield as the United States, Australia (Wimbledon Supporters Downunder), Russia and Norway have also expressed similar views."
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k White, Jim (11 January 2003). "Pitch battle". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
[T]here were no more than 90 Wimbledon fans sitting in the Holmesdale End ... At 849, it was the smallest ever crowd recorded in English football's second tier. And that 849 included season ticket holders who hadn't turned up, 211 Rotherham supporters, roughly 200 complimentary tickets given to players' friends and relatives, and the members of Wimbledon's junior teams, who mostly spent the match watching a Champions League game on the television in the bar. Plus a larger than average press contingent, who were there, overwhelmingly, to mock. Which does not leave a lot of paying Wimbledon supporters. In fact, there was so little public interest, the catering manager at Selhurst Park had ordered only 12 pies.
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... that allows clubs to go from the very bottom to League status, providing they have sufficient means. Several clubs have done this, most notably Wimbledon, who were able to reach the Premiership.
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The Third Division club Charlton Athletic, who're in financial difficulties, might have to leave London—and go to the Midlands. They have the largest capacity ground in the Football League but their home gates have averaged only a little over 6,000 this season. They'd hoped to get funds by opening a new sports complex, but the local council of Greenwich turned the scheme down. Charlton say they've been approached by a 'progressive' Midlands borough to uproot the entire club, but they won't name the town ... Southgate: 'Forgive me, Mr Stone, but you are the General Manager of this football club. The question is however reluctantly would you consider this move?' Stone: 'If it was either the club going out of existence or moving, the answer is obvious, isn't it?' Southgate: 'You'd move?' Stone: 'Of course.'
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There is no possibility of Charlton Athletic leaving The Valley unless we are forced out by the attitude of Greenwich Council. We wish to make this clear to our supporters who have flooded the club and the local papers this week, with letters following the announcement that we could move. The roots of Charlton Athletic Football Club are in this area ... like other professional football clubs, we have got to look to the future for ways of safeguarding the club in the 1980s. ... our plans for a sports complex and a 200-stall open market would have helped both the club and the Charlton area ... You the supporters, can make sure the club continues in Charlton by protesting as loud as you can to Greenwich Council over their refusal to grant us permission for our plans. ... the council met and discussed a scheme to site the sports complex in nearby Charlton Park on public open space. We still think this decision should be changed ...
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Wimbledon RFC's first team manager James Ogilvie-Bull wants his side to go into the break in action having recorded a seventh win of the season. The Dons go to Twickenham on Saturday ... the Dons could go into the international break on top the tree.
- ^ "Aberdeen: Dons denied late penalty, claims Derek McInnes". BBC. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ "Ryman Premier - Clubs - Hendon". London: Isthmian League. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
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They ground-share with Crystal Palace, five miles from their old home ground where the record attendance of 18,000 was set in the 1930s against a team of sailors from HMS Victory. ... [Wimbledon's] average gate is around 9,000 and the struggle to survive is so tough the club even considered the idea of moving to Dublin where potential support is far greater, but that plan is now dead and buried.
- ^ a b c Conn, David (26 February 2005). "Spirit of the Beehive offers shining example to football's many drones". The Independent. London. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Noades, Ron (1 April 2001). "I looked at MK in the 70's". BBC. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
I certainly looked for alternatives for rehousing Wimbledon, I mean, I could see the limitations in Plough Lane. But the big problem with Wimbledon was, in my view, was that Richmond Park was several square miles of parkland, where there weren't any houses, and it affected Wimbledon's gates compared to other clubs. Yes, we took an interest in Milton Keynes—we took a controlling interest in Milton Keynes (at the time they had financial problems)—and I went up there. I was in the local press. I met the local authority. And they had a stadium site, right next to the big bus terminal there and the station, the main line route from Euston up to Manchester. And they were very keen to get a Football League club, effectively a franchise if you like, into Milton Keynes to take up that site. … I couldn't really see us getting any bigger gates than what Northampton Town were currently getting at that time, and, in fact, are still getting. I really couldn't see any future in it. I can't actually see that there is a means of drawing large attendances to Milton Keynes.
