AFC Wimbledon
Encyclopedia
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...

 in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...

. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...

, the club are members of Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....

, the fourth tier of English football.

The club began in 2002 as a result of the Football Association's sanctioning of Wimbledon Football Club
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...

's relocation
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football prior to a "fairytale" rise through the divisions following election to The Football League...

 to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...

, the new town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...

 in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

. Wimbledon supporters opposed to this move reacted by founding their own side, AFC Wimbledon. In view of its transplanting to Milton Keynes, a large majority of Wimbledon fans felt that the original club no longer represented Wimbledon's legacy and tradition, and thus withdrew their support, choosing instead to re-establish the club from scratch.

When AFC Wimbledon was formed it affiliated to both the London
London Football Association
The London Football Association is the regional Football Association for Greater London. The London FA was established in 1882 and is affiliated to The Football Association...

 and Surrey
Surrey County Football Association
The Surrey County Football Association was founded in 1877 and affiliated to The Football Association in 1882, at the same time as a County Senior Cup competition, the Surrey Senior Cup, was established...

 Football Associations and entered the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League. The side has since been promoted
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 five times in nine seasons: during this time, it played 78 consecutive league matches without defeat, which is an all-time record in English senior football.

Formation

The club was founded by supporters of Wimbledon Football Club, led by Kris Stewart
Kris Stewart
Kris Stewart is the founding chairman of English football club AFC Wimbledon. He was the club's chief executive and is also a CIMA passed finalist management accountant...

, in June 2002. Days earlier, the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

 had agreed to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football prior to a "fairytale" rise through the divisions following election to The Football League...

 56 miles north to the new town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

. The distance involved in this relocation was unprecedented in English football; by moving in such a way, Wimbledon F.C. were cutting all ties with the area of Wimbledon. Although Wimbledon F.C. were unable to relocate to Milton Keynes for more than a year, their traditional local support dried up almost immediately in protest.

In June 2002, in order to assemble a competitive team at short notice, AFC Wimbledon held player trials over three days on Wimbledon Common, open to any unattached player who felt he was good enough to try out for the team. From these trials, the club's squad for their inaugural season was chosen. The new team attracted a crowd of 4,657 fans for their first ever game, a pre-season friendly against Sutton United
Sutton United F.C.
Sutton United Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Conference South. They are based in Sutton, London, and play their home games at the Borough Sports Ground in Gander Green Lane....

 on 10 July where they were beaten 4–0.

Non-League football (2002–11)

AFC Wimbledon's first manager was Terry Eames
Terry Eames
Terry Eames is an English football manager and former professional player. He currently manages Roffey.-Playing career:...

. They started slowly but won their last eleven league games of the 2002–03 season, finishing third in the Combined Counties League, and only narrowly missing promotion to Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...

 Division One. Their average attendance exceeded 3,000 — higher than the average attendance the same season of Wimbledon F.C., still playing in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

.

In 2003–04
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....

, AFC Wimbledon won their first 21 league games before a draw on 10 January 2004, giving them 32 consecutive wins in league games over two seasons. By this time, they were the only club in England at any level to maintain a perfect league record for the 2003–04 season. Despite the sacking of Eames, AFC Wimbledon's success continued under caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...

 Nicky English, whose first game in charge resulted in a club record 9–0 victory. The team went on to finish as champions of the Combined Counties League, and unbeaten at that. Promotion to the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...

 First Division was therefore assured, and the club even completed a double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...

 by winning the league's Premier Challenge Cup.

Under newly appointed manager Dave Anderson, AFC Wimbledon took their form into the next season — they led the division all season, and ran away with the title to seal promotion to the League's Premier Division. AFC Wimbledon also took part in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 for the first time, reaching the Third Qualifying Round. Victory in the Surrey Senior Cup
Surrey Senior Cup
The Surrey Senior Cup is the senior Saturday cup of the Surrey FA. It is currently competed for by teams playing in the top nine levels of the English football league system who are affiliated to the Surrey FA...

 sealed two doubles in a row. During this season, AFC Wimbledon set a new record for the longest run of unbeaten league games at any level of senior football in the United Kingdom. They remained unbeaten for 78 league matches between 22 February 2003 (a 2–0 defeat at home to Withdean 2000
Withdean 2000 F.C.
Withdean 2000 F.C. were an English football team based in Withdean, in Brighton, who have in recent seasons played in the Combined Counties League...

