AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club, currently based in Merton, Greater London. The club was formed on 30 May 2002 by supporters of Wimbledon Football Club, led by Kris Stewart, Marc Jones and Trevor Williams who strongly opposed the decision of an independent commission appointed by The Football Association to allow the relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes, to be subsequently renamed as Milton Keynes Dons.
AFC Wimbledon was accepted into the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League for the 2002–03 season. The club's average home attendance at league fixtures for their first season exceeded 3,000 – higher than the average attendance in the same season of Wimbledon F.C., who were still playing in the First Division (now the Football League Championship). AFC Wimbledon have also set a record for the longest run of unbeaten league games at any level of men's semi-professional or professional football in the United Kingdom. The team remained unbeaten for 78 league matches between 22 February 2003 (a 2–0 defeat at home to Withdean 2000) and 4 December 2004 (a 2–0 defeat at Cray Wanderers).
The club went on to achieve 5 promotions in 9 seasons, ensuring that they were the first club to be formed in the 21st century to achieve Football League status, and making them the youngest of the 72 Football League clubs. On 30 May 2016, AFC Wimbledon achieved their 6th promotion to Football League One after victory in the 2016 Football League Two play-off final, exactly 14 years to the day since the club's formation.
Key The Division is shown in italics when it changes due to promotion, relegation or league reorganisation.
Champions Runners-up Automatic Promotion Promotion via Play-offs Relegated
Key to league record
P = Games played W = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final league position
Key to rounds
QR2 = Qualifying round 2 QR3 = Qualifying round 3 QR4 = Qualifying round 4 Prelim = Preliminary round R1 = Round 1 R1S = Round 1 Southern Section R2 = Round 2 R3 = Round 3 R4 = Round 4 R5 = Round 5 R6 = Round 6 QF = Quarter-finals SF = Semi-finals RU = Runners-up W = Winners N/A = Did not compete
Key to goalscorers
= Number of league goals scored
Seasons SeasonLeagueFA CupOther competitionsTop scorerAverage homeattendanceReferencesDivisionPWDLFAPtsPosName2002–03 |rowspan=2|Combined Counties LeaguePremier Division |rowspan=2|46 |rowspan=2|36 |rowspan=2|3 |rowspan=2|7 |rowspan=2|125 |rowspan=2|46 |rowspan=2|111 |rowspan=2|3rd |rowspan=6|N/A
|London Senior Cup |R4 |rowspan=2|Kevin Cooper |rowspan=2|37 |rowspan=2|3,003 |rowspan=2||Combined Counties League Premier Challenge Cup |R22003–04Combined Counties LeaguePremier Division464240180321301st ChampionsFA VaseR6Kevin Cooper532,606London Senior CupR1Surrey Senior CupR3Combined Counties League Premier Challenge CupW2004–05Isthmian LeagueDivision One42291039133971st ChampionsQR3FA TrophyR1Richard Butler242,858London Senior CupR4Surrey Senior CupWIsthmian League CupQF2005–06Isthmian LeaguePremier Division42221196736774thQR2FA TrophyR1Shane Smeltz192,706London Senior CupR4Surrey Senior CupRUIsthmian League CupQF2006–07Isthmian LeaguePremier Division4221156763775 5thQR4FA TrophyR2Roscoe Dsane172,512London Senior CupR1Surrey Senior CupR2Isthmian League CupR42007–08Isthmian LeaguePremier Division42229118147753rdPromoted viaPlay-offsQR3FA TrophyR3Steven Ferguson102,603London Senior CupQFSurrey Senior CupR2Isthmian League CupR22008–09ConferenceSouth42261068636881st ChampionsR1FA TrophyR1Jon Main333,219Conference League CupR1SLondon Senior CupR1Surrey Senior CupR32009–10ConferenceNational441810166147648thR1FA TrophyR3Danny Kedwell213,535London Senior CupRUSurrey Senior CupQF2010–11ConferenceNational46279108347902ndPromoted viaPlay-offsR2FA TrophyR2Danny Kedwell233,486London Senior CupSFSurrey Senior CupR22011–12Football LeagueTwo461592262785416thR2Football League CupPrelimJack Midson184,295Football League TrophyR3London Senior CupSFSurrey Senior CupQF2012–13Football