- ^ a b c Crabtree 1996, pp. 102–105
- ^ a b Tucker, Steve (22 July 2003). "Sam Builds his Empire; the Sam Hammam Story". South Wales Echo. Cardiff. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
At Companies House he is currently listed as a director of three companies. ... The final company is Rudgwick Limited, registered in 1993. This is the company to which Hammam controversially moved the ownership of Wimbledon Football Club's Plough Lane ground prior to selling it to Safeway for £8m in 1998. After selling Wimbledon Football Club, by then a subsidiary of another Hammam company—the Virgin Islands-registered Blantyre Venture—Hammam walked away with £36m, having paid £40,000 for the club in 1981.
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- ^ Rundle, Richard. "Football Club History Database - Luton Town". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
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- ^ Bendixson & Platt 1992, p. 141.
- ^ a b c Traynor, James (25 August 1984). "Buoyant Airdrie will not be easily subdued". The Glasgow Herald. p. 18. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ Paul, Ian (25 November 1983). "Here today and gone tomorrow". The Glasgow Herald. p. 23. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ "Luton Town 1 MK Dons 0". When Saturday Comes. June 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
Thus the spectre of Luton moving to Milton Keynes has been raised regularly over the years, but the opposition of either the fans (vehement) or the Football League (ironic, given that it was on the basis of a club moving out of its area) always came to the rescue.
- ^ Murray, Les (22 February 1987). "World Round Up". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 83. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ a b "QUEENS PARK MERGERS?". skysports.com. British Sky Broadcasting. 3 May 2001. Archived from the original on 12 June 2001.
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This reflected a reluctance of the media to question the validity of proposed mergers and relocations which has been a constant theme from "Fulham Park Rangers" in 1987 right through to the short-lived Wimbledon-QPR tie-up earlier this year.
- ^ Nicholas, Dean (25 January 2011). "Mapped: London's Moving Football Clubs". Londonist. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Morrow 2003, p. 68
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- ^ a b "Spirit levels". When Saturday Comes (158). April 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
Responding to talk of merger with their current landlords back in 1992 Sam Hammam said: "I’d rather die and have vultures eat my insides than merge with Crystal Palace". ... Wimbledon are haemorrhaging money simply by groundsharing and they seem no nearer to finding a new stadium nearer their old home in the borough of Merton; potential escape routes, to Dublin and Scotland, have been blocked by the football authorities.
- ^ a b c "The Dons threaten to change club's name". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. 19 August 1994. p. 40. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Hammam 2000, p. 3
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- ^ Irwin, Mark (5 April 1997). "Dons to go green". The Mirror. London. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ Ritchie, Murray (30 September 1996). "No Headline Present". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
... the talking point in Dublin these days is the possibility of Wimbledon FC of London, who play in the English Premiership, emigrating to the Irish capital. The Irish, far from being hostile to the old enemy moving in—presumably with the social inadequates who masquerade as English supporters in tow—appear enthusiastic. They are already talking about embracing the "Dublin Dons" and having Premiership games in a nation seriously deficient in top-class club soccer.