) and 4 December 2004 (a 2–0 defeat at Cray Wanderers
Cray Wanderers F.C.
Cray Wanderers F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in Bromley, London. It is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club was established in 1860 in the twin villages of St. Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington, then in the county of Kent.They currently play...

).

The 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...

 season proved far more competitive than previous seasons — after winning their first few games, AFC Wimbledon found themselves struggling to remain in the play-off places. After fluctuating form they eventually reached the play-offs with a 1–0 win against Anderson's former club, Hendon
Hendon F.C.
Hendon Football Club are an English football club based in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.In the 2003-04 season they finished fourth in the Isthmian League Premier Division...

. However, defeat at Fisher Athletic
Fisher Athletic F.C.
Fisher Athletic F.C. was a semi-professional football club from South East London, which last played in the Conference South, which is one of the two leagues that form the sixth tier of the English football league system. The Bermondsey-based club ground-shared at Champion Hill Stadium, the home...

 meant no third promotion in a row. The Dons again reached the final of the Surrey Senior Cup, losing 1–0 to Kingstonian in a fiercely contested derby.

The 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...

 season was Anderson's last in charge, and AFC Wimbledon lost to Bromley in the play-off semi-final. Much of the season was overshadowed by the threat of a proposed 18-point deduction by the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

 for the club's fielding of Jermaine Darlington
Jermaine Darlington
Jermaine Mortimer Darlington is an English football player who plays for Whitstable Town as a left-sided midfielder or full-back.-Career:...

 who, it transpired, had not been registered correctly by the club and had therefore played in three games whilst still ineligible. However, this punishment was eventually reduced to a three point deduction and a £400 fine after the FA finally acknowledged that the club had made a simple administrative error. The Darlington affair also resulted in expulsion from the Surrey Senior Cup and the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...

 that year.

Under new boss Terry Brown
Terry Brown (football manager)
Terry Brown is the current manager of the English League Two football team AFC Wimbledon and is the former manager of both Aldershot Town and Hayes.-Playing career:...

, AFC Wimbledon achieved promotion to the Conference South the next season, beating Staines Town
Staines Town F.C.
Staines Town FC are an English football club based in Staines, Surrey. They are currently competing in the Conference South. The team are usually known as 'The Swans'...

 2–1 in the play-off final. AFC Wimbledon quickly adjusted to Conference South football during 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

, being amongst the leading clubs for most of the season and winning the title on the final day. The club competed in the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

 during 2009–10, finishing eighth, 14 points yet a mere three places short of the playoff zone.

The following season, Wimbledon finished as league runners-up. In the promotion play-off final, they beat Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...

 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had ended in a 0–0 draw after extra time. The winning penalty was scored by club captain Danny Kedwell. The victory resulted in the club winning promotion into The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 for the first time.

Football League (2011–present)

AFC Wimbledon currently play in Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....

, English football's fourth tier, during the 2011–12
2011–12 in English football
The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...

 season.

Ownership & legal status

AFCW PLC
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....

 was placed under the ownership of The Dons Trust, a supporters' group which has pledged to retain at least 75% control of that ownership. In 2003, however, a minority interest was sold in a share issue in order to finance the purchase of Kingsmeadow, the ground that AFCW part owned with Kingstonian
Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...

; given the circumstances of the club's formation, this decision raised some concerns.

The Dons Trust is an Industrial and Provident Society
Industrial and Provident Society
An industrial and provident society is a legal entity for a trading business or voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand...

 registered with the Financial Services Authority
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...

 as "Wimbledon Football Club Supporters' Society Limited". This is not to be confused with Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association (WISA) although WISA has as one of its stated constitutional aims "to purchase shares in AFC Wimbledon's holding company".

The Chief Executive is Erik Samuelson who carries out his full-time duties in return for the nominal sum of one guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...

 a year, because "it sounded posher than a pound".

Ground purchase and debt

Upon their foundation in 2002, AFC Wimbledon entered into a ground–sharing arrangement with Kingstonian
Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...

 to play home fixtures at Kingsmeadow, in the neighbouring borough of Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...

.

Kingsmeadow had been the home of Kingstonian since the club moved there in 1989 from its traditional Richmond Road ground. However the club had hit major financial difficulties following relegation from the Conference. Administrators sold the club, including the lease to the stadium, to the businessmen Anup and Rajesh Khosla. The Khoslas subsequently transferred ownership of the stadium away from the club and into separate subsidiary companies privately owned by the Khosla family, in a move widely seen as asset stripping
Asset stripping
Asset stripping involves selling the assets of a business individually at a profit. The term is generally used in a pejorative sense as such activity is not considered productive to the economy. Asset stripping is considered to be a problem in economies such as Russia or China that are making a...

