'Unprecedented' - Wimbledon ground fund hits £100k

A crowdfunding page group up to raise money for AFC Wimbledon aft nan club's stadium was damaged by flooding has gathered much than £100,000 successful donations.

The Cherry Red Records Stadium successful Plough Lane was near underwater aft ample amounts of rainfall fell successful nan area connected Sunday nighttime and Monday morning, causing extended harm to nan pitch.

More than 100,000 litres of h2o has been pumped retired of nan stadium this week.

Wimbledon's Carabao Cup third-round match against Newcastle United has been moved to St James' Park adjacent week and nan Premier League nine person pledged £15,000 to nan fund.

Lifelong Wimbledon instrumentality Graham Stacey group up nan JustGiving page, external pinch a target of £10,000 to thief effort to return immoderate financial strain disconnected nan nine but has been overwhelmed by nan generosity he has seen from shot fans astir nan country, pinch nan existent target now up to £150,000 arsenic donations proceed to travel in.

"It's perfectly astonishing and unprecedented I think," nan 50-year-old told BBC Sport.

"We've had mini donations of pouch money pledged and we've besides had donations of £5,000 from individuals."

One specified aid was from adjacent week's cup opponents nan Magpies.

"I had to refresh nan page a fewer times and cheque it was really from nan club," Stacey said.

"I cannot praise Newcastle and their fans highly enough. Their fans were nan ones who started donating and putting things connected societal media to spot what they could do [to help].

"People person a popular astatine nan Premier League but this shows there's a bosom there, astatine nan extremity of nan day."

Stacey now lives successful Hook, Hampshire, but was calved and raised successful Wimbledon and started going to watch nan nine astatine nan aged Plough Lane crushed successful nan 1970s.

The original nine was moved to Milton Keynes to shape MK Dons successful a hugely arguable determination much than 20 years agone that led to fans founding nan phoenix nine AFC Wimbledon successful its place.

Stacey has since served connected nan committee of nan Dons Trust, which owns nan existent type of nan club, from 2019 to 2022.

The Dons moved backmost to Plough Lane successful their caller stadium successful 2020, having faced a shortfall nan twelvemonth earlier erstwhile fans again reached into their pockets to help.

And Stacey said he felt "utter devastation" erstwhile he saw nan harm connected Monday.

"It's much than a shot crushed to us, it's thing we built," he said.

"Getting into that stadium has been a spot of a journey.

"We didn't really cognize what to expect [when starting nan crowdfund]. Our fans ever rally around, they tackle adversity caput on."

The afloat grade of nan harm to nan stadium, arsenic good arsenic nan nonstop cause, is not yet known by nan nine but excavation was owed to commencement connected nan transportation connected Wednesday, managing head James Woodroof told BBC Radio London connected Tuesday.

He said nan adjacent River Wandle had surgery its banks aft aggravated rainfall connected Sunday and Monday and that nan h2o had funnelled into nan stadium, getting into nine buildings and flooding nan concourses.

Wimbledon had hoped to play Saturday's League Two crippled against Accrington Stanley at an replacement crushed successful southbound London but, for illustration adjacent Tuesday's sojourn of Crewe Alexandra, nan lucifer has been postponed.

Four tankers, carrying 27,000 litres of h2o each, pumped opinionated h2o from nan stadium connected Tuesday.

With a moving pat estimated to usage 9 litres a minute, 100,000 litres is nan balanced of a pat being near connected continuously for astir a week.

Woodroof is hoping to person repairs completed successful clip to shape nan Dons' adjacent scheduled location crippled against Carlisle United connected Saturday, 12 October.

Stacey, meanwhile, said he did not cognize what nan nine would take to walk nan crowdfunding money on, whether it was nan costs of repairs to nan stadium aliases ground-sharing while they return place.

"I cognize from my clip connected nan committee that if we are to stock a crushed it's not cheap, arsenic we played a fewer games astatine QPR [Loftus Road]," he said.

"I cognize nan money is going to beryllium good spent and arsenic a nine we'll request it."

Wimbledon will person 45% of nan proceeds [after costs] from adjacent week's lucifer astatine Newcastle, successful statement pinch nan English Football League's Carabao Cup rules.