The NEW Wimbledon Stadium

[Guest]

Details of the new non-speedway stadium at Plough Lane, former home of the Wimbledon Dons, oval circuit car racing and greyhound racing:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/12893625/afc-wimbledon-new-ground-first-inside-look?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebarweb&fbclid=IwAR3lmRlFhU9ZtWc8xX9VRH_FUymefHdFyYjJr9heFN-HxyrVgK-Y2T0ikcU

[Guest]

Doncaster are the first team to play away at Plough Lane on November 3

[chunky]

1 hour ago, Chris116 said:

Hope the place floods and all the flats sink into the River Wandle. 

Now look...

You are a speedway fan, I get it. So am I. A lot of us speedway fans have lost the teams we love. Over the years, a lot of football fans have also lost the teams they love, but it is clear that you don't give a crap about them. I am one of those who has lost both their speedway team AND their football team.

Speedway always was - and still is - my favourite sport.

Wimbledon was my favourite team, and I could be found at Plough Lane most weeks.

Wimbledon FC was my favourite team, and I could be found at Plough Lane most weeks.

How the hell do you think I felt, losing both? I'm not the only one. There are several BSF members who were regulars at both Wimbledon speedway AND football.

Yes, it's bittersweet, but speedway was never coming back. Football is not the reason for speedway's demise in Wimbledon. Or London. Or the UK.

At least WE have ONE team returning home - which is a lot better than none.

There really is no need for you to be such a bitter and spiteful b'stard towards people who have done absolutely nothing to you. Including those of us who have suffered the heartache of losing our team TWICE.

[Ben91]

6 hours ago, chunky said:

Now look...

You are a speedway fan, I get it. So am I. A lot of us speedway fans have lost the teams we love. Over the years, a lot of football fans have also lost the teams they love, but it is clear that you don't give a crap about them. I am one of those who has lost both their speedway team AND their football team.

Speedway always was - and still is - my favourite sport.

Wimbledon was my favourite team, and I could be found at Plough Lane most weeks.

Wimbledon FC was my favourite team, and I could be found at Plough Lane most weeks.

How the hell do you think I felt, losing both? I'm not the only one. There are several BSF members who were regulars at both Wimbledon speedway AND football.

Yes, it's bittersweet, but speedway was never coming back. Football is not the reason for speedway's demise in Wimbledon. Or London. Or the UK.

At least WE have ONE team returning home - which is a lot better than none.

There really is no need for you to be such a bitter and spiteful b'stard towards people who have done absolutely nothing to you. Including those of us who have suffered the heartache of losing our team TWICE.

How about the heartache of the Kingstonian fans who appear to have had their ground sold from under them? 

[chunky]

17 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

How about the heartache of the Kingstonian fans who appear to have had their ground sold from under them? 

Oh, I get that (I don't know the full details of everything that transpired), but we lost our ground too - before losing everything...

[Ben91]

7 minutes ago, chunky said:

Oh, I get that (I don't know the full details of everything that transpired), but we lost our ground too - before losing everything...

Not claiming to be an expert but considering what AFC have been through a little more sensitivity wouldn’t have gone amiss. Lost a lot of respect for the club when I read an article about what has seemingly happened a year or so back. 

[chunky]

2 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Not claiming to be an expert but considering what AFC have been through a little more sensitivity wouldn’t have gone amiss. Lost a lot of respect for the club when I read an article about what has seemingly happened a year or so back. 

As I said, I dont know everything that went on - and why. The fact that our goal was always to move back to Wimbledon (or somewhere close), I really don't know why things were done as they were, and what the long-term plans were for the K's?

[Grachan]

I used to love trips to Wimbledon speedway, but, lets face it, the sport was finished there.

When I first went there, the football ground was on the left as you turned into Plough Lane, and it was quite exciting to see it as, although they were non-league, they had made a bit of a name for themselves with a bit of a run in the FA Cup.

I always liked Wimbledon as a football club, probably because of that and the way they pushed their way up the leagues. I haven't been to that many football matches, but did go to watch The Dons once, when they were having to ground share with Crystal Palace.

Wimbledon were, effectively, shut down as a club and had to start again from scratch. The fact that they are in the Football League now is, in itself, something of an achievement.