.

After an SGM
Extraordinary General Meeting
An extraordinary general meeting, commonly abbreviated as EGM, is a meeting of members of an organisation, shareholders of a company, or employees of an official body, which occurs at an irregular time. The term is usually used where the group would ordinarily hold an annual general meeting , but...

, it was felt by the AFC Wimbledon board of directors that securing ownership of Kingsmeadow would safeguard the ground for the future of both clubs. In March 2003 the Dons Trust members voted to purchase part of the lease for Kingsmeadow and in June 2003 the contract for buying the lease to the stadium was agreed with Rajesh Khosla; £3 million needed to be raised. This purchase took place a few weeks before the proposed formation of the Kingstonian Supporters Trust which AFC Wimbledon's Supporters Trust had been advising. That trust itself would have considered purchasing the lease to the ground had it been able to raise the funds.

Various innovative methods of fundraising (primarily a share issue offer to supporters which quickly realised £1.2m, and the Dons Trust Bond) meant that the debt to Mr Khosla was steadily reduced. On 30 March 2006, a Dons Trust meeting was held at which a majority voted to accept a commercial loan from Barclays Bank in order to clear the outstanding debt to Mr Khosla, which was at a much higher rate of interest. On 24 November 2006 a statement on the website finally confirmed that the club had taken the Barclays loan, and had repaid Mr Khosla in full. Although the club has now settled its debt to Mr Khosla, around £300,000 is still owed in the form of the commercial loan, with a further £300,000 to Dons Trust bond–holders.

The club continues to work on new ways of fundraising to clear the debt once and for all. Meanwhile, the future of the ground is secured as a home venue both for AFC Wimbledon and equally importantly for Kingstonian F.C. Kingstonian lease the ground at a nominal rate, paid for in part by the proceeds of an annual pre-season friendly between the two clubs, the Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy
Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy
The Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy is a single match competition held every pre-season at Kingsmeadow in memory of the late Trevor Jones , previously Kingstonian's Reserve Team Manager, who died from electrocution at the age of 34....

. AFC Wimbledon's long term ambition however remains to return to a ground in the borough of Merton. Soon after the club's purchase of Kingsmeadow, then Finance Director and current Chairman, Erik Samuelson was reported as saying:

Youth & women's football

The club places very great emphasis on its role as a social focus for the entire local community, and part of this role is to offer the chance to play football to all.

The Dons have established both boys' and girls' youth teams from under-19s level all the way down to under-7s, as well as a senior women's team, AFC Wimbledon Ladies, which switched affiliation from Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...

 after the 2002–03 season.

Sponsorship

AFC Wimbledon have been sponsored by computer games developers Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...

, creators of the Championship Manager
Championship Manager
Championship Manager was the very first game in the popular Championship Manager series of association football management simulation games. The game was originally released on the Amiga and Atari ST in September, 1992 and then ported to the PC/DOS platform soon after...

 and Football Manager
Football Manager
Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...

 series, since the club's inception in 2002; the SI logo appears on the front of the team's shirts. SI Managing Director Miles Jacobson said of the sponsorship deal: "We are huge supporters of grass roots football. Most of us play grass roots football at some level (or in my case, below grass roots!), and we know that that is where the stars from tomorrow are going to come from."

The idea for Sports Interactive sponsorship came from Nick Robinson, who was an employee at Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....

, Sports Interactive's then-publishers. However, Eidos were not willing to fund the deal, and so Sports Interactive found the cash themselves.

The sponsorship of AFC Wimbledon is not Sports Interactive's first support of lower-league football; they sponsored a "Save York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...

" charity football tournament in 2001.

Current squad

Player of the Year

The WISA Player of the Year is voted for by fans in time for the final home game of the season. Previous winners have been:
Year Winner
2002–03   Lee Sidwell
2003–04   Matt Everard
2004–05   Richard Butler
2005–06   Andy Little
2006–07   Anthony Howard
2007–08   Jason Goodliffe
2008–09   Ben Judge
2009–10   Danny Kedwell
Danny Kedwell
Daniel Trevor Kedwell is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Gillingham in Football League Two.-Non-League:...

2010–11   Sam Hatton
Sam Hatton
Samuel William Hatton is an English footballer who plays for AFC Wimbledon as a defender.-Youth, Stevenage and loan spells:...