LeagueTwo4614112154765320thR2Football League CupR1Jack Midson134,060Football League TrophyR1London Senior CupWSurrey Senior CupSF2013–14Football LeagueTwo46141418495753 20thR1Football League CupR1Michael Smith94,135Football League TrophyR1London Senior CupWSurrey Senior CupR22014–15Football LeagueTwo4613112242635015thR3Football League CupR1Adebayo Akinfenwa154,073Football League TrophyR3London Senior CupR1Surrey Senior CupN/A2015–16Football LeagueTwo462112136450757thPromoted viaPlay-offsR1Football League CupR1Lyle Taylor204,138Football League TrophyR1London Senior CupR2Surrey Senior CupN/A2016–17EFL LeagueOne4613181552555715thR3Football League CupR1Lyle Taylor144,477EFL TrophyR2London Senior CupQFSurrey Senior CupN/A2017–18EFL LeagueOne4613141947585318thR3EFL CupR1Lyle Taylor144,325EFL TrophyR2London Senior CupR2Surrey Senior CupN/A2018–19EFL LeagueOne4613112242635020thR5EFL CupR2Joe Pigott154,297EFL TrophyR2London Senior CupN/ASurrey Senior CupN/A2019–20EFL LeagueOne358111639523520thR1EFL CupR1Marcus Forss114,310EFL TrophyGroup StageLondon Senior CupN/ASurrey Senior CupN/A2020–21EFL LeagueOne4612151954705119thR2EFL CupR1Joe Pigott21N/AEFL TrophyQFLondon Senior CupN/ASurrey Senior CupN/A 2021–22 EFL LeagueOne 46 6 19 21 49 75 37 23rd ↓Relegated R3EFL CupR3 Jack Rudoni 12 7,704 EFL Trophy Group stage 2022–23 EFL LeagueTwo 46 11 15 20 48 60 48 21st R2EFL CupR1 Ethan Chislett 9 7,604 EFL Trophy R3 2023–24 EFL LeagueTwo 46 17 14 15 64 51 65 10th R3EFL CupR2 Ali Al-HamadiOmar Bugiel 13 7,893 EFL Trophy QF2024–25EFL LeagueTwo462013135635735th Promoted viaPlay-offsR2EFL CupR3Matty Stevens217,924EFL TrophyR322025–26EFL LeagueOne461582351725319thR1EFL CupR2Marcus Browne148,378EFL TrophyQuarter-Finals
Notes A. AFC Wimbledon were defeated 2–1 by Fisher Athletic in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off semi-final on 2 May 2006, preventing the club from achieving three back-to-back promotions. B. AFC Wimbledon were deducted 3-points and fined £400 (reduced from an 18-point deduction on appeal) for the fielding of Jermaine Darlington who had not been registered correctly by the club as he required 'international clearance' in order to be transferred from the Football Association of Wales to the Football Association of England and had therefore played in three matches whilst still ineligible. The 'Darlington affair' also resulted in expulsion from the Surrey Senior Cup and the FA Trophy that season. C. AFC Wimbledon were defeated 1–0 by Bromley in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off semi-final on 1 May 2007. D. AFC Wimbledon beat Staines Town 2–1 in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-off final on 3 May 2008. E. AFC Wimbledon beat Luton Town 4–3 in a penalty shoot-out after the match had ended 0–0 in extra time in the 2011 Conference National play-off final on 21 May 2011. F. AFC Wimbledon were deducted 3 points and given a £5,000 fine suspended for one year by a Football Disciplinary Commission hearing for the ineligible fielding of Jake Nicholson in a 4–3 win over Cheltenham Town on 22 March 2014. In addition the club was required to pay the costs of the hearing. It was found that the player's multiplicity contract had in fact expired on 19 March 2014 and had not been renewed on that date due to the illness of a key member of the club's administrative staff. G. AFC Wimbledon beat Plymouth Argyle 2–0 in the 2016 Football League Two play-off final on 30 May 2016.Pilnick, Brent. "AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Plymouth Argyle", BBC Sport, Wembley, 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016 H. AFC Wimbledon finished the season with a 1.00 PPG (35 points in 35 matches) which finished them in 20th position above Tranmere Rovers by 0.06 PPG after League One voted to curtail the season following months of postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic."EFL statement: League One opts to curtail", EFL, 9 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020
References
Further reading