broad support in the area.He believed that the stadium would offer an exciting prospect for the Club.
WISA informed the Club that it would not meet with Wimbledon FC until Milton Keynes was irrevocably rejected as an option.
28th May 2002 - Summary of the Commission’s decision
The Commission concluded that In light of the exceptional circumstances WFC should be given approval to relocate to Milton Keynes. Those circumstance were listed as follows:
Wimbledon FC had no stadium of its own for 11 years
The WFC shareholders were not prepared to continue to finance the club
Given the level of losses, unless the club moved it would enter liquidation
There was no other South London alternative
The following were listed as facts of the events leading up to the decision:
Deloitte and Touche estimated that Wimbledon FC were losing £3-4 million per year by not playing in its own stadium.
There had been a steady trend of falling gates at WFC whilst the trend was rising elsewhere - 9% down in the previous year at 6,832.
Wimbledon FC were responsible for 50% of maintenance and operational costs at Selhurst Park
WFC were prohibited from branding and marketing the club at Selhurst Park leading to limited commercial opportunities
WFC anticipated additional financial demands when the Sellhurst Park lease was to be renewed in 2005.
The decision to attempt the move to Milton Keynes was made by the board of Wimbledon FC in July 2001
The Football League denied permission for the move on 16th August 2001
Following an appeal by Wimbledon FC an arbitration panel met in January 2002. They concluded that the Football League decision had not been taken properly in the legal sense and their procedures were unfair.
On 17th April 2002 the Football League referred the matter to an FA Commission of Enquiry
The following points were noted by the commission:
The amount of money the Dons Trust could raise, would be insufficient to cover administration costs whilst a new stadium was built, even if that was achievable.
Less than 20% (640) of Season Ticket holders lived in Merton and only 10% (340) lived in Wimbledon.
The club had 3,400 Season Ticket holders
The club was losing £8.2 million per year
The shareholders had put in £6.7 million that year to keep the club afloat
The operating loss for 2000/01 was £10.8 million
A report commissioned by Merton Council claiming that a 20,000 seat stadium could be built at Plough Lane was found to have a funding gap of £27 million.
30 May 2002 - WISA AGM
Whilst under the current ownership of Wimbledon FC WISA members voted not to attend any Wimbledon games the following season, wherever they may be played and whatever the team may be called
Some WISA members felt that creating a new club now was defeatist and premature until all avenues had been explored.
WISA board members stated that a new club would give them something positive to concentrate on, rather than the past 11 years of negativity. They expressed the view that a new club was probably more achievable than defeating Koppel.
WISA voted to set up a new club (despite move to MK being neither confirmed or mandatory).
11th June 2002 - AFC Wimbledon Ltd Incorporated
12 July 2002 - Letter from Wimbledon FC to fans
The club had not been able to find a temporary “home” until work on the new stadium in Milton Keynes was finished, so it would continue to play its home fixtures at Selhurst Park for the foreseeable future until a temporary site in the Milton Keynes area was found
Fans who wanted to buy season tickets would be eligible for the discounted prices due to have expired on 30th June if they bought them by 9th August
10th December 2002 - Report by Denton Wilde Safte - Franchise United
Wimbledon FC were not elected to the Football League until 1977
When Wimbledon applied to relocate to Dublin not one Premier League Club objected.
Many other clubs have relocated. For example, QPR has relocated 18 times to 14 different locations in its history
The Football League has permitted may temporary relocations outside the natural connurbation
There is a British precedent for a move and change of name in the succesful relocation of Meadowbank Thistle to Livingston
Other professional sports teams in England have relocated - for example, Rugby Union.
1st April 2003 - London Assembly enquiry into the future of London Stadia (Koppel and Nodes evidence)
Wimbledon FC did a considerable amount of work with Merton Council to identify a stadium site
The club contacted 35 Boroughs in and around South London to the boundary of Brighton - all replied NO to a stadium for WFC.
A leading planning and property firm was employed by the club to identify stadia sites - none were found
Plough Lane was not deemed suitable for a top tier football stadium by the football licensing authority
Wimbledon FC did not have the opportunity to return to Merton
Wimbledon's move from Plough Lane was unique as no obligation was placed on the club to return and that has now changed
Merton Council misrepresented the residents who did not want the Football Club to return
Not one person offered to buy Wimbledon FC from the time the move to Milton Keynes was proposed - not even an offer of £1
Wimbledon FC lost an estimated £50 million in revenue during its time at Selhurst Park
Noades bought Milton Keynes City FC with a view to moving Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes
Merton Council rejected AFC Wimbledon's application to play at Bishops Road, Mitcham
2003 - News article: MK City fighting for survival
MK City faced closure after the departure of some of the directors because of a "mixture of business and family reasons".