If Wimbledon Speedway had been forced to shut down by this move, I may have been less charitable about it, but on balance, I think it's a good thing to have the Football team back in Plough Lane.

Amazing how quick it was built. Swindon Speedway's new stadium still hasn't started!

[steve roberts]

23 minutes ago, Grachan said:

I used to love trips to Wimbledon speedway, but, lets face it, the sport was finished there.

When I first went there, the football ground was on the left as you turned into Plough Lane, and it was quite exciting to see it as, although they were non-league, they had made a bit of a name for themselves with a bit of a run in the FA Cup.

I always liked Wimbledon as a football club, probably because of that and the way they pushed their way up the leagues. I haven't been to that many football matches, but did go to watch The Dons once, when they were having to ground share with Crystal Palace.

Wimbledon were, effectively, shut down as a club and had to start again from scratch. The fact that they are in the Football League now is, in itself, something of an achievement.

If Wimbledon Speedway had been forced to shut down by this move, I may have been less charitable about it, but on balance, I think it's a good thing to have the Football team back in Plough Lane.

Amazing how quick it was built. Swindon Speedway's new stadium still hasn't started!

...and, unfortunately, never likely to as long as Clark Osborne is involved.

[chunky]

20 minutes ago, Grachan said:

I used to love trips to Wimbledon speedway, but, lets face it, the sport was finished there.

If Wimbledon Speedway had been forced to shut down by this move, I may have been less charitable about it.

For some reason, a lot of people can't get their heads round the fact - as much as I hate to say it - that speedway was never going to come back. Yet they still seem to blame football for it.

20 minutes ago, Grachan said:

When I first went there, the football ground was on the left as you turned into Plough Lane, and it was quite exciting to see it as, although they were non-league, they had made a bit of a name for themselves with a bit of a run in the FA Cup.

While I had a strong connection to speedway and the stadium, I had an equally strong one to the football club - my grandad was the groundsman there! When we had to switch the replay against Leeds to Selhurst (heavy rain destroyed the pitch), my grandad actually had his photo in the papers.

21 minutes ago, Grachan said:

Wimbledon were, effectively, shut down as a club and had to start again from scratch. The fact that they are in the Football League now is, in itself, something of an achievement.

That's the way I see it. We worked our way to the top once, lost our ground, then lost the club. Started up again from nothing and are doing it all again!

[Grachan]

15 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

...and, unfortunately, never likely to as long as Clark Osborne is involved.

Quite probably, although never say never! Hopefully the strong sporting ties to that particular piece of land will eventually force his hand.

[cityrebel]

1 hour ago, chunky said:

As I said, I dont know everything that went on - and why. The fact that our goal was always to move back to Wimbledon (or somewhere close), I really don't know why things were done as they were, and what the long-term plans were for the K's?

Well the K's are now playing in a non descript ground at Tolworth, groundsharing with Corinthian Casuals. Whilst Kingsmeadow, their home, is now owned by money bags Chelsea. A tale almost as sad as the original Wimbledon FC moving to Milton Keynes. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[chunky]

1 minute ago, cityrebel said:

Well the K's are now playing in a non descript ground at Tolworth, groundsharing with Corinthian Casuals. Whilst Kingsmeadow, their home, is now owned by money bags Chelsea. A tale almost as sad as the original Wimbledon FC moving to Milton Keynes. Two wrongs don't make a right.

I understand that. As I said, I don't understand why things were done the way they were. Our goal was always to go back to Wimbledon.

So, why did Kingstonian sell us Kingsmeadow? Was it just a short-term financial fix?

Couldn't they have added a first refusal or rental clause should we move back to Wimbledon?

Sadly, while speedway has suffered from a devastating loss of venues in recent years, there have also been some strange goings-on in the football world, particularly outside of the top tier. I used to know all the league grounds - not any more.

[iris123]

2 hours ago, cityrebel said:

Well the K's are now playing in a non descript ground at Tolworth, groundsharing with Corinthian Casuals. Whilst Kingsmeadow, their home, is now owned by money bags Chelsea. A tale almost as sad as the original Wimbledon FC moving to Milton Keynes. Two wrongs don't make a right.

