Dons fans of all ages joined in the fun on a scorching hot day at the Wimbledon Village Fair as staff, volunteers, and supporters teamed up to promote AFC Wimbledon.
In a big community event attended by thousands on Wimbledon Common – scene of those club trials back in 2002 – Haydon the Womble and our 'Beat the Keeper" challenge proved to be very popular with the general public.
Georgie Palmer (pictured with Haydon) said it was the fulfilment of a 'lifelong dream' to meet our mascot on Wimbledon Common!
There was plenty of successful spot-kicks on the day, including a local policeman hitting the back of the net! Young Dons also beat our keeper to earn prizes and there was plenty of interest in the inflatable shoot-out put on by our Foundation team.
Volunteers and club staff handed out flyers about pre-season friendlies and summer holiday courses run by the Foundation.
Commercial Director Ivor Heller said: "It was fantastic for our club to be in the heart of our community. We had the new Mayor of Merton visiting our stall, along with plenty of other people we want to talk and engage with, but most importantly we had a lot of interest from the general public. A lot of people came up to our stall and wished us luck for the future. It really makes you feel good every time that we are here at this event.
"There is a lot of people who did plenty of work for the club and we must thank them. They include Jim and Pietro from our commercial team, staff from the Foundation who have thrown themselves into this event, and all the merchandise team. We promote the club like you would not believe on a day like this and it is terrific so long may it continue."
There was a lot of interest in AFC Wimbledon merchandise with even a member of security staff buying a training top at half price!
Dedicated volunteer Tim Hillyer, who has worked for our merchandise team for many years, said: "Sales have been steady throughout the day and it's certainly been worth us coming. We've given people an opportunity to browse through items, something that they may not get a chance to do on busy match days. The main thing though is that this is a community event and we attach a small retail operation to it. It has been brilliant to see all of our fans again and plenty of people showing an interest in our club."