June 2003 - Wimbledon Football Club enters administration whilst still at Selhurst Park
June 2003 - Broken Dreams... Broken Promises
WISA denied they were responsible for WFC entering administration
Administrator stated the stayaway fans led to financial disaster for WFC who lost £20,000 per day
The decision to abandon WFC in favour of AFC Wimbledon had taken the club into administration
John Fashanu claimed the move to Milton Keynes was the only way the club could be saved
Fashanu stated that Koppell had been misunderstood by the fans and should not be blamed
10th June 2003 - Luton Town propose merger with Wimbledon Football Club
Luton Town FC board were considering buying Wimbledon out of administration, moving them
to Luton and merging them.
Luton chairman John Gurney intended to approach the administrator to discuss terms.
10th June 2003 - BBC: Dons reject Luton merger
Administrators stated that the proposal was not attractive. They were pursuing negotiations with a consortium of businessmen in Milton Keynes, who would need £5 million to take control of the club
The administrators meet with the Football League to discuss the situation on Thursday
The club can't survive on the crowds it was getting at Crystal Palace
Luton wanted to merge with Wimbledon FC to buy a promotion into League One
Wimbledon would attract crowds of at least 6,000 in Milton Keynes, which would make it viable.
Link to Document
The root of Wimbledon FC's financial problems was the collapse of ITV Digital.
It commented that despite having alienated many of its fans, Wimbledon's move to Milton Keynes seemed its most likely way out of the situation.
Although the move was estimated to have cost around £3.5m, football fans in Milton Keynes had already purchased 60 per cent of next year's season tickets.
10th July 2003 - Telegraph: Three weeks for the Dons to save themselves
Wimbledon FC could fold by the end of July 2003
Charles Koppell had put together a consortium including a Stock Exchange listed company and other investors. The consortium brought an £8.5million funding option
There was a meeting at Euston to discuss the proposal. Present were John Cove (Milton Keynes Council) and Pete Winkelman.
Pete Winkelman refused to agree to the proposal as he wanted a 51% share of the Milton Keynes project on the basis that he had an exclusive 10 year option on the land for the stadium which was key to the deal.
Winkelman had put together his own consortium which was believed to include Abbeygate Developments and was raising a £5million funding option
Selhurst Park was no longer a viable option
Sam Hammam had offered £1.5million to take 4 players to Cardiff City
Koppell said that due to the lack of support from the Milton Keynes Consortium his proposal had been withdrawn.
26th August 2003 - “No supermarket – no stadium” warns leaflet - MK Citizen report
Link to document
September 2003 - Wimbledon Football Club relocate to Milton Keynes
27th September 2003 - Wimbledon FC play first match in Milton Keynes against Burnley
2004 - MK Dons Customer Charter
An interim Customer Charter following the club going into administration.
Milton Keynes Independent Dons Club reformed as Wimbledon FC Supporters Association.
March 2004 - Planning Report Plough Lane
Planning report on proposal to redevelop Plough Lane as mixed use development including housing
2004 - Pete Winkelman Interview for 4-4-2
Pete Winkelman made nothing out of the development at Bletchley.
The linking of a football stadium to retail development is not original. It doesn't work financially, otherwise. Manchester City, Cardiff and Coventry cited as examples of mixed development.
He was not out to steal a football league club. He was only interested in bringing a club which was in serious difficulties to MK, and this was the last option to help it survive.
Charles Koppel spent 8 months trying to find a solution in London.
Charles Koppel discussed buying Kingstonian's ground with the fans but they rejected it because it was outside the Borough, even though the reserves played there.
Pete Winkelman commented, "We're the real child of Wimbledon because of the actions of the AFC Wimbledon group. They left their team before their team left them".
Fans didn't support club when in financial difficulty, but instead "bought someone else's ground in another Borough – Kingstonian…the same ground they didn't want Charles Koppell to buy.
May 2004 - Wimbledon FC hopelessly insolvent
Wimbledon FC were described by Mr Justice Lightman as being 'hopelessly insolvent' and faces liquidation without the CVA.
The Football League was set to expel the club if it failed to pay football creditors in full.
June 2004 - Letter from Pete Winkelman re name change
Link to Document
The change of name from Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes Dons FC was made to reflect the club's new conurbation of Milton Keynes whilst maintaining a direct link with the club's heritage.
23rd June 2004 - Letter from Wimbledon FC Supporters Club (MK) to Football League regarding name change
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