The Wimbledon/Kingsmeadow shambles

[Ray de Galles]

I think we have done this as a thread before. I saw Brighton away at four different venues with Cardiff (The Goldstone, Preistlands, The Withdean and Falmer) which is my maximum I think.

There must be some long-term nomadic non-league teams with far more former "home" grounds.

[Third rate Leszno]

I think we did this recently? Because of the floods I've seen Carlisle play home games at Preston, Blackburn, Blackpool and Morecambe, and I think we may have played at Workington and Gateshead too (although I have a vague memory that one or both of those scheduled fixtures was postponed).

[DCI Harry Batt]

Very few Dons fans will have seen us at all five, with the Loftus Road matches having taken place during lockdown.

I'd put money on our iFollow commentator "Mikey T" having seen us at all of them, including the Goldstone.

There should be some others, but you're right not many.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Found another who's done all six.

[Hot Pepsi]

I've been to Kingsmeadow, as it turns out.

[Simon G]

I think we have done this as a thread before. I saw Brighton away at four different venues with Cardiff (The Goldstone, Preistlands, The Withdean and Falmer) which is my maximum I think.

There must be some long-term nomadic non-league teams with far more former "home" grounds.

They will be very few and far between, but I believe there's at least 1 or 2 Gloucester fans who've seen them at all of their main home grounds.

Until the 60s they were in Longlevens, then they moved to Horton Road. In the 80s they moved from there to Meadow Park. After the 2007 floods they then played at The New Lawn (FGR), The Corinium Stadium (Cirencester), Whaddon Road (Cheltenham) and The Jubilee Stadium (Evesham). Last season they went back to Gloucester at New Meadow Park.

I've only seen them at old Meadow Park, Whaddon Road and The New Lawn.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Cherry Red is a well-established indie record label with something of a track record in football-related sponsorship. Kingsmeadow was also known as the Cherry Red Records Stadium for a time.

Indeed, they were a Kingstonian sponsor in the 90s

[caja-dglh]

First they steal their ground, now they steal their sponsor...

[Seven Saxon Kings]

It's certainly a microcosm of how difficult it was to live in their shadow for all that time.

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

Cherry Red Records had ceased to sponsor Kingstonian before AFC Wimbledon had become an entity. The owner of Cherry Red, Iain McNay, is a Wimbledon supporter.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

I'm aware they had. But it's still a former sponsor sponsoring AFC. As I said, a microcosm of it being hard to compete when a much bigger club suddenly lands in your town. For sponsors, for fans, for press coverage, for interest from the Council, even for players.

[Paul S]

You're still bitter about this aren't you SSK?

[DCI Harry Batt]

I think we have done this as a thread before.

I think we did this recently?

I've just spotted (on re-reading the entire thread) that we did it on this thread a page or so back...

[DCI Harry Batt]

I'm aware they had. But it's still a former sponsor sponsoring AFC. As I said, a microcosm of it being hard to compete when a much bigger club suddenly lands in your town. For sponsors, for fans, for press coverage, for interest from the Council, even for players.

I have a feeling the CRR boss was still a "patron" at Kingstonian when we started playing at their ground. Like a vice-president type thing, a spenny ticket, a spot in the private bar, a car parking space, that kind of deal. He sponsored the Hellenic League at the time too. I'm not a fan. Of him, that is - nothing against the Hellenic League.

I think the deal shows how little sponsorship cash there is around right now, tbh. But yeah, nicking a sponsor (honestly I wish we could send him back to you) is salt in big, open wounds, I'm sure.

[DCI Harry Batt]

It was interesting, and shaming, reading back over the whole thread.

I can't see any talk anywhere in relation to a longer-term solution for Kingstonian since the "proposed joint venture" with Casuals was scotched last year.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

It was interesting, and shaming, reading back over the whole thread.

I can't see any talk anywhere in relation to a longer-term solution for Kingstonian since the "proposed joint venture" with Casuals was scotched last year.

