| David Hall |
The idea of moving back to Wimbledon really excites me as I started supporting the club back in 1972 at Plough Lane as a kid. The Greyhound Stadium presents a tremendous possibility (as do other potentials sites in Merton) but it is a much larger deal than when we acquired Kingsmeadow and we have to be realistic about how much effort and money we put into investigating that and other opportunities. The deal will involve the current vendor, Merton Council and the other interested commercial parties for the site in Merton. It will ALSO mean doing a deal at Kingsmeadow engaging with Kingston Council, Kingstonian and other relevant stakeholders.
There will inevitably be a need to raise extra funds from somewhere in order to bring it to fruition and we have to be realistic about how we might access those funds (either from grants, borrowing or other sources) - whilst retaining the integrity of the club. We also need to ensure that any site can cope with our ambitions for the future. It is a huge challenge and one I would like to become involved with - whilst recognising it may ultimately be unachievable.
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| Mark Davis |
Erik Samuelson's mentioned in the Workington programme about meeting Merton Council "to explore possible sites for a stadium in the borough". I have no inside knowledge as to whether one of those sites is the Greyhound Stadium. I'd love to think there are suitable sites in Wimbledon for a football stadium, either now or in the near future. I'd like it even better if there were a suitable site in Wimbledon for a football stadium that didn't sound the death knell of greyhound racing and stock car racing in the borough.
I'm not on the Stadium Working Group. My role as a Board member would be to press the executive to investigate different options for meeting our stadium needs in the future, to stress the importance of ensuring that locations in Wimbledon are investigated as part of those options (not that they'd need telling) and to probe the options presented to us. I'd want to understand the commercial and financial risks of the options in some detail (indeed, given my background, I hope I could contribute in a bit more depth on this). The Board could then compare the options, reach its conclusions and present them to the membership with appropriate recommendations.
I hope a return to a stadium in Wimbledon will be viable. But any Board member needs to recognise that the work identified above might or might not succeed in identifying a viable option. I wouldn't want to risk the future of AFC Wimbledon on a project that doesn't stack up.
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| Nicole Hammond |
The greyhound stadium is the ideal location for us now, I think. What would I do to make it a reality? This is part of the ongoing remit of the Stadium Working Group and really outside the scope of this questionnaire. I would say that we are already working to make it a reality as far as is possible - though if the current owners don't want to talk, then patience is required. |
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| Kate Terriere |
I would love to see a move to the Greyhound Stadium - it's as close a return to Plough Lane as you could get! However, if the deal was not favourable I would not force the issue. We need a home that is right for the club in every way - affordable and deliverable. |
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| Kris Stewart |
I'm not fixated on any particular site - I just want us to go home, and I will work hard to achieve that. |
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| Lee Willett |
The Greyhound Stadium - seemingly one of a small number of more likely options within Wimbledon itself - should be pursued as actively as it can be, and its pursuit should be on a par (or higher than), in terms of club efforts, all other activities - including the playing side and developing KM for league football. The first thing I would do if elected would be to join the Stadium Working Group, to ensure that the club's and the Trust's position on returning home is made clear (I am not convinced that it is at the moment), and then to communicate to all fans exactly where we are with all aspects of any option for returning home. . |
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| Stephen Cooles |
I'd love to move to the site of the Greyhound Stadium, if we could have a purpose built stadium there. I have not seen any plans to achieve this, as I would imagine we could not use the current stadium (I have to admit, I don't like the idea of having a dog track/football stadium)
If elected to the DT Board, I would be a strong supporter of a return to Wimbledon, to a purpose built stadium to League standards.
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| Tom Adam |
Given that I am aware of what is happening in terms of our aspirations for a new Stadium I am not going to comment on specific sites but I believe that the chances of a move to Wimbledon have increased over the last 6 – 9 months as all the work that we have done over the years by a whole range of people is now coming to fruition. But if anyone tells you that we are on the verge of success then they don’t understand the process and the hurdles we need to overcome. Unlimited optimism is premature and unjustified but the team has made very good progress and they should be encouraged to continue.
The advice the Board has received is to keep the details confidential and that has led some people to think we have made little progress. I am certain that the new Board Members will be delighted with the work that has been done.
As to my role, the ideas are now being carried forward by full time professionals, who are far better qualified to carry out the detailed work than anyone on the Board. But my knowledge and experience will continue to be relevant when we assess the results and recommendations they present to us.
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| Simon Bath |
I live I the real world, I feel there is no reality of this concept at this time |
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| David Growns |
The Greyhound Stadium is operated by a company that owns a number of greyhound stadiums around the country and does not appear to want to break up the portfolio. Focussing on a single issue like the Greyhound Stadium may mean you miss an opportunity somewhere else. We are and should be looking at all possibilities, not focussing on one. |
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| Damian Woodward |
I think we can make it a reality if we get the right people together. It is probably one of the few areas left in Wimbledon that has the opportunity for significant regeneration, meaning that we should be able to get all sorts of enabling partners to make it happen. So, that’s exactly what I’ll be asking at the first meeting – Who have we talked to? Who’s in? What are the obstacles? What do we need to do to overcome them? What are the clear next steps? Personally I will make sure we are looking at the right level of commercial sponsors and ground facilities to both add to the pot to build and then for us to be clear on what recurring revenues we will be able to generate to protect our future. |
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Christopher Gibbs |
I would positively instruct a working party to put serious effort into a move to the Greyhound Stadium and then let members know how realistic this option is. At the same time it should be applying the same energy trying to find its next home elsewhere in Merton or Kingston. It is clear that the club needs a bigger and better home. My view is that we should do nothing to impede the growth of the club or slow its momentum. If we have an affordable solution we should take it, rather than hold out for something elsewhere that might not happen. The idea that we should not move to anywhere but Plough Lane/Wimbledon/Merton (insert your own particular prejudice here) because that will mean we will 'never go home' is poor thinking. I want to watch competitive football, as I think most of us do. We will find our natural level at some point, but I don't want it to be an 'unnatural' level because we are bound to Kingsmeadow in its present form should a single-minded sub-set of fans attempt to block a redevelopment or, in their view, a move to an unacceptable location. |
