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AFC Wimbledon plan to go home to Plough Lane
Alistair Grant28.05.09
AFC Wimbledon are set to reveal multi-million pound plans to return to Plough Lane - and Merton Council are backing the scheme.
The newly-promoted Conference club, formed in 2002 when the original Wimbledon announced they were moving to Milton Keynes, want to develop 6,000-capacity Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium.
The stadium is next door to Wimbledon's former Plough Lane ground, which the club left in 1991 and was later demolished to make way for flats.
AFC play at Kingsmeadow in nearby Kingston but the Dons Trust, which runs the club, hope to move closer to home.
A board spokesman said: "Moving back to Merton with a joint development of the greyhound stadium would be the ideal solution.
"We have developed a proposition for developing a stadium for us on the site. We have talked to Merton planners throughout the process and they support it in principle."
Wimbledon, who will be playing in the Blue Square Premier next season, hope to win promotion to the Football League and want to sign full-time professionals to replace 10 part-timers.
Reader views (11)
Keep football away from wimbledon dog track! The further away the better! The dog track is doing just fine combined with stock car racing that takes place there! The greyhound stadium was there before the old football club at plough lane was!
- Lee, West London
I think this will be a brilliant Idea for AFC Wimbledon to move back to where they belong. Plough Lane will always remember by Wimbledon FC before they were rename to Milton Keynes Dons in July 2004. I think the AFC Wimbledon fans will be happy to move back to Plough Lane and I hope they do. I like AFC Wimbledon they are the best club in the Blue Square Premier and I had never been to Plough Lane before and if they do move back to Plough Lane I will come and watch them.
- Richard James Michael Nott, Braintree
Bout time Afc Wombles had a proper ground in Merton. deserved after the Franchise, Koppell and co robbed the club and moved them away. Up the dons and down with the Franchise scumbags.
- Vic Bieber, Northampton UK
Jon, I think you'll find that Fulham already sell out season tickets to existing supporters - perhaps you'd better go to Brentford, it's only a 65 bus ride from Kingston !!
- Dave Young, Banglamung Thailand
Jon, I think you'll find it is correct, but it actually refers to the seats in the Paul Strank Stand.
- Russell Smith, Wokingham
Jon - go now please.
- Marc Jones, United Kingdom
Aaron. Irony can misfire in limited word length articles. Sorry about that. I'm a season ticket holder and DT member and am continually amazed at how lazy journalists are and what they will do for an inappropriate headline. This article is a disgrace
- Jon Soper, London
Jon - because the comment about selling all season tickets (since withdrawn from this site) is obviously (wildly) wrong. Feel free to go to Fulham with that attitude.
- Nick Palmer, Raynes Park
Calm down Jon! This article, and the other ones we've seen in the last 24 hours are obviously a bit shaky. I'd put money on it that the 'sold out' STs are the seated ones, but the reporter may have missed that bit. As for Fulham, if you want to take the Koppel shilling that is up to you but I'll keep supporting the same club as I have for years and I'll still dream of a return to SW19. Strange things do happen in football and with this football club so as long as the dream remains there is always hope.
- Calm Down, Calm Down, SW19
Not sure the Fulhum comment is very helpful Jon.
- Aaron, Carshalton
"The club have already sold all available season tickets". Their ground holds 4700 so how many season tickets have been sold then? Why is their web site offering to sell season tickets and will do so all summer. Why is my partner, a club volunteer that helps stuff season ticket application envelopes, not aware of this fact? Oh Yeah we all want to go back to Plough Lane and the fans are going to find £50 million pounds from loose change. Must calculate how much my contribution will be based on average attendance of 3.3 thousand fans per game. Mmmh. Time to go to Fulham.
- Jon Soper, London
