Watch video of Sunday's Minithon
Seventeen-year-old Emmanuel Mensah earned the glory of coming home first in Sunday’s AFC Wimbledon Minithon, but it was a proud day for everyone connected with the club.
First-team management, club staff, youth players, volunteers and fans combined to raise thousands of pounds for the AFC Wimbledon Foundation and the Academy.
to view the video.MinithonA video of the event at Morden Park with commentary and interviews by WDON’s Rob Cornell is now on our official You Tube channel. Click on
Over 150 people, including around 80 academy players, plus parents, took part in the third AFC Wimbledon Minithon.
Academy Manager Jeremy Sauer said: “We set ourselves a high target and we have managed to raise over £10,000, which included one of our lads raising £400. We are absolutely chuffed with that. The aim was to put some money back into the academy so that we can provide a better programme to allow more players to follow in the footsteps of Will Nightingale into the first-team squad.
“With being a club event all the boys had their matches cancelled so that they could all be here. We have had all the academy age groups here from Under-9s to Under-18s. It has been a great event to bring everyone at the club together and there’s been a real fun feel to it all.”
Foundation Executive Director Kay Skelton said: “This is the first big event that the Foundation has been involved in since our formation over a year ago. We had a target of raising £5,000 and we are very close to that. The Foundation has doubled in size since I started, both in terms of staffing and the programmes that we provide. We are now reaching out to over 600 school children in primary schools a week as regards providing coaching opportunities and that is an incredible achievement.
“Today has shown how the integration of the departments at the club can work for the benefit of us all. The support from the Dons Trust Board, volunteers and fans has also been very good. Between us all, it has been a very successful day.”
Haydon the Womble completed the 5 km course at Morden Park and there was also the bizarre sight of a half Wimbledon, half Cheltenham Town, shirt crossing the line, with the “West Country Womble” participating in the event.
Both Jeremy and Kay wished to thank volunteers for their dedication in organising the event, especially Eileen Samuelson.