Former players

As part of WISA's campaign to reclaim the history of Wimbledon Football Club for the community of Wimbledon, the Wimbledon Old Players Association (WOPA) was formed in 2005. Membership of WOPA is open to all former Wimbledon F.C. and AFC Wimbledon players and managers. Among the sixty founder members were John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...

, Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...

, Efan Ekoku
Efan Ekoku
Efangwu Goziem "Efan" Ekoku is an English-born Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker.- Playing career :...

, Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster...

, Dave Bassett
Dave Bassett
David Bassett , also frequently known by his nickname of Harry, is an English football manager and a former player....

, Wally Downes
Wally Downes
Walter John "Wally" Downes is an English former football player and manager, he is currently a first team coach at West Ham UnitedHe is the nephew of former world middleweight boxing champion Terry Downes.-Playing career:...

, Marcus Gayle
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Anthony Gayle is an English born Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, though towards the end of his career he also played as a central defender...

, Neal Ardley
Neal Ardley
Neal Christopher Ardley is an English former professional footballer who played either as a right-back or right midfielder...

, Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble
Alan Kimble is a retired English professional footballer.-Youth:Left back Kimble started his career at Charlton Athletic alongside his twin brother, Garry Kimble...

, Andy Thorn
Andy Thorn (footballer)
Andy Thorn is a retired English footballer and the current manager of Coventry City.As a player at Wimbledon, he was part of the side that achieved a famous victory over Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final...

, Roger Joseph
Roger Joseph
Roger Anthony Joseph is a former footballer who is most notable for playing for Wimbledon and then going on to play for AFC Wimbledon...

, Dickie Guy
Dickie Guy
Dickie Guy is an English former non-league goalkeeper for Wimbledon FC during the sixties and seventies. Today, Guy is the President of AFC Wimbledon, the supporter-owned club which represents Wimbledon.-Playing career:...

, Allen Batsford
Allen Batsford
Allen Batsford was a former football manager. He was appointed manager of Walton & Hersham in 1967 and led them to the Athenian League title in 1969 and the Amateur Cup in 1973. He left to join Wimbledon, leading them to three consecutive Southern League titles and election to the Football League...

, Roger Connell, Ian Cooke
Ian Cooke (footballer)
Ian Cooke is an English former professional footballer who played for Wimbledon for his entire career.-Playing career:Cooke joined the amateur Isthmian League club Wimbledon in 1963, and played in the club's final two amateur matches a year later. Wimbledon turned professional in 1964, and Cooke's...

, Roy Law and Steve Galliers. Glenn Mulcaire
Glenn Mulcaire
Glenn Mulcaire, born September 8, 1970, is a former professional footballer, latterly a private investigator. He has been closely associated with the News International phone hacking scandal. In January 2007 he was found guilty of illegally intercepting phone messages from Clarence House and...

 scored the team's first goal, against Bromley in 2002.

On 16 July 2006, WOPA fielded a team in the Masters Football Tournament
Masters football
Masters football is a 6 a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 are chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club which they played for. Regional heats are held, and the winners of each go forward to a national...

 at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...

, with AFC Wimbledon's backing. The team included Carlton Fairweather
Carlton Fairweather
Carlton U. Fairweather, born 22 September 1961 in Camberwell) is a retired English footballer.-Playing career:Fairweather began his career in Non-League football with Dulwich Hamlet, Bromley and Tooting & Mitcham United where his performances attracted the attentions of Wimbledon.He signed for the...

, Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald (footballer born 1969)
Scott Fitzgerald is a football coach, who is employed by Millwall as youth team manager. Fitzgerald is a former footballer, and the former manager of League One side Brentford.-Career:...

, Marcus Gayle
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Anthony Gayle is an English born Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, though towards the end of his career he also played as a central defender...

, and Dean Holdsworth
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...

.

Current management and coaching staff

Name Nationality Role
Terry Brown
Terry Brown (football manager)
Terry Brown is the current manager of the English League Two football team AFC Wimbledon and is the former manager of both Aldershot Town and Hayes.-Playing career:...

 Kingdom of England Manager
Stuart Cash  Kingdom of England Assistant manager
Simon Bassey  Kingdom of England Coach
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Gayle
Marcus Anthony Gayle is an English born Jamaican former professional footballer who played as a striker or winger, though towards the end of his career he also played as a central defender...

 Jamaica Reserve team manager
Mike Rayner  Kingdom of England Physiotherapist
Jason Moriarty  Kingdom of England Fitness coach
Rhiannon Luke  Wales Sports therapist
Anup Sharma  Kingdom of England Club doctor
Paul Quinton  Kingdom of England Club doctor


Managerial history

Dates Manager
2002–04   Terry Eames
Terry Eames
Terry Eames is an English football manager and former professional player. He currently manages Roffey.-Playing career:...

