The deadline for AFC Wimbledon fans, and football fans alike, to show their support for the Dons move back home is fast approaching, and an Olympic hero is urging you to get involved.
On Monday, Merton Council will stop accepting letters supporting the proposed new stadium complex ahead of making its decision.
It’s a decision that will change the course of Dons’ history – for better or for worse – and there are only four days left for fans to make sure it is for the better.
London 2012 Oylmpic gold medalist, and life-long Dons fan, Sophie Hosking has written to the council, and she is urging others to do the same.
She said: “It would be fantastic to get back to our home town.
“The club means so much to fans and the local community, it is really important we are represented back where we belong.”
She added: “It provides so much for the local area.
“I still remember going to football coaching sessions at Wimbledon as a kid, and it made a big difference to me.
“I have no doubt it had a huge impact on my own sporting career.
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“I urge people to write now. If you go to the Bring the Dons home website, it is so easy to do, and the more people that do it the better.
“Send in your letters to show your support for the move to the council, and the more people that do it, the better.
“Hopefully the council will realise the feeling behind the move is huge.”
Dons boss Neal Ardley has also backed the campaign.
He said: “What it means to get back to Wimbledon goes without saying.
“There has been so much work done behind the scenes to get to this point, and it is really important that people from the area support this.
“I don’t really know what the alternatives would be for the club.”
He added: “People cannot under-estimate how important their support is in getting this through.”
After Monday’s deadline passes, Merton Council’s planning committee will meet, on a date yet to be arranged, to decide the club’s fate.
There is opposition via a rival proposal from Irish businessman Paschal Taggart, who wants to build a £100m greyhound stadium, but is yet to formally submit his plans.
The Wimbledon Park Residents’ Association also has misgivings over the Dons’ proposals and has called a public meeting to discuss the plans.
For Dons fans, especially those who have supported the club since before the exit from Plough Lane in 1991, there is no argument.
Rob Cornell, pictured below, a familiar voice on Radio WDON, which provide match-day commentary, said: “The move would complete the story, bringing the club I first supported as an eight-year-old back home.”
To show your support go to bringthedonshome.org.
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