AFC Wimbledon share video update on sinkhole flood damage to Plough Lane pitch as donations pass £100,000 and the club’s League Two clash with Accrington Stanley is called off
- Heavy rain on Sunday caused a huge sinkhole in AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane
- The club has received donations of over £100,000 to help repair the damage
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AFC Wimbledon posted a video update on the state of the pitch at Plough Lane on Wednesday afternoon.
Heavy rain on Sunday evening created a huge sinkhole in the playing field, turning the football field into something that looked more like a golf course full of bunkers.
Wimbledon were due to host Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, but that match will now be played on Tuesday, October 1 and moved to the Premier League club’s St James’ Park stadium, 280 miles away.
Newcastle donated £15,000 to repair the damage and total fundraising now exceeds £100,000.
Wimbledon confirmed on Wednesday that the club’s home game against Accrington Stanley has been cancelled after attempts to find an alternative venue proved unsuccessful.
Heavy rain on Sunday evening caused a huge sinkhole in AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane stadium
In addition to the damage to the field, the club shop and museum were also affected by the flooding
Wimbledon’s home match against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup was moved 280 miles north, before Saturday’s League Two clash with Accrington Stanley was postponed
A short statement said: ‘Despite AFC Wimbledon’s best efforts over the past 48 hours, we have been unable to find a suitable alternative pitch for Saturday.
‘It is therefore with great regret that the EFL has postponed the match against Accrington Stanley.
‘Tickets remain valid for the new date. More information will follow in due time.’
About an hour later, the club posted a video on social media and issued another statement titled: “Update on pitch damage and donations.”
The video began with a display of the condition of the field before repair work began.
Next, a large excavator was shown removing chunks of earth.
The club’s second statement read: ‘Since the most recent update on Monday evening, we wanted to provide supporters with some further information and visuals.
‘Over 100,000 litres of water were removed from the pitch late on Monday evening using tankers. Since then, several independent experts have been on site to inspect the pitch at ground level. In the meantime, club staff and volunteers have begun the clean-up operation at ground level, including the shop, museum, offices and tunnel area.
Wimbledon shared a video on Wednesday showing an excavator removing earth from the stadium
Plough Lane is currently unsuitable for hosting football matches, but work is underway to rectify this
‘[First-team manager] Johnnie Jackson and his coaching staff visited the stadium yesterday to inspect the damage and speak to staff on site. Diggers have been working on the pitch since 6am this morning.
‘All stadium staff have returned to work ahead of the stadium’s scheduled reopening on Friday. Our comedy fundraiser night is going ahead as planned. If you would like to support us, you can purchase tickets from our online store.
‘We have been overwhelmed by the generous financial contributions from Wimbledon supporters and supporters of a number of other clubs to supporter Graham Stacey’s Justgiving page.
‘Donations now stand at £100,000 from over 2,000 backers, including a significant donation from Newcastle United.
‘From everyone at the Club, thank you to every person and organisation who has done this. We are eternally grateful. Come on Dons!’