No, quite. Because it's almost impossible to find the land in South West London. I am 'bitter' and have every right to be when my club has no future prospects, thanks for pointing it out Paul S.

I'm sure if we still exist in 2030 I'll join the ranks of those who have seen their team in six home grounds. I'm on four, including a single game at Hampton when Fleet Town refused to play us on a Sunday when AFC were at home in the Cup. For our older fans it's now five.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Yeah you've every right to be bitter.

Do you have any idea what happened with the Casuals thing?

[Seven Saxon Kings]

They didn't want it to happen for various reasons, one of which is seeing what happened at Kingsmeadow as a cautionary tale and not wanting to share their ground with a bigger club long term.

I doubt we'll even rent there long term, though apparently they need the money so we bumble on there year to year for now.

[DCI Harry Batt]

They didn't want it to happen for various reasons, one of which is seeing what happened at Kingsmeadow as a cautionary tale and not wanting to share their ground with a bigger club long term.

I doubt we'll even rent there long term, though apparently they need the money so we bumble on there year to year for now.

For enough. I would have thought they might be a club that wouldn't find it such an issue. But that's for them to decide of course.

[Ray de Galles]

Wimbledon didn't really "nick a sponsor" with Cherry Red though, did they? As FWN and SSK have pointed out their direct shirt sponsorship of the Ks ended before AFCW were even formed.

Given their breadth of their sponsorship presence in non-league I doubt it ever would have been an either/or choice between them. Not that I don't understand and sympathise with all of SSK's points about the situation in general.

I'm shocked by quite how much friction there seems to have been between Corinthian-Casuals and Ks over the groundshare, I had hoped it might be a long-term solution, especially for the latter's sake.

Are Banquet Records still involved as sponsors with Ks? I know Jon Tolley is a long term, active supporter and they sponsored the shirts for a while. Not that there's that much money freely available in their business, especially at the moment.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

They've sponsored us on and off since about 2008, I don't think they are this season. Certainly not the shirts, not sure if they have any minor sponsorship.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Cherry Red have sponsored the non-league handbook since the 1980s when whichever fag company Tony Williams was repping for at the time, decided that they'd get better exposure by sponsoring Formula 1, than from spectators at Central Midlands League Supreme Division games.

[Ray de Galles]

They will be very few and far between, but I believe there's at least 1 or 2 Gloucester fans who've seen them at all of their main home grounds.

Until the 60s they were in Longlevens, then they moved to Horton Road. In the 80s they moved from there to Meadow Park. After the 2007 floods they then played at The New Lawn (FGR), The Corinium Stadium (Cirencester), Whaddon Road (Cheltenham) and The Jubilee Stadium (Evesham). Last season they went back to Gloucester at New Meadow Park.

I've only seen them at old Meadow Park, Whaddon Road and The New Lawn.

I was possibly going to need to be in Cardiff on Sunday night for a work thing and was tempted to divert on my way to take in the Longlevens v Gloucester City FA Cup tie that has been switched to the latter's ground. It seems to be quite the local occasion. Sadly, I'm now not in the capital until Monday.

[Simon G]

They're expecting 2,500 there tomorrow, but had only sold 1,500 tickets yesterday so I think they're over egging the pudding a little.

It's a nice set up there now, very minimalistic though. Parking is horrific, so your best bet (if you do get to go) is to park in the Quays shopping centre and walk over.

[Ray de Galles]

Are Banquet Records still involved as sponsors with Ks? I know Jon Tolley is a long term, active supporter and they sponsored the shirts for a while. Not that there's that much money freely available in their business, especially at the moment.

I had a chat with Jon about the Ks situation at a gig in the week and interestingly (given he's a supporter, sponsor and local councillor) he said that, like me, he's always seen the Kingsmeadow athletics stadium as the solution for them with the £1m they have from Wimbledon used for the necessary conversion to a multi-use ground.

He also thought that option was still a goer too. I had thought in the past that there would be too many clashes with one of Chelsea's teams using their old ground but neither their womens or age group sides play on a Saturday afternoon.