NEWS UPDATE AFC WIMBLEDON - LEAGUE ONE, NEW STADIUM JUNE 2020

Happy 18th birthday AFC Wimbledon.
It only took us 9 years to claim our place back into the Football League, and then just another 9 years to finalise the move back to Wimbledon itself. An outstanding achievement for a fans owned club by any stretch of the imagination and one that was originally claimed would be "not in the wider interests of football" how wrong the FA Panel were.
EFL League One Decision
Still not heard anything definite from the EFL, while the Premier League seem to have confirmed a return to both training and action starting 17th June [albeit behind closed doors] the fact that the EFL have yet to even mention a return to training would suggest that the season is all but over. With nine games for us to play, (yes, some teams like Tranmere have ten), and then there's the play offs to squeeze in as well, surely would take a few more months even if training started anytime soon. How long are they going to keep delaying this? I know clubs are divided, but if all leagues below are already ended, what is so special about League One? A sensible decision needs to be made when the EFL meet yet again on June 8th.
New Stadium Update - Plough Lane
Eighteen years after one of the bleakest days in our history, it is with considerable pride and pleasure that we can today confirm the news we've all been waiting for: 
"We're going home!"

It was on this day in 2002 that the FA's independent commission allowed our club to be ripped from its community. Worse, we were even told that for the fans to attempt to continue by reforming Wimbledon’s football club would not be in the "wider interests of football”. But now we are delighted to be able to confirm that May 28, 2020 can go down as a day to be remembered - for all the right reasons. 

In short, the road is now clear for our return to Plough Lane and the final construction contract has been signed. We are also able to announce a new minority shareholder, whose investment has filled in one of the last pieces of the fundraising jigsaw alongside the Seedrs crowdfunding and the Plough Lane Bond scheme. This means the stadium construction is on track and the Dons Trust remain the majority shareholder with over 75 per cent of the holding.

Other News including signings / departures
While there is still plenty of indecision about the League and the future, we know very little about who's going and certainly very little chances of people coming in. Our two loan keepers will surely be going back to their parent clubs, and plenty of players will soon be out of contract this month. The main news apart from the New Stadium surrounds the confirmation of a new investor to the club Mr Nick Robertson. 

INTRODUCING NICK ROBERTSON
Few of our fans will know the name Nick Robertson, but it’s been almost two years since he began quietly helping us with our return to Plough Lane. Our new investor has been to home games, enjoyed drinking in the bars, listened to our stories and, all too often, anguished over our results. Nick quickly understood what ‘Bringing The Dons Home’ meant to us all and very soon promised the people leading the project that he would do his bit to help. Nick doesn’t just love football, he also cares passionately about the community - he helped create the online fashion company ASOS -  and he supports a number of charities and good causes. He summed up his feelings for everyone at the club with this tribute: 
“I love the resilience of the club, the passion of the fans, and their commitment to the community. What the fans did was truly amazing. They proved they aren’t just supporters; they clearly take their roles as owners extremely seriously,” said Nick. “More than anything I’ve learned how much fan ownership means to everyone. I realise it’s at the heart and soul of everything – and quite rightly so, given what the supporters have achieved".

Nick, who lives in Wimbledon Village, was introduced to us when we asked a long-standing supporter if there were any business people in the borough who might help with our homecoming. As a result, there was a meeting with Nick at the Fox and Grapes pub at lunch-time on May 29, 2018, and he immediately offered to help in any way he could.

Last year, for example, he contributed generously to the rebuilding of Wimbledon’s popular children’s theatre, the Polka, and more recently helped secure the survival of the Wimbledon Bookfest. And Nick also hosted a series of dinners at which groups of Wimbledon businessmen were told about our plans, our hopes and our needs. He became increasingly involved and offered welcome advice and reassurance during the stressful fund-raising pressures we faced earlier this year.

Inevitably, Nick's name started to become known, so to allay false rumours and fears he met a group of supporters for a pint or two in the Hand in Hand on Wimbledon Common. Had it not been for the lockdown, he would have been with us for a farewell party following our final game at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.