AFC Wimbledon are determined to return to their Plough Lane home with the help of a new commercial naming partner.
The Dons have submitted a full planning application for a new 20,000 capacity stadium, which will be owned by the fans and reflect the club’s ethos and its wider community.
The club believe the right brand can, via a naming partnership, join them on the new journey and be part of their future growth.
Erik Samuelson, Chief Executive of AFC Wimbledon, said: “It’s been no secret this club wants to move back home to Plough Lane and now we have the opportunity to do so.
“To help make this a reality and to continue the club’s growth we want to work with brands who share our ethos and vision.”
The club has appointed Sport Collective to work with them to develop the new stadium commercial programme and to find suitable partners.
Director at Sport Collective, Peter Daire, said: “Wimbledon is completely unique.
“From winning the most famous FA Cup Final of the modern era to its re-birth and subsequent rapid rise, AFC Wimbledon is owned and operated by fans.
“The stunning new stadium is the next chapter – it offers brands a great opportunity to be part of a story that generates global attention.”
AFC Wimbledon’s remarkable rise began in 2002 when the club was formed by a group of fans determined to preserve its past after an FA commission allowed Wimbledon FC to relocate to Milton Keynes.
Determined not to let a proud 104-year history, which included 1988 FA Cup glory against Liverpool at Wembley, die, Dons supporters organised themselves and within just six weeks AFC Wimbledon – a club the commission had declared would be ‘not in the wider interests of football’ – was born.
Following the formation of AFC Wimbledon, five promotions in nine years followed and in 2011 the club was promoted to the Football League after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Luton.
Picture courtesy of Matthew Black, with thanks
