The Story of AFC Wimbledon

Founded in 1889 and betrayed in 2001, Wimbledon F.C.’s past holds its share of monumental highs and heartbreaking lows. From winning the FA Cup in 1988, to being sold and moved to Milton Keynes, and then being resurrected by supporters as AFC Wimbledon, there is no shortage of unbelievable moments in this club’s history. Without a doubt, the rise, fall, and rise of Wimbledon F.C./AFC Wimbledon is the greatest story in sport.

The Beginning of Greatness

AFC Wimbledon was founded in 1889 as “Wimbledon Old Central Football Club.” Their first ever match was a 1-0 over victory over Westminster. Over the course of the next seven years Wimbledon won both the Clapham League and the Herald League, winning the Clapham League again in 1901. Following a meeting which took place on May 1, 1905, the team dropped “Old Central” from their name. That same year the team won the South London Charity Cup. Unfortunately, the club was forced to fold in 1910 as a result of “excessive debts.” A year later, in 1911, the club was restarted under the name “Wimbledon Borough,” a name which lasted less than a year, as the “Borough” was quickly dropped. After floating around various locations in Wimbledon the club finally established a home at Plough Lane. The next 25 years featured many successes, including a second place finish in the Athenian League in 1920 and four Isthmian League titles in the 1930s. Wimbledon returned to the top of the Isthmian League in 1959, followed shortly by 3 successive championships between 1961 and 1964. Following this incredible success the club made the decision to turn professional for the 1964-1965 season and entered the Southern League. Their successes continued in the Southern League, finishing second place in their first season in the league. Wimbledon rose to national fame during an impressive FA Cup run during the 1974-1975 season. They made it all the way to the fourth and final round, playing against the reigning First Division champions Leeds United. The first game ended in 0-0- draw after a spectacular penalty save by goalkeeper Dickie Guy. Ultimately, Wimbledon lost the tournament in a replay due to an own goal. Following three successive victories in the Southern League from 1974-1977 the club was elected to The Football League in 1977.

Life in the Football League

After being elected to The Football League, Wimbledon saw its fair share of ups and downs. After finishing 13th in the Fourth Division, they achieved promotion in 1979. Their stay in Third Division was short-lived, as they were relegated back down to the Fourth Division after just one season which saw them win only 10 games. There was brief talk at this time about relocating to a newly formed town called Milton Keynes, but ultimately it came to nothing. Wimbledon quickly regained a place in the Third Division the following season, but once again held that place for only one season. The rollercoaster continued with promotion again the next season, but this time Wimbledon were able to achieve promotion again to the Second Division. Two years later the team finally sealed their entry into the First Division.

First Division/Premier League Football

Although many predicted that Wimbledon would last only one season in the First Division, they finished sixth in their first season. 1988 saw the greatest moment in club history, when Wimbledon’s famous “Crazy Gang” beat the much richer, more powerful Liverpool Football Club to win the FA Cup. Following the historic victory it was announced that a new stadium would be built for the team. This, however, never happened. Instead, in 1991, the team was moved to Selhurst Park, where they shared the stadium with Crystal Palace. It was at Selhurst that Wimbledon once again succeeded in keeping their place in the First Division, locking in a position in the newly formed “FA Premier League.” The following years saw Wimbledon achieve decent results, finishing in the upper portion of the table. Unfortunately this run of form couldn’t last, and in 2000 the team were relegated.

Betrayal

The heartbreaking relegation of Wimbledon F.C. proved to be just the beginning of supporter’s woes, with the club announcing its intent to relocate to Milton Keynes in 2001. Objections to the move came swiftly, with Wimbledon fans, The Football League, and even The Football Association speaking out in opposition to the move. Despite this fervent opposition, a three-person independent commission, appointed by the F.A., approved the move in 2002. Following the move many supporters abandoned the team and games saw even less attendance than the club saw prior to the relocation. The team officially changed its name to Milton Keynes Dons in 2004.

Rebirth

Most supporters of Wimbledon F.C. did not follow the club to Milton Keynes, but they were not content to roll over and accept the theft of their club. Led by Kris Stewart, Marc Jones, Trevor Williams, and Ivor Heller, a meeting was called at The Fox and Grapes pub to discuss the next steps in their protest over the move. In the end, it was determined that there was no recourse to have the decision reversed. The community, however, would not be without a football club. It was then that AFC Wimbledon was reborn from the ashes of Wimbledon F.C. Looking to protect the club in the future from the whims of fickle rich owners who might view the club only as a cash-cow and not as the community it truly is, the majority of ownership (75%) of the club was placed under The Dons Trust, an organization owned and run by supporters, thus making supporters the majority owner of the club. Trials for the newly reformed team were held on a large open space called “Wimbledon Common,” open to all hopefuls, and from the trialists a team was chosen. AFC Wimbledon played their first game in July of 2002 in the Combined Counties league, the lowest league in the English Football League.

