About a few years ago, in 2003 or 2004, you couldn't say that I knew about the concept of Non-League Football in England, let alone followed teams that didn't play in the top four divisions down there.
I was attached to the FA Premier League like a fly to a watermelon. I followed the Chelseas, Liverpools, Arsenals and Manchester Uniteds of the world, and maybe a little Football League Championship, One and Two, but that was about it.
A decade ago, I watched the highlights of a Premier League match involving a team called Wimbledon FC. Max Bretos, a commentator for Fox Soccer Channel, stated that "Wimbledon needs a new pitch!" At the time, the Dons were playing at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace FC.
Another decade before I watched those highlights, Wimbledon won the FA Cup in 1988 over Liverpool. John Motson summarized it all: "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club!"
But what was also problematic for this team from London aside from an inadequate field in Plough Lane was poor decision making by the management, which would lead to a dramatic decline.
As they continued to drop down the divisions, Wimbledon FC were taken over by Pete Winkelman, and were moved to Milton Keynes, under the name Milton Keynes Dons.
The fans were livid and in sheer disbelief when the news took the wind out of them like a sailing ship in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.
It is very rare for a team to move out of a city due to financial issues in England. To this day, the supporters vilify MK Dons as "Franchise FC".
It's akin to seeing the Raiders and Rams leave Los Angeles for Oakland and St. Louis respectively. So I sympathized with those Womble supporters who lost something special to them.
A loud call to action needed to be made. So they decided to start a club that represented a true continuation of Wimbledon. A booming voice could be heard in southwest London in May 2002: "AFC Wimbledon are born!"
The AFC in AFC Wimbledon do not mean anything technically, but it could be an abbreviation for "A Fan's Club." That is what AFC Wimbledon is. A supporters-owned club, where everyone who purchases memberships (equivalent to season tickets) gets a share of the club itself.
AFC Wimbledon, under its first manager, Terry Eames, lost all of its nine preseason matches, and would not taste its first victory until August 12, 2002, by defeating Enfield Town in the Supporters' Direct Cup.
The Dons joined the Combined Counties League in 2002, five promotions away from the Football League and eight away from the Premier League. For the clubs currently in the CCL, it was something unexpected.
0 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete