Manager urges football world to "Bring The Dons Home"
Neal Ardley made a passionate speech to AFC Wimbledon supporters across the world last night in a historic broadcast at our popular “Meet the Manager” event.
The Dons manager made a special plea to the footballing world beyond a packed bar area, drawing upon his own special memories, in a live Facebook broadcast alongside Commercial Director Ivor Heller at The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
. Manager’s appeal “The simple fact is – we want a home back in Wimbledon,” said Neal, whose ardent words can now be viewed by clicking on
“Twenty two years ago I started my football career at the back of Plough Lane on a concrete car park, for want of a better word. The pitch wasn’t even square! I spent all of my youth learning to play football on that pitch.”
“All the players used to live around Wimbledon and we used to go to Nelson’s nightclub, we were born and bred in Wimbledon and it was our home.”
“What this club can take back to where we belong is immense – the things we can do in the local communities, schools and for local charities. Football players nowadays can be an inspiration and we want to be that and I think – for all of us – that’s where we’ve got to get back to.”
“It’s really important to me now that so many of us work hard to write in, e-mail in and that we do everything we need to do to make sure this happens in the next few weeks.”
. The whole process takes only thirty seconds. “Bring the Dons Home - Extra Time” Supporters can learn more about the vital role they can play in perhaps the final part of the process of returning the Dons to their spiritual home at Plough Lane by visiting
“I stood at Wembley in front of 22,000 people, singing, in the proudest moment of my life,” added Neal. “If we can get even three quarters of those people and remind them and push and to remind people to go and get their messages in, this could be one of the best seasons – if not the best season – this club has ever had.”
“Let’s do it, let’s push it, because this could be the greatest thing this club has ever done.”