Rage Online

According to the Oxford Mail, &quotWith demand so high from the visitors, AFC Wimbledon fans have to provide proof of address when buying [their tickets]. &quot

Huh? Where do they have to live? I hope they don't have to prove they live in Merton, because I think you'll find that Wimbledon don't actually play in the London Borough of Merton but in the London Borough Of Kingston.

If you're going to champion yourself as being a local team, don't be so smug as to set up in someone else's ground in someone else's Borough.

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:According to the Oxford Mail, &quotWith demand so high from the visitors, AFC Wimbledon fans have to provide proof of address when buying [their tickets]. &quot

Huh? Where do they have to live? I hope they don't have to prove they live in Merton, because I think you'll find that Wimbledon don't actually play in the London Borough of Merton but in the London Borough Of Kingston.

If you're going to champion yourself as being a local team, don't be so smug as to set up in someone else's ground in someone else's Borough.

All a bit closer than Milton Keynes though - argh er spit vomit. Over to you DLT if you're still out there.

Mmm.... well I have a few MK Dons fans who converted from Wimbledon fans. Their argument is that MK Dons don't play in Merton and neither do AFC. Either you support a team who plays in Merton, or you don't. How many Oxford United fans would stay with the team if they reloacted to an adjacent 'shire...

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:Mmm.... well I have a few MK Dons fans who converted from Wimbledon fans. Their argument is that MK Dons don't play in Merton and neither do AFC. Either you support a team who plays in Merton, or you don't. How many Oxford United fans would stay with the team if they reloacted to an adjacent 'shire...

Is it the equivilent of moving counties or the equivilent of moving towns/villages within that county? Headington to Cowley for example........

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote: How many Oxford United fans would stay with the team if they reloacted to an adjacent 'shire...

Me for one - and your goodself by the location in your profile.
I suspect there are a great many ex-pat OUFC fans on this forum

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:Mmm.... well I have a few MK Dons fans who converted from Wimbledon fans. Their argument is that MK Dons don't play in Merton and neither do AFC. Either you support a team who plays in Merton, or you don't. How many Oxford United fans would stay with the team if they reloacted to an adjacent 'shire...

But AFC started way down the pyramid, whereas that fake football team from the land of roundabouts (no wait they've moved to Bletchley) didn't.

&quotDartford Ox&quot wrote:

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote: How many Oxford United fans would stay with the team if they reloacted to an adjacent 'shire...

Me for one - and your goodself by the location in your profile.
I suspect there are a great many ex-pat OUFC fans on this forum

I think recordmeister was talking about the club moving to the next county not the fans.

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:According to the Oxford Mail, &quotWith demand so high from the visitors, AFC Wimbledon fans have to provide proof of address when buying [their tickets]. &quot

Huh? Where do they have to live? I hope they don't have to prove they live in Merton, because I think you'll find that Wimbledon don't actually play in the London Borough of Merton but in the London Borough Of Kingston.

If you're going to champion yourself as being a local team, don't be so smug as to set up in someone else's ground in someone else's Borough.

That's way harsh.

Kingstonian would have gone out of business had another club not bought their ground.

Wimbledon needed somewhere to play and as the crow flies, Kingsmeadow is only a couple of miles outside Merton.

I suspect Minchery Farm is further from it's traditional home of Headington, than Kingsmeadow is from Merton.

The deal AFCW did suited everyone and was a good deal.

If anyone's still trying to get hold of a ticket in the away end at Wimbledon, there's one up for auction courtesy of the 12th Man Initiative- all profits etc. etc...

Hi Baboo. I'm still lurking in the shadows occasionally.

Time to throw in a grenade

GY so taking over another club's ground because they are on verge of going out of business is acceptable then?

&quotDLT&quot wrote: GY so taking over another club's ground because they are on verge of going out of business is acceptable then?

Not GY (obviously) but my tuppence-worth is that, like everything, it depends on the circumstances.

Wimbledon bought K's ground for market value, gave them a very long lease, charge them a very small rent to play there, and have an annual friendly, the proceeds of which all go to Kingstonian. The Ks themselves are very happy with the deal, so I don't really think supporters of other clubs have much to criticise. In an ideal world Kingstonian would have bought their own ground and Wimbledon wouldn't have been forcibly relocated to Milton Keynes, but alas...