It could all end in tears anyway, if what the Orient guy is saying on the Beeb is true. Most clubs only have about 5-6 weeks before they start to close !!! If things don’t change

Could be that the Dons have finally got their stadium , but at the wrong time

What is a surprise to me, as I haven’t followed the story that closely is how Kingstonian ended up in this situation. As when Micky Drop was at the club I went to a couple of games at their old stadium near the centre of Kingston by the train station. That was a lovely old place, and would have thought they got a good deal to sell it. Rather like the situation Sulwich have found themselves in, after moving out of their old ground into a new stadium at the same place and then finding themselves kicked out of that and needing to find yet another ground

[salty]

I remember when K's were located at Richmond Road before they moved to Kingsmeadow, which incidentally used to be Norbiton Sports ground. Ironically I used to play there and we lost it as our pitch when the K's took over the site. 

Dont know the full details but it does appear they have been shafted.

As for Plough Lane I'm glad the football team are back home, just a shame it's took so long and it has been at the expense of the dog track. Plenty of villains in this story not least RCP who have presided over so many stadium sales as owners of the GRA.

[chunky]

2 hours ago, iris123 said:

What is a surprise to me, as I haven’t followed the story that closely is how Kingstonian ended up in this situation.

That was my point. There are a lot of unanswered questions here...

[djr]

15 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Hope the place floods and all the flats sink into the River Wandle. 

Me too

Its not as if London has no other Football stadiums / Clubs 

yet this was the last  Stock Car / Greyhound / speedway track in London ,  and AFC Wimbledon didn't care about  the  2 sports using the existing stadium that got kicked out

[chunky]

27 minutes ago, Chris116 said:

I am not only a speedway fan but also a Stock Car fan and used to go twice a week when both sports were at the stadium. I first saw speedway at Wimbledon in 1957 and went to the second ever Stock Car meeting at Plough Lane in 1962. After 2002 I also watched the dog racing around twice a month so the stadium was my home from home for over 50 years and Galliard Homes and the GRA have taken that away. Just as the now MK Don's stole my and many other people's football from them when they sold the old Plough Lane ground. Kingstonians look to have lost their ground because of AFC Wimbledon and the only winners in this whole sad story are Galliard Homes who are currently, I understand, sponsors of AFC. My worry is that once AFC have played a season or two the said sponsor will drop out, AFC will be in financial trouble and Galliard will then try to knock the new stadium down and build more flats which I fear was the original intention. 

That still doesn't explain your attitude towards the new stadium (and homes), and the club.

[iris123]

3 hours ago, salty said:

I remember when K's were located at Richmond Road before they moved to Kingsmeadow, which incidentally used to be Norbiton Sports ground. Ironically I used to play there and we lost it as our pitch when the K's took over the site. 

Dont know the full details but it does appear they have been shafted.

As for Plough Lane I'm glad the football team are back home, just a shame it's took so long and it has been at the expense of the dog track. Plenty of villains in this story not least RCP who have presided over so many stadium sales as owners of the GRA.

My feeling is though, there must have been some major mis-management or very bad judgments made at both Kingstonian and Dulwich. Both had quite decent grounds, if run down. But certainly in good areas. I guess they done a good deal, which surely should have set them up for a very long time. Instead within a couple of decades they find themselves without a ground.....luckily Dulwich seem to have found a piece of land, and I am also glad to see Fisher being re-incarnated and also finding a piece of land near their old ground, which I also went to a few times

This from wikipedia, seems to back up my hunch

Relegation and, moreover, financial problems as a result of severe overspending in the chase for success, saw a sharp downturn in the club's fortunes between 2001 and 2005.in 2003 the then manager Kim Harris said that the owner, property developer Rajesh Khosla, was "raping us"after Khosla sold the Kingsmeadow ground for £2 million in personal profit.

So it was just over a decade after moving that they were in desperate trouble

 I do fear AFC could end up in big financial trouble and end up like those I have mentioned. I, unlike a couple here though, wish them all the best 

Edited October 13, 2020 by iris123

[Mimmo]

17 hours ago, Chris116 said:

Hope the place floods and all the flats sink into the River Wandle. 

So do I.