Wimbledon's Return Home: The Price Paid by Kingstonian

A Pyrrhic Victory

On Thursday night, the decision was unanimous. AFC Wimbledon received planning permission to build a new stadium on the site of the Wimbledon greyhound track, a short walk from their spiritual home of Plough Lane. Almost twenty-five years after the original club left, the Dons are finally going back to the London Borough of Merton. This is the realisation of a dream that has run through the club’s DNA since its formation in 2002, the second of two founding principles now achieved after winning back their Football League place in 2011.

But for one club, this victory rings hollow. For Kingstonian, Wimbledon’s landlords at the Kingsmeadow ground for the last thirteen years, it signals the beginning of an uncertain and potentially nomadic future.

The Kingsmeadow Story

The relationship between the two clubs is a complex one, rooted in Kingstonian’s own financial collapse. In 2002, Kingstonian fell into administration, and the Kingsmeadow ground they had owned since 1989 was sold to businessmen Rajesh and Anup Khosla, who were interested only in the land. The newly formed AFC Wimbledon arrived as tenants for their first season, but by the following year had purchased the leasehold themselves. Kingstonian, now the tenants in their own home, were given a favourable rental agreement as part of the deal.

While Wimbledon embarked on their famous ascent through the leagues, Kingstonian remained a fixture in the Ryman League Premier Division. But Wimbledon’s success brought complications. Promotion to the Football League necessitated ground improvements, including a new seated stand at the Kingston Road End, which had traditionally been the home terrace for K’s supporters. This was a sign of things to come.

The endgame began in earnest at the end of last year. Wimbledon, needing to fund their Plough Lane return, agreed terms to sell Kingsmeadow to Chelsea, who were seeking a permanent home for their youth and women’s teams. The problem was simple: Chelsea did not want to purchase a stadium with a sitting tenant. Kingstonian’s position, seemingly secured by a twenty-five year tenancy agreement signed in 2008, suddenly looked precarious.

An Unexplained Departure

The response from the Kingstonian board was bewildering for the club’s supporters. A statement declared that “the best long-term interests of our club would be served by us taking this opportunity to leave Kingsmeadow… and finding a stadium better suited to our needs, income and level of support.” No detailed reasoning for this conclusion was ever provided.

The existence of a break clause in the tenancy agreement is known, and by September of this year, a joint statement confirmed Kingstonian’s intention to leave by 2017. The club is to be compensated, but the amount remains undisclosed. It is highly unlikely to be enough to build a new stadium, the only solution that would secure a truly independent future free from rent payments. The directors, it appears, want out, but they are not being forthcoming about where they intend to go next.

Rumours point towards a site in South Chessington, Surrey, which would see Kingstonian leave their home town to facilitate Wimbledon’s return to theirs. Other local options, like converting a nearby athletics ground, have been dismissed without full explanation. The precedent for clubs that sell their ground is not a happy one. Wealdstone sold Lower Mead in 1991 and spent seventeen years in a nomadic existence before finding a new permanent home.

A Question of Responsibility

A supporters’ petition garnered enough signatures to force a council debate, but with the club’s own directors intent on leaving, it is hard to see what local government can do in an age of austerity. The schism between the board and the fans is clear.

This distinction is one that supporters of AFC Wimbledon, of all clubs, should surely understand.

Some may argue that Kingstonian have only survived because of Wimbledon’s generosity since 2003. Others might wonder if the Kingstonian board has simply spent years hoping the Plough Lane dream would fade away, failing to plan for an eventuality that always seemed inevitable. The fact remains that once AFC Wimbledon became owners of Kingsmeadow, knowing a return to Merton was a core club principle, this day was only ever postponed, not cancelled.

Wimbledon fans get their homecoming. Chelsea get a high-quality facility for their development teams. And Kingstonian supporters are left to wonder where, or even if, their club has a future at all.