Last night we came together in true Wimbledon style to celebrate the longest-running shirt sponsorship in English football history.
Sports Interactive and the Dons both came from humble beginnings but now both are globally recognised brands in their own right thanks to the popularity of the Football Manager gaming series which adorns our shirts.
The relationship which exists between the two parties was typified by the passionate speeches on the night that were given by Life Vice-President and co-founder of AFC Wimbledon, Ivor Heller and Sports Interactive’s Studio Director Miles Jacobson.
An event designed to take attendees through a journey over the last 20 years, we also heard stories from Terry Brown, Jon Main, Ben Judge, Mickey Haswell and Simon Bassey about our journey which ended in promotion back to the Football League in 2011.
We then fast-forwarded to the 2015/16 season, with Lyle Taylor, Paul Robinson and James Shea recalling their memories of that brilliant day at Wembley which saw us climb into League One.
Joe Pigott then discussed scoring the first goal at the new Plough Lane, before Erik Samuelson and Robin “Rocket” Bedford added their own perspectives of the long-awaited move back to our roots.
Returning to present day, Johnnie Jackson and Ashley “Bayzo” Bayes spoke about their experiences of working for the Club, highlighting their excitement at wearing our special edition kit in aid of War Child and talking all things goalkeeping.
All of these speeches came against the backdrop of an array of shirts that we’ve worn down the years. Those in attendance also took part in a raffle which raised vital funds for the AFC Wimbledon Foundation, helping to continue and enhance their reach in the local community.
All in all this was an event for the ages which perfectly celebrated two decades that will live long in the memory.
Everyone at the Club would once again like to thank Sports Interactive for their continued support over the years - we are blessed to have you guys as our shirt sponsors and we look forward to seeing what is to come in the future.
PIC: Nigel Keene (Pro Sports Images)
