AFC Wimbledon, the phoenix club who have risen from the ashes of Wimbledon FC, have been on quite a journey since being forced to start again. After starting from the very bottom of the English football pyramid system, the Wombles achieved Football League status in 2002 in what many regard as the greatest story in football. Their return home to Plough Lane is also magical.

Fan power at the forefront

Wimbledon fans have been on quite a journey. Those who followed the original incarnation of the club, which is the vast majority of AFC Wimbledon fans today, have gone from watching Premier League football to owning Wimbledon’s football club. While they undoubtedly still assess odds on football games and might back the likes of England to win the Euros in Germany at 3/1, football at the top level is a world away.

Sure, Wimbledon supporters can indulge in top-flight football by watching Match of the Day or through a bet on Premier League, but their main passion is with their fan-owned football club that is the envy of so many. Now, with a stadium of their own in the affluent residential town, they’ve achieved something countless Wimbledon owners of old said wasn’t possible.

Attendances show there's an appetite for football

AFC Wimbledon are a classic example of a club who was owned by unscrupulous businessmen. Thankfully, with fans at the forefront, the Wombles’ faithful proved their previous owners wrong by officially returning home on 3 November 2020. The stadium, which cost over £30 million to build thanks to fan donations and a clever bond scheme that the club’s Dons Trust ownership created, is located just a few hundred yards up the road from Wimbledon FC’s original Plough Lane home, a quite remarkable scenario.

The return of Wimbledon’s football club to the local area has also clearly gone down well with locals. In League Two last season, the Dons attracted average crowds of 7,893. That figure highlights the passion surrounding the fan-led project at the club, although with a capacity of just over 9,000, more fans could be tempted in the future.

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A great venue to watch football

Plough Lane has certainly pulled in football fans since it arrived in the area. It also has some intriguing features. For example, the playing surface combines a mixture of synthetic and real grass to create an incredible pitch that rarely results in games being called off.

Additionally, the club’s strong community package means there’s always something for visiting fans to get involved with. From community projects, such as the Dons Local Action Group, to some excellent hospitality offerings fans can make the most of, AFC Wimbledon’s new Plough Lane home caters for football fans in a way many other stadiums don’t.

The Wombles are aiming for promotion

After suffering their first ever relegation from League One in 2022, the Wombles have been rebuilding in League Two. With a big summer of recruitment ahead, though, the Dons are expected to be right up there next season.

Johnnie Jackson's side are certainly capable of mounting a promotion push, something fans of the club clearly deserve given the asset they’ve brought home to the local community and the journey they've been on.

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