- ^ "Dons' Dublin move blocked". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. Agence France-Presse. 14 October 1996. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Dons warned against switch". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. Agence France-Presse. 13 April 1997. p. 27. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ a b c MacInnes, Paul (26 January 2017). "'It was one man and his dog' – the day 3,036 watched a Premier League match". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Lowest attendances in all divs". web.orange.co.uk. Orange. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
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- ^ Prentice, David (26 January 2015). "3039 - when Everton and Wimbledon shared the lowest Premier League attendance in history". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ a b Chase, Graham (13 November 2012). "MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon gear up for first meeting". London: BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Ward & Williams 2010, pp. 360–362
- ^ Shaw, Phil (12 June 1997). "Hammam sells up without moving out". The Independent. London. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ Riley, Catherine (9 December 1997). "Wimbledon may go back to south-west London". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d Heller, Ivor (1 September 2002). "Wombles are on their way". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Dons weigh up Milton Keynes move". BBC. 4 January 2001. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
- ^ Davies, Owen (February 1996). "Welsh Wimbledon". When Saturday Comes (108). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Bankies' plan hits cash snag". The Herald. Glasgow. 26 February 1998. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
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Winkelman is adamant Milton Keynes can support a league club in the way that Merton apparently could not, and can point to today's sell-out crowd as evidence. His reasoning, however, is idiosyncratic. 'This place is absolutely crying out for top-flight football,' he says. ... Winkelman's endgame is to move Wimbledon to a Premiership-quality home at nearby Denbeigh, complete with an Asda supermarket and a hotel. But the notion that the 250,000 residents of MK have been starved of football is undermined by a glance at a map. Northampton, Luton and Rushden & Diamonds are within 30 minutes' drive and on any given Saturday Milton Keynes station is full of supporters of clubs in London and the Midlands making their way to games. Meanwhile Milton Keynes City folded in the summer through a lack of funds and, apparently, interest.
- ^ a b c d Pollock, Ian (July 2002). "Self development". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Cloake, Martin (29 August 2014). "Why MK Dons' 4-0 victory over Manchester United didn't cause universal joy". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
Asda, the world's largest supermarket chain, wanted a presence in a Tesco stronghold and wanted to build Europe's largest supermarket there. Planning rules meant that development on greenfield sites was not supported, but the proposed MK Asda would not work on a brownfield site. The only way the greenfield site restrictions could be got around was through what's called 'planning gain'—in plain English some demonstrable benefit to the local community that would come from allowing development. A football stadium would be one example of a civic amenity that would do the job. But Milton Keynes did not have a team that needed a stadium on the scale required. And with no team, there would be no stadium, and therefore no development.
- ^ Pollock, Ian (August 2003). "Don roaming". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Conn, David (20 March 2004). "Winkleman hints at name change after repackaging of Wimbledon". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d Wright, Duncan (13 July 2003). "Dons to die if they don't get move on; Deal Hinges on Switch". Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
A consortium backed by supermarket and property developers is on the brink of an agreement with the First Division club's administrators—and it will safeguard their future. Their only demand is that if they win control of the club it MUST move to Milton Keynes. ... It is the same group which will build a new 28,000 all-seater stadium for Wimbledon as part of a major development project on the Denbigh North site which will also include an Asda superstore, other retail outlets, a hotel and offices. The building of the stadium and the arrival of the football club are vital to the project, so all parties are keen for Wimbledon to survive administration. ... Winkelman said: 'In terms of the financial side of things, they are not really a problem, and we have been working alongside Grant Thornton in order to give Wimbledon the best chance of survival. We only have three questions to be answered before we can conclude things. The first is will the club be moving to Milton Keynes and, if so, where will they play and when will it happen? Once we have those answers then we can move things on. Obviously we would only be interested if we knew the club was moving to Milton Keynes.'
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Conn, David (27 November 2012). "Peter Winkelman: 'I'm not proud of how football came to Milton Keynes'". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Music mogul-turned-football chairman shares secrets of his success with business students". Luton: University of Bedfordshire. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d "The Debate: Is it time to forgive Milton Keynes Dons?". The Times. London. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
Milton Keynes was also where, according to Winkelman, there was a 'football frenzy waiting to happen'—yet the club drew 5,639 for their first match, with Burnley on September 27, 2003, substantially down on the 7,675 that saw the corresponding fixture at Selhurst Park in the 2001–02 season, before a supporter boycott in protest at the move began. Even now, there is negligible difference between gates at MK Dons and the club they smothered. ... Those with a tenuous grasp of history may swallow the MK fairy story—which also killed the real football club in the area, Milton Keynes City, wound up in July 2003—but no true football fan should.
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- ^ a b Morrow 2003, p. 69
- ^ a b Independent Commission 2002, p. 28
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- ^ "QPR abandon merger plans". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 May 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
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The Milton Keynes Stadium consortium wants the stricken West London club to play in its new stadium, which is due to be completed in 2003. Consortium chief Pete Winkelman is confident his bid will be successful as QPR, relegated to Division Two, suffer even more financial hardship.
