Hailing from Indianapolis in America, John Green has brought a dose of international flavour to Wimbledon for the best part of a decade.
From initially curating a hit YouTube series whereby he played as the Dons on FIFA to sponsoring the back of our shorts, the award winning author has become part of the family at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
Fresh off the back of playing a key role in helping the Club to permanently sign Joe Lewis, John sat down with us to look back on his time here and offered his own unique perspective on the following subjects:
- The story of our season so far
- How his love for the Dons continues to grow
- His relationship with Wrexham’s owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
- The involvement of American investment in English football
- The inside track on how he helped to make Joe’s move to Wimbledon a reality
Read the full interview with John down below!
How often do you get to watch our games when you’re in America?
I watch almost every single game via iFollow, so I’m able to follow along with the team pretty closely. I get out to Plough Lane maybe three times a season.
I got to take my kids to Mansfield Town away, it was great for my family to see another part of the UK, not just south-west London. There was no goals that day but I didn’t mind at all! I’ll take the point we got all day!
What’s been your highlight of your time supporting the Club?
I’ve got a lot of wonderful memories but the one that stands out was going to Wembley with my Dad for the League Two play-off final in 2016. I was with my Dad and several friends, it was a really special day. The Indianapolis 500 was the day before, it’s a very famous car race in the States, we got to go to that and then fly directly to London to take in that special day.
Going back to Kingsmeadow after we’d won was brilliant. My Dad had never seen the pitch before. We had a lot of fun celebrating with the players and the trophy.
The Don’t Forget To Be Awesome (DFTBA) logo has been on our shorts for several years now. How big a source of pride is that for you?
It’s something that we really love and value. It’s a real joy to be able to be part of the kit of this football club that I love so much and that lots of people in our community love. I still play FIFA sometimes, so I still get a little jolt of joy when I see our logo on the game itself.
You’re a great story teller. If you were to tell one about the season so far, how would it go?
It would be about a group of people who are overperforming because they care about each other and believe in what they’re trying to accomplish together. It’s one of my favourite kinds of stories – it’s a proper underdog story, we have a real fairytale. We’re never going to be the richest club in football but if we all contribute what we can contribute from players, to staff, to fans, I really think that there’s no ceiling for us.
I really enjoy watching the team this season. I think we’re playing Wimbledon football and that’s a joy to watch. It’s great to see a group of players that are playing for each other, playing for the shirt and playing for the fans.
How has your love for the Club grown since you first got involved?
When I first got involved, I felt that this was a funny thing to do with advertising revenue. I cared about the Club in the sense that I loved the ownership structure, that I loved the story and that I loved Wimbledon getting out of non-league twice, but I didn’t have anywhere near the love that I have for the Club now.
Somebody told me once that Wimbledon just gets under your skin and that’s exactly what it’s been like for me. It’s not that different from falling in love with a person. I just fell in love and I expect to be in love with the Club for the rest of my life.
Tell us the story of how you first got involved with the Club and what were your first impressions of it?
I think it was around about 10 years ago now. I was playing FIFA on YouTube and I started to make advertising money off the back of it. I thought it would be hilarious if I used that money to sponsor a real life football team. Wimbledon was the obvious choice for me because it’s fan-owned, I just knew that my fans would love seeing me play as AFC Wimbledon on the game.
So I called up Ivor Heller and pitched him this idea. He said “I don’t totally understand any of what you just said but I’m interested!” Through Ivor I was able to secure a sponsorship. That was 10 years ago and my love for the Club has deepened every year!
Has there been any friendly banter with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ahead of our game against Wrexham this weekend?
I haven’t spoken to them about the game yet. I wish them well – apart from on Saturday against us - and I think that they’re really deeply invested in the community of Wrexham, not just the football club. That’s what I admire about owners in general. However I believe in our ownership structure and what we stand for – so there’s absolutely no doubt about where my loyalties will lie this Saturday!
Did you give them any advice when they first got involved with Wrexham?
Yes, before they went in there Ryan called me and very generously asked for advice and thoughts I had off the back of my own experiences of working closely with AFC Wimbledon over the last few years.
I feel like the main thing I said to him was that they had to get deeply involved in the community as well as the club. To his credit, he already knew that, it was already a priority for them. If you compare them to a lot of owners at this level, I think what they’ve done is really laudable but what makes us different is that it’s all of us in it together. Nobody can replicate that.
A total of 28 out of the 92 highest ranked clubs in the English football pyramid are either owned or part-owned by American investors. Why do you think this is?
That actually surprises me! The league system in the United States is a closed system, there’s no promotion and relegation, you either buy a franchise or you don’t. The franchises in the States are unbelievably expensive, in some cases they are worth as much as a Premier League or Championship club in England would’ve been five years ago.
Maybe that’s part of why Americans are looking to get invested in football in the UK but I also think it’s because there isn’t any other football pyramid in the world that’s quite like England’s. That’s what makes it attractive to people, you can only be three seasons away from playing in the Premier League if everything goes right!
Finally, please tell us the story of how you got involved with the permanent signing of Joe Lewis?
I got involved because earlier in the season I emailed Craig Cope and said, “if you ever need my help, I’m happy to help if I can.” He reached out not long ago and said, “the moment has come!” I was happy to have an input because I’m not just a big fan of Joe Lewis but this entire squad of Wimbledon players. The kind of football they’re playing and the way that they’re playing is what we all fell in love with.
It was lovely to be involved in such an operation. I’m just so happy that Joe is a permanent Wimbledon player. I’ve loved watching him play for us this season and knowing that’s he’s going to be with us for years to come is a huge encouragement.
