By Chris Slavin
The AFC Wimbledon Foundation Day provided a fantastic club event with people of all ages joining forces to help raise £1,000.
Pupils from the Foundation's schools programmes acted as flag bearers at Saturday's game, welcoming AFC Wimbledon players onto the pitch to help create a cracking pre-match atmosphere, before the Dons faced Oldham.
At half-time, pupils from Cleves School were presented with the South of England Kids Cup at half-time after winning through to the National Final to represent AFC Wimbledon at the Division One Play Off Final at Wembley in May.
However, it wasn't just the younger generation joining in the celebrations! A walking football exhibition tournament was held on the five-a-side pitches close to the stadium with talented older players from AFC Wimbledon taking part. Players from the AFC Wimbledon Ladies over 30s team also starred in matches.
Around 100 people of all ages from our community programmes attended an event that raised funds for the Foundation and they watched an entertaining 2-2 draw against Oldham Athletic.
AFC Wimbledon Foundation Director Philip Rudling said: "Saturday was a great way to raise awareness and interest in the work of the Foundation among the fanbase and the local community. It's been a fantastic year to date with progress being made in developing the range and diversity of Foundation projects, including expanding our schools projects across Merton and Wandsworth and social inclusion work in East Merton. We're also delighted that our girls' and women's programme was short-listed at the recent London Football Awards for Community Project of the Year."
As part of the celebration, the Foundation welcomed participants from schools programmes, Wimbledon Park Development Centre, and disability programmes. Foundation partners from the Wimbledon Foundation, London Sport, Southfields Academy and Clarion Housing also attended.
First-team players Harry Forrester, Anthony Hartigan, and Tom Soares were joined by academy players outside with plenty of demand from young supporters for their signatures. It was a proud day for everyone connected with the club and roll on next year!
PICS: Matt Redman, Pro Sports Images, and Geoff Wilson.