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Wimbledon Stadium: Some Important News

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Very one eyed reporting in my view. The SLP article gives the impression that the "hardest hurdle" was the Dons Trust voting to sell Kingsmeadow and move back to Plough Lane. Surely the hardest hurdle is getting the planning permission?

No mention of the alternative plans to keep the greyhounds.

 

This article gives more detail of the issues that still have to be addressed...

http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=114818&headline=AFC%20Wimbledon%20chief:%20It%20could%20be%20months%20before%20we%20know%20whether%20Plough%20Lane%20Stadium%20will%20go%20ahead&sectionIs=sport&searchyear=current

Whilst this report gives the residents view...

http://www.racingpost.com/news/greyhounds/football-simply-not-wanted-by-wimbledon-residents/1992928/top/

Edited by salty

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Permission given for redevelopment. It does appear that the decision was already made. The end for last historic venue in london.

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Forwarded message:::

::::::::::

 

So the decision has been made. Galliard homes along with AFC Wimbledon have just been granted permission to redevelop Wimbledon Stadium. For the purposes of Football.

 

Sad day for a Speedway Club with such a great History.

 

A real shame.

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Sad day for a Speedway Club with such a great History.

 

A real shame.

 

I'm personally happy. Wimbledon football has been around perhaps 30 years longer than the speedway, and lets be honest, speedway could never have come back there.

 

I'm just gutted for the banger racing community personally

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Fantastic news. So pleased that common sense has prevailed and AFC Wimbledon is returning to their spiritual home.

 

One can only admire how a club founded by supporters as recently as June 2002, have achieved so much in such a short time.

 

From a speedway perspective, it's a pity that the supporters of Wimbledon Speedway were not as committed, organised and enthusiastic as their football counterparts......and the sport may never have been lost to this part of south London!!!

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Nothing like rewriting history is there? Just as the football club have done. The dons moved to milton keynes?? Afc have no history with plough lane.

And speedway was chucked out by galliard. Maybe if someone had millions to flatter the owners they may have been saved. But some people live in the real world. And a new dog stadium just may have seen them persuaded to have a speedway track there.

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So, according to the Greyhound Board of Great Britain spokesman in gustix link: "Wimbledon is the last track within the M25 and we think it is important there is a track here in London, because greyhound racing is still the fifth most popular sport in this country."

 

Have Romford and Crayford both been moved to outside the M25 since I was last there then?

 

http://www.romfordgreyhoundstadium.co.uk/

 

http://www.crayford.com/about.html

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Excuse my confusion........... but I find your reply rater contradictory: ...........

 

Not at all contradictory.

A brief history lesson for you so you might understand just how exciting this news is.

AFC Wimbledon was formed In June 2002 as a direct reaction to the decision of the Football Association to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate to Milton Keynes some 60 miles away. The large majority of Wimbledon F.C. supporters very strongly opposed the idea of moving the club so far, feeling that a club transplanted to Milton Keynes would no longer represent Wimbledon F.C.'s legacy and traditions, and, having campaigned against the proposed move, viewed its official sanctioning as the "death of their club" AFC Wimbledon considers itself a spiritual successor or "phoenix" version of the original team.

As a result a move back to Plough Lane, just a stones throw from the site of their own stadium, is for many a return to their "spiritual" home.

It just shows what can be achieved by "Fan Power", if you have people with the passion, determination and commitment.

As I wrote before if the so-called fans of Wimbledon Speedway had showed half the commitment and passion of the founding fathers of AFC Wimbledon, then speedway in this part of South London may not have been lost!!!

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Not sure if Mr Snackette is being deliberately inflammatory in suggesting that as Wimbledon speedway supporters we could have in effect saved speedway at Plough Lane. Anyone wanting to understand the real financial background should read the previous excellent posts by Arthur Cross.

 

The stadium owners made it abundantly clear that they didn't want speedway. It's no surprise that Galliard Homes wanted to develop the site to maximise housing whilst meeting the requirement to maintain sporting use. Motor sport of any kind is not compatible with that.

 

I would be interested to see the financial plan. I hope AFC has done it's homework. Sport is littered with sucessful business people who loose the plot when it comes to sport.

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A brief history lesson for you so you might understand just how exciting this news is.

