The new season is now tantalisingly close – and there’s still time to get your ticket for Johnnie Jackson’s first competitive match in charge.
There’s a fresh look to our squad with five new signings having joined the Dons, so please give them all a warm Wimbledon welcome and help roar them onto victory.
With another round of train strikes scheduled for tomorrow, we strongly recommend that you get here early for the game.
The turnstiles at the Cherry Red Records Stadium open for home fans at 1.00 pm and we’ve got a wide range of food and drink options inside, so make sure you join us in plenty of time for kick-off.
Below is an extensive matchday guide ahead of the match versus Gillingham.
Tickets
We’ve had good ticket sales in the build-up to this match with over 7,300 sold so far, but there’s still time to snap-up your ticket. Buy in advance from our online ticket shop.
Alternatively, you can buy before the game from the Ry Stand ticket booth (close to gate five) but please note that ticket prices increase by £2 for adults and concessions, if purchased in person or online on matchdays.
Turnstiles for home fans open at 1.00 pm and at 1.30 pm for away supporters. For fans who have purchased matchday hospitality, please enter the stadium via Gate 1, which will open at 12 noon.
All home fans will enter via the Plough Lane end of the Stadium only. Please note that fans in the South London Movers Stand or Ry Stand can only enter via Gates 3, 4 and 5. Fans seated in the Cappagh Stand can only enter via Gate 2.
Away fans can only access the Stadium via Gate 6 and 7, is accessed via St Martin’s Way or Maskell Road.
Train strikes
Eight train operators are on strike nationally, including London Northwestern Railway and South Eastern, so please check your journey before travelling. Visit https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for more information.
Collections
If you opted for collection of your Season Ticket and you haven’t yet done so, you can collect before the game on Saturday. The collection point will be behind our reception with access via the side gate next to the West (Cappagh) Stand.
Season Ticket cards
If you selected ‘standard mail’ as your delivery method, but your ST card hasn’t arrived yet, please let us know as soon as possible. Send your ST details to tickets@afcwimbledon.ltd.uk . We will then message you with an e ticket for tomorrow’s game.
Entry for ST holders at the stadium turnstiles
If you’re ST card doesn’t scan, a steward will be on hand to assist for you to gain entry and take your allocated seat. Please take a photo of your card for reference purposes, and a member of our ticketing team will issue you with a new card for the next home game.
Food, Drinks and Pub
With it being the start of the new season, our fantastic food park (situated behind the South London Movers Stand) makes a welcome return! Enjoy the best of several different cuisines, as served up by local businesses, including the following:
- Dough Shack
- Naked Chips
- MyPie
- Traditional Jerk Chicken
- All Burgers
- Ding Ding
There will also be an ice cream van, offering a selection of treats to cool you down in the sunshine.
Plenty of food and drink concessions are also available in the Cappagh (West) Stand.
Unfortunately due to fire regulations, fans in the Ry and Movers Stands will not have access to the first floor concessions in the Cappagh Stand. As a result, all fans seated in the Cappagh Stand will need to show their match ticket or have their hand stamped in order to get back to the first floor concourse.
The food trucks will stop serving at 6:00pm with last drink orders on the Movers Stand bar at the same time. The Phoenix pub will remain open after the game. The pub will also be serving spirits. Please note that the full range of spirits will be available from after the final whistle until closing time. Pre-mixed cans will be available prior to the final whistle.
Fans are also permitted to bring water in a clear plastic bottle if they wish. However, no glass, cans, or metal bottles will be allowed. Thermos flasks are permitted.
Beat the queues with the SwipeStation app
Do you want an easy way to get your matchday pint?
Try our innovative SwipeStation app, which enables supporters to order a pint anywhere in the stadium before the game - and then collect it at a fast lane, either pre-match or at half-time.
That’s not all, either! The app even works offline, which means you can place an order without Wi-Fi connectivity. Obviously, the app does require initial connectivity to download, so why not do it at home before you come to the game?
We will be operating five SwipeStation machines in the Cappagh (West) Stand and two in the Ry (East) Stand. Camden Pale Ale and Stella Artois will initially be the two drinks available on SwipeStation.
Download SwipeStation from the App Store or Google Play and add your card details and email address (like you would for Uber, or to buy a drink in a pub!).
We have a downloadable user guide made for mobile phones, so take a look now and get ordering your pint for the match!
Club Shop
Look smart this summer by snapping up one of fantastic new hummel strips. The new home and away kits will be available to buy at the club shop on Saturday, which opens from 11.00 am until 2.45 pm. Our club store will also be open during the game tomorrow, reopening at 3.15 pm until 6.00 pm.
Programme
Our matchday programme has a fresh new look and it includes an extensive interview with Johnnie Jackson ahead of the new season. The programme can be purchased for £3 at the club shop, the Phoenix Pub, and also inside each of our four stands. Sellers will also be positioned outside the Cappagh Stand entrance and along Plough Lane.
Dons Local Action Group Food Collection Point
We will once again be organising collection points on Saturday with supporters invited to donate food to those less fortunate in the community. Masterminded by our award-winning Dons Local Action Group (DLAG), fans will be able to drop off tinned supplies - with an urgent need for tinned meat, tinned vegetables, tinned fish, tinned fruit, and tinned pulses. Food collection points will be located at every entrance into the stadium.
Reusable Cups
We have a reusable beer cup scheme to replace all single use plastic pint cups around the stadium. Once you’ve finished your beer, please dispose of your cup within the reusable cup bins located around the stadium. Please note that these are temporary crates until we get new ones from our suppliers.
Kids Zone
This will be open on Saturday. Not only will fans be able to meet Haydon, our favourite Womble, there'll also be plenty of fun activities such as colouring, Lego, Duplo and Stickle Brix - as well as an inflatable football shooting game. The Kids Zone is positioned on the concourse behind the Family Section on the corner of the East and South stands. Specifically for kids aged between 5-12, it is open from 1.30pm to 2.45pm with activities organised on a rotation basis. Please note that children MUST be supervised by parents at all times.
For a map of the stadium, and other information, including details about bringing bags into the ground and our cycle store facility, see our Matchday Guide section on the official website.