AFC Wimbledon chief executive Erik Samuelson has called on supporters of the club to lobby London mayoral hopefuls Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith to secure approval for the club’s proposed new stadium.
Outgoing mayor Boris Johnson elected not to ratify Merton Council’s approval for the 11,000-capacity ground, leaving the issue in the inbox of the candidate who will enter City Hall after 5 May.
Using the club’s website as a platform, Samuelson said: “Please send separate emails, one to Sadiq Khan and another to Zac Goldsmith, simply saying: ‘Please support AFC Wimbledon’s plans for a new stadium in Plough Lane’. And add your name and residential address.”
Samuelson’s rallying cry has been backed up by a group of AFC Wimbledon supporters dubbed Bring The Dons Home (BTDH), who have criticised Johnson’s decision to put the proposal on the back burner.
“The same mayor who called in this proposal recently approved Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium plans and presided over an arrangement to allow West Ham use of the Olympic Stadium at allegedly advantageous rates to the club,” said a BTDH spokesman.
“BTDH is delighted for the supporters of both teams, but would hope that all football fans would agree that a small community-owned club with significantly smaller revenue streams should be treated equally as fairly by the mayor of London as multi-million pound Premier League entities.”
Last year, mayoral front-runner Sadiq Khan of Labour detailed his reservations about the League Two club’s plans in a letter to Samuelson, highlighting the “serious concerns amongst some local residents” about the proposed development.
However, the MP for Tooting’s manifesto to become mayor included a commitment to “work with London’s football and other major sports clubs to support and expand” their operations including making a positive impact in the community.
Last December, Merton Council gave the green light to the stadium plans, which are expected to cost £20m (US$30.2m, €27.8m). It will be built near the site of the club’s old Plough Lane ground.