This first season was a success, despite an opening day 4-0 loss, and they barely missed promotion, finishing in third place. If supporters were excited about their first season, it was nothing compared to the magic of the second. The 2003-2004 season saw the club earn an unbeaten record, with 42 wins and 4 draws for the season. Magic didn’t stop there, however. The 2004-2005 season saw Wimbledon set a record for “the longest run of unbeaten games at any level of senior football in the United Kingdom” with an unbelievable unbeaten streak of 78 matches. The next few years saw Wimbledon finishing competitively in the league, in playoff position twice, but failing to make it to promotion. Finally, in 2008, the club was able to achieve promotion to the Conference South. The Dons spent only a season in this league, easily finishing as champions and earning promotion to Conference Premier. Although they failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2010, the club placed fifth in 2011 and earned a spot in the playoff. It was in the final game, during a penalty shoot-out, that saw 19-year-old goalkeeper Seb Brown save two penalties from Luton Town to achieve promotion and status as an official, professional football team. The club holds the records both for being the first team formed in the 21st century to make it into the Football League.

Return to the Football League and Plough Lane

The first season in League Two was rough for AFC Wimbledon, but they managed to clear the relegation zone by 10 points. This dismal finish was outdone in the second season which saw the Dons barely escape relegation with a final day win. Things started to look up in the 2014-2015 season which saw AFC Wimbledon battle former FA Cup rivals Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup resulting in a thrilling, if disappointing, 2-1 loss to the Premier League side. Despite this loss, supporters still had reason to celebrate. In December of 2015 Merton Council unanimously approved AFC Wimbledon’s plans for a new stadium at their former home of Plough Lane. Meanwhile, if supporters were happy about the 2014-2015 season it was nothing compared to their jubilance following the 2015-2016 season. Exactly 14 years to the day after the club’s foundation, AFC Wimbledon triumph 2-0 over Plymouth Argyle to earn a spot in League One in a Wembley play-off final match played in front of nearly 58,000 people.

League One proved to be the Dons biggest challenge yet and in their first season they finished in a middling 15th place. In their second season in League One, AFC Wimbledon faced the team from Milton Keynes, having been relegated from their stolen position in the Championship League, in their first ever regular season match, a game AFC Wimbledon won 2-0. A run of bad form saw the Dons pushed into the relegation zone, but a draw in their penultimate game boosted them just enough to stay in League One. Meanwhile, the team from Milton Keynes was relegated again, moving down to League Two.

The 2018-2019 season saw the club achieve “the Great Escape,” narrowly missing relegation thanks to a brilliant run of form that saw them lose just 1 of their last 12 league games. 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 saw the same dismal form, with late-season resurgences helping them achieve 20th and 19th place respectively, just barely missing relegation again. Despite their poor performance during these seasons, however, Dons supporters still had reason to celebrate. Fundraising efforts among fans brought in over 8 million pounds (over 9 million in American dollars) to help secure the site and begin building the new stadium at Plough Lane. Due to COVID, supporters were prevented from attending the Dons’ first-ever true “home fixture” on November 3, 2020. It wasn’t until August 14, 2021 that AFC Wimbledon finally played it’s first true home game in front of a sell-out crowd. Unfortunately, the new stadium did not provide any extra luck, and following several seasons of terrible performance, AFC Wimbledon was relegated for the first time following the 2021-2022 season.

The Greatest Story in Sport

A club, founded in 1889 and stolen in 2001. An unbelievable FA Cup win against mighty Liverpool Football Club. The resurrection and subsequent meteoric rise of the reforged AFC Wimbledon. The longest unbeaten streak in English Football League history. A triumphant return home to Plough Lane, 30 years after its destruction. There have always been nay-sayers. There have always been “haters.” There have always been doubters. Nonetheless AFC Wimbledon has managed to achieve feats that no other club has been able to accomplish. To anyone who hears it there can be no denying: the story of AFC Wimbledon is the greatest story in sport.