 

If you consider the upcoming destruction of one of the most historic and famous speedway stadiums in the UK as "exciting", then maybe you're on the wrong forum.

 

Dreadful news.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited by lucifer sam
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Not sure if Mr Snackette is being deliberately inflammatory in suggesting that as Wimbledon speedway supporters we could have in effect saved speedway at Plough Lane. Anyone wanting to understand the real financial background should read the previous excellent posts by Arthur Cross.

 

The stadium owners made it abundantly clear that they didn't want speedway. It's no surprise that Galliard Homes wanted to develop the site to maximise housing whilst meeting the requirement to maintain sporting use. Motor sport of any kind is not compatible with that.

 

I would be interested to see the financial plan. I hope AFC has done it's homework. Sport is littered with sucessful business people who loose the plot when it comes to sport.

 

Not being deliberately inflammatory at all, just telling it the way it is.

 

The Consortium that took over Wimbledon FC made it clear that they saw no future for the club, not just in the borough / area, or indeed London. Unlike speedway, the fans were not prepared to accept that position. They got off their backsides and did something about it.

 

When their club was hijacked to Milton Keynes they were in the second tier of football in this country. They had to reform and were placed in the NINTH TIER, little more than park football. Hard work and determination saw them rise like "Phoenix from the Flames".

 

If there was the same passion, commitment, and desire then speedway could have been saved. The problem was there were insufficient people who were interested in saving speedway in the area.

My final word (or maybe not!!):

 

 

12341170_1652598935021649_56895496419436

Edited by Mr Snackette
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We will have to disagree on that. For speedway to have had a chance it would have needed both someone with sufficient money to invest and an owner willing to sell - neither of which were in place. I think you do the speedway supporters an injustice.

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I find it shocking that someone who purports to be a speedway person can celebrate the loss of one of its finest venues, no matter what their justification.

 

No matter what.

 

This isn't about crowing over other people's failings or the efforts of others. We have lost the last hope of a return of speedway to Wimbledon.

 

Of course the economic reality was that without a huge upturn in the sport's popularity the sport was highly unlikely ever to justify the use of such a large venue on a regular basis but this triumphalism is insensitive and quite clearly a provocation, no matter what the poster claims.

 

To me this is rather like celebrating a loved one's death because someone you like is going to inherit their house.

 

Some may think that attitude appropriate. Thank God I don't. No matter what the arguments regarding this matter posting that large triumphalist image of the Dons 'returning' to Plough Lane (personally I thought they were settled in Stadium MK) is offensive and inflammatory to anyone who genuinely has speedway in their heart and is totally inappropriate in a speedway forum.

 

This case does emphasise that like the bawling spoilt child holding its breath, football gets what it wants.

I suggest the poster pisses off to a football forum.

 

Sorry for the language but some deserve little more. Contemptible post.

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Oh, dear Rob McCaffery......have I struck a raw nerve?!!

 

Ir's a pity that you are unable to formulate your argument, without resulting to personal attacks.....anyway, let's try and deal with your points in a logical non-confrontational manner.

 

I must confess I am surprised that you are so easily shocked. I think it's worth celebrating that the stadium is still going to be used for sporting purposes. Far better than Custom House which is now a housing estate, far better than Rayleigh Wier which is now a supermarket, far better than Hyde Road Stadium which is now a car auction site......and so I could go on!!

 

To correct you, I'm not a "speedway person"....and I really don't understand what that means. You can label me a "Sports Fan" if you like. Over the years, I have derived as much pleasure from watching Eddie Reynolds score four goals (all with his head!!) in Wimbledon's 1963 FA Amateur Cup Final victory against Sutton United, as I did when Olle Nygren and Trevor Hedge raced to a 5-1 for a 40-38 victory over West Ham.

 

It's a pity that you hadn't read a little more, as it would have prevented you from making the comment "I thought they were settled in Stadium MK", which is, of course, the Franchise and not the "DONS".

 

Mind you the pièce de résistance is ".....like the bawling spoilt child holding its breath, football gets what it wants....."

 

That would be the spoilt child who had their team taken away from them, and only through the sheer hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm of the fans themselves got their club back.

 

It just emphasises the difference between those sports fans, who get off their backsides and make things happen, rather than those who do nothing but sit and pontificate!!!!!!

 

Pip Pip!!!!!!!!

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