&quotboris&quot wrote:

&quotDLT&quot wrote: GY so taking over another club's ground because they are on verge of going out of business is acceptable then?

Not GY (obviously) but my tuppence-worth is that, like everything, it depends on the circumstances.

Wimbledon bought K's ground for market value, gave them a very long lease, charge them a very small rent to play there, and have an annual friendly, the proceeds of which all go to Kingstonian. The Ks themselves are very happy with the deal, so I don't really think supporters of other clubs have much to criticise. In an ideal world Kingstonian would have bought their own ground and Wimbledon wouldn't have been forcibly relocated to Milton Keynes, but alas...

It's not a very good ground to be honest. Wholly inadequate for our travelling hordes for starters.

Well, all I know is that there are some ex-Wimbledon fans who chose to go with MK Dons.

I know how I feel about MD Dons (*spit*) but I also know that AFC, as touchy-feely as they are as a club, are also a magpie team who neither play in their own ground (in the traditional sense. I know they &quotown&quot it), nor in Wimbledon.

League rules, which were changed after Wimbledon moved to MK and changed their name, state that if a club is looking to relocate it:

&quotwould be appropriate having in mind the relationship (if any) between the locality with which by its name or otherwise the applicant Club is traditionally associated and that in which such Club proposes to establish its ground&quot

Now I know this is League rules and we're not in the league, but it seems to me that rule above is basically saying &quotyou need to play in the area you are named after, or traditonally associated with&quot. So one wonders, if these rules were to be applied to the Conference and lower, would BOTH AFC and Kingstonains be allowed to play at the Fan's Stadium? I would argue not. The Stadium is either in Kingston, in which case Kingstonians could play there and Wimbledon not. Or it is in Wimbledon. In which case Wimbledon can play there and the K's not.

It is very easy for us to have a rule poo-pooing MK Dons, and quite rightly so. But let's not forget that AFC are also franchising themselves into another Borough, into another teams ground, in order to enable them to play their football.

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

As an aside, does anyone know if the League have approved The Fan's Stadium, if AFC do get promotion?

&quotDLT&quot wrote:Hi Baboo. I'm still lurking in the shadows occasionally.

Time to throw in a grenade

GY so taking over another club's ground because they are on verge of going out of business is acceptable then?

Your grenade's have lost their powder.

I think my previous wording was sufficiently self explanatory without your attempt at spin.

Welcome back DLT.

&quotrecordmeister&quot wrote:Well, all I know is that there are some ex-Wimbledon fans who chose to go with MK Dons.

I know how I feel about MD Dons (*spit*) but I also know that AFC, as touchy-feely as they are as a club, are also a magpie team who neither play in their own ground (in the traditional sense. I know they &quotown&quot it), nor in Wimbledon.

League rules, which were changed after Wimbledon moved to MK and changed their name, state that if a club is looking to relocate it:

&quotwould be appropriate having in mind the relationship (if any) between the locality with which by its name or otherwise the applicant Club is traditionally associated and that in which such Club proposes to establish its ground&quot

Now I know this is League rules and we're not in the league, but it seems to me that rule above is basically saying &quotyou need to play in the area you are named after, or traditonally associated with&quot. So one wonders, if these rules were to be applied to the Conference and lower, would BOTH AFC and Kingstonains be allowed to play at the Fan's Stadium? I would argue not. The Stadium is either in Kingston, in which case Kingstonians could play there and Wimbledon not. Or it is in Wimbledon. In which case Wimbledon can play there and the K's not.

It is very easy for us to have a rule poo-pooing MK Dons, and quite rightly so. But let's not forget that AFC are also franchising themselves into another Borough, into another teams ground, in order to enable them to play their football.

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

As an aside, does anyone know if the League have approved The Fan's Stadium, if AFC do get promotion?

Except they're not franchising themselves into another area, and both clubs would have gone to the wall without the deal, so I don't really see your point.

Once Franchise FC had decided to play in MK and refused the option of the developed Plough Lane and that was sold off, there were no other grounds big enough to take AFCW in Merton. The only other grounds in that area are parks football.

LB of M refused permission to build a stadium anywhere else, so Kingsmeadow is as good and near as they can get pro tem.