AFC Wimbledon fan campaign raises more than £50k after huge Newcastle donation

AFC Wimbledon fans have rallied to raise in excess of £50,000 in a day after the pitch at their Plough Lane stadium was destroyed by flooding - with Newcastle United donating a staggering £15k themselves.

London was battered by torrential rain on Sunday night and flooding from the nearby River Wandle has left the Dons' pitch with a significant sinkhole, rendering their home unplayable for the foreseeable future.

The events have already caused a lucrative third round Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle to be postponed with the fixture now set to take place at St. James' Park next week.

But supporters of the fan-owned Dons have united in a bid to ease the financial burden courtesy of a fundraiser set up former Dons Trust board member Graham Stacey. The fund, which at the time of writing has hit its £50,000 target courtesy of the Magpies' generous donation, was the brainchild of fans who were brainstorming ways to provide aid after processing the "devastating" viral images of Wimbledon's pitch.

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"I thought it was like some sort of spoof or something at first. The photos came out and you're like, 'This has really happened'," Stacey tells Mirror Football.

"A couple of people suggested getting a mop and bucket and heading down. I thought, well, you know, 'Is there something we could do online?'.

"We only launched it after the school run before work on Monday. I didn't know if it would take off but by mid-morning it really got going. It's been phenomenal."

Wimbledon confirmed on Monday that the impact of the damage, which also affected their retail store, museum and club offices, was being assessed, though it's not currently known how much or how long such work will amount to.

They have, however, been inundated with "heartwarming" support over the past 24 hours: everything from pocket money donations to four-figure sums and even contributions from past players.

Fans from all different clubs across the country - and from varying levels of the pyramid - have also dug deep in a bid to aid the Dons in their hour of need.

The fundraiser raised almost half of its initial £10,000 target within four hours of the page going live and the pot continues to rise by the hour after surpassing the revised £50,000 goal. "We've had some really good support, but it's not just a community thing," Stacey adds.

"Lots of Newcastle fans have chipped in. Fans of Brighton, Arsenal, Southampton, Reading... Hendon, who we played in non-league. It's been incredible to see everyone come together."

For many who bleed yellow and blue, the current circumstances will bring back memories of their bid to return home in Wimbledon. Fans have dug deep into their own pockets time and time again to make the impossible possible and raised north of £10million through a bond scheme to push through their return to SW19 back in 2019.

"It transcended Wimbledon," Stacey adds of previous - and current - contributions from fans beyond the Wimbledon bubble.

"I like to think what happened to us in 2002, a lot of fans saw that we were wronged, and maybe had a soft spot for how we started again. We built this stadium and we own the club. What we put in, we get out. But we have no sugar daddy throwing money in for us. It's down to us.

"When there's a time of need, our fans rally around. And if there's a bit of adversity to overcome, we'll tackle it head on, get together and do what we can. When we get together, we can achieve anything: we never know when we're defeated."

Click here to learn more about the fundraiser to help Wimbledon get games back on.

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