2004   Nicky English (caretaker
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...

)
2004–07   Dave Anderson
2007–present   Terry Brown
Terry Brown (football manager)
Terry Brown is the current manager of the English League Two football team AFC Wimbledon and is the former manager of both Aldershot Town and Hayes.-Playing career:...



Honours

Following the move of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes and its rebranding as Milton Keynes Dons, there was much debate over the rightful home of all the honours won by Wimbledon F.C.. Former supporters argued that the trophies won by Wimbledon F.C. rightfully belong to the community of Wimbledon and should be returned to the local area. AFC Wimbledon believe that the honours of Wimbledon F.C. belong to the fans, as illustrated by the following statement on the club's official website:
In October 2006, an agreement was reached between Milton Keynes Dons F.C., the MK Dons Supporters Association, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and the Football Supporters Federation. The replica of the FA Cup plus all club patrimony gathered under the name of Wimbledon F.C. would be returned to the London Borough of Merton. Ownership of trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

s and website domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....

s related to Wimbledon F.C. would also be transferred to the Borough. It was also agreed that any reference made to Milton Keynes Dons F.C. should refer only to events after 7 August 2004, the date of the first league match played as Milton Keynes Dons. As a result of this deal, the Football Supporters Federation announced that the supporters of Milton Keynes Dons would be permitted to become members of the federation, and that it would no longer appeal to the supporters of other clubs to boycott MK Dons matches. The replica trophies and Wimbledon F.C. memorabilia were returned to Merton on 2 August 2007.

Only honours won by AFC Wimbledon are listed here. For a list of honours won by Wimbledon F.C., see Wimbledon F.C.#Honours.
  • Football Conference
    Football Conference
    The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...

    • Conference National
      Conference National
      Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...

      • Play-off winners (1):
      • Runners-up (1):
    • Conference South
      Conference South
      Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...

      • Champions (1):
  • Isthmian League
    Isthmian League
    The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...

    • Premier Division
      • Play-off winners (1):
    • Division One
      • Champions (1):
  • Combined Counties League
    • Champions (1):
  • Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup
    • Winners (1):
  • Surrey Senior Cup
    Surrey Senior Cup
    The Surrey Senior Cup is the senior Saturday cup of the Surrey FA. It is currently competed for by teams playing in the top nine levels of the English football league system who are affiliated to the Surrey FA...

    • Winners (1):
    • Runners-up (1):
  • Supporters Direct Cup
    Supporters Direct Cup
    The Supporters Direct Cup is an annual, pre-season friendly football competition established by Supporters Direct, the organisation that seeks to increase supporter representation in football.-Format:...

    • Winners (3): ,
    • Runners-up (2): ,
  • Phil Ledger Memorial Cup
    • Winners (1):

Records

Club records

  • Biggest home victory: AFC Wimbledon 9–0 Slough Town
    Slough Town F.C.
    Slough Town F.C. is an English semi-professional football club. The club was officially founded in 1890 after the amalgamation of three local clubs, Swifts, Slough Albion and Young Men's Friendly Society, who between them forged a new club, Slough F.C....

    , 31 March 2007.
  • Biggest away victory: Chessington United 0–9 AFC Wimbledon, 14 February 2004.
  • Biggest home defeat: AFC Wimbledon 0–4 Hampton & Richmond Borough
    Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C.
    Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. are an English football club based in the suburb of Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. They were founded in 1921 and formerly known as Hampton F.C. until 1999 when they changed their name in an attempt to draw a wider support base from around the...

    , 1 April 2006.
  • Biggest away defeat: York City
    York City F.C.
    York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...

     5–0 AFC Wimbledon, 7 April 2010.
  • Longest unbeaten league run: 78 matches, from 26 February 2003 to 27 November 2004 (This is currently the longest unbeaten run of consecutive league matches in all senior English football)
  • Record home attendance: 4,722 at Kingsmeadow, 25 April 2009 against St Albans City
    St Albans City F.C.
    St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...

    .

Player records

  • Most appearances: 194 (as of July 2011), by Sam Hatton - May 2007 - Ongoing.
  • Most goals: 107, by Kevin Cooper in 105 appearances between August 2002 and May 2004.
  • Most league goals in a season: 53, by Kevin Cooper (66 in all competitions) during 2003–04.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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