- ^ "League warns Dons over move". BBC. 10 August 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ a b Independent Commission 2002, pp. 9–10
- ^ Couper, Niall (6 September 2001). "About Yellow and Blue". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ^ a b Conn, David (18 January 2002). "Craig under pressure to quit Wimbledon panel". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
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- ^ a b Conn, David (28 April 2009). "Tears of joy as AFC Wimbledon prove they are in the wider interest of football". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
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- ^ Independent Commission 2002, pp. 11, 15
- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 13
- ^ a b c Independent Commission 2002, p. 14
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- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 17
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- ^ Independent Commission 2002, pp. 18–19, 61–67. "The fans are not of the opinion that a club in Milton Keynes is better than no club at all." (p. 64)
- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 19
- ^ a b Independent Commission 2002, pp. 30–32
- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 15
- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 34
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[Reo-Coker] made his debut for Wimbledon at 17 and was captain at 19, a time when the move to Milton Keynes was making the Dons the most loathed team in England.
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The crowd was officially given as 2,476—including stewards, press, ball-boys, players, and optimism—of whom 1,808 were from Gillingham. Even on the official figures that gives the club with no shame 668 supporters. Halve that figure and you'd be nearer reality.
- ^ Independent Commission 2002, p. 44
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Only 849 people turned up at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night to watch Wimbledon beat Rotherham 2–1—and 227 of those were away fans. But Koppel remained upbeat, insisting the Dons were not the victim of a fans' boycott and distancing the club from the 'former' supporters attempting to prevent them moving to Milton Keynes. 'I would not say it's in a mess at all,' he said. 'You say Wimbledon fans are boycotting the club, but they are no longer Wimbledon fans; the Wimbledon fans we have turned up last night.'
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A club statement read: 'InterMK are pleased to announce that the Football League have today issued their final approval of the voluntary arrangement (CVA) and confirmed the transfer of the Wimbledon FC League share to Milton Keynes Dons Ltd, bringing certainty to a future for the football club in Milton Keynes.'
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- ^ Moor, Dave. "Sky Bet League One 2019 - 2020". historicalkits.co.uk. Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
The burning question for Don's supporters has for some time been, what the secondary colour is, gold, red or black? For the time being it seems to be gold with red the dominant colour on the change strip.
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And, on behalf of both clubs, the FSF respectfully requests that, with immediate effect, our media colleagues now refer to MK Dons in relation ONLY to matches played since their first Football League fixture was fulfilled against Barnsley on August 7, 2004.
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- ^ Spragg, Iain; Clarke, Adrian; Reeves, Stuart (2009). "Chapter Seven: Funny Fans". The Big Book of Football's Funniest Quotes. London: Carlton Books. p. 418. ISBN 978-1-84732-712-3.
'Beaten by a franchise, you're getting beaten by a franchise'—MK Dons fans love their history.
; "Quotes of the Week". London: BBC. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2014.Chants of the week ... 'Beaten by a franchise, you're getting beaten by a franchise.' Sung by MK Dons fans to Barnet supporters.
; "Heidar Helguson rescues QPR from FA Cup shock at MK Dons". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.The MK Dons fans in a record 19,506 crowd sang: 'You're getting beat by a franchise.'
; "Harry Redknapp searches for answers as MK Dons punish 'diabolical' Queens Park Rangers". The Independent. London. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.Their longer term potential, as a new club in a new city, was underlined by a record away following of 3,155 fans, who happily chirruped 'you're getting beat by a franchise'.
; "MK Dons 2 AFC Wimbledon 1: match report". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.It was a strike which cued a lusty chant of 'you're getting beat by a franchise,' from the home sections.
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The South stand of Stadium MK is known as the Cowshed by Dons fans, as Milton Keynes is renowned for its concrete cows.
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enlaces externos
- The official website of AFC Wimbledon
- The official website of Milton Keynes Dons F.C.