The History of MK Dons: From Wimbledon to Milton Keynes

Sep 11, 2010
Steve Rogerson

Stadium MK, home of the MK Dons - Photo by Steve Rogerson

The rise of non-league Wimbledon to the Premiership is one of football's fairy tale stories but for the fans it went wrong when they moved to Milton Keynes

Nobody likes to lose a football club, but that is what happened to supporters of Wimbledon FC in 2003 when the club left south London and set up home in Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, changing their name to MK Dons in the process. Many of the supporters not wanting to lose a club with a history dating back to 1889 responded by setting up their own football club – AFC Wimbledon – who are now also in the Football League.

The Birth of Wimbledon FC

The club was started in 1889 by ex-pupils of the Old Central School on Wimbledon Common and they were originally called Wimbledon Old School FC. The name change to just Wimbledon FC happened in 1905 but not before the club had twice won the Clapham League and once the Herald League.

Despite adding the South London Charity Cup to their list of trophies, financial problems dominated and the club briefly went out of existence for a year in 1910. After playing more football on Wimbledon Common, they moved to their well-known ground at Plough Lane in 1912. The switch led to better times for the club as they moved up to more established lower leagues including the Athenian League and Isthmian League, which they won eight times. After winning the FA Amateur Cup in 1963, they turned professional. The following season they joined the Southern League and finished runners-up.

The Rise of Wimbledon

Many football fans in the country were probably not aware that Wimbledon had a football club, but that all changed in the 1974/75 season. After starting their FA Cup run in the first qualifying round, they progressed through the non-league rounds to reach the First Round proper. After knocking out a couple more non-league clubs they came up against Burnley, who were in the top flight at the time. They won, away from home, and became the first non-league team to beat a First Division side in the FA Cup. Their reward was a match against reigning champions Leeds United. They drew away at Elland Road and it took an own goal for the mighty Leeds United to win at Plough Lane.

This and three Southern League championships led to Wimbledon being elected to the Football League in 1977. After pottering about for a while in the bottom two divisions, Wimbledon won promotion to the second division in 1984 and two years later went up to the top flight. The miraculous rise in fortunes continued with a sixth place finish in their first year in the First Division and then they topped that by winning the FA Cup in 1988, beating Liverpool in the final.

Good finishes in the top flight continued and it became obvious that the Plough Lane ground could not be developed to meet the Football Association’s new rules about all-seater stadiums. As such, the club started ground sharing with fellow south London club Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Their run in the Premier League continued at the new home until 2000 when they were relegated to the second tier.

The Move to Milton Keynes

After struggling to find a new home in south London, Wimbledon took the decision to move to Milton Keynes, despite opposition form the Football Association and the Football League. The move earned it the nickname “the Franchise Club” among many football supporters of all clubs. The first match in the town was played at the National Hockey Stadium in September 2003. It was not a good first year in the new home and the club finished bottom and were relegated to third tier.

At the end of that season, the decision was made to change the name to reflect the location but they kept the word “Dons” – the club’s nickname – to keep a link with its history. And thus Milton Keynes Dons (or MK Dons as it is commonly known) became the name.

On the field, the team still struggled and were relegated to the fourth tier in 2006. The following year, they moved from the National Hockey Stadium to the purpose-built 22,000 seater Stadium MK. The first year at the ground under the management of Paul Ince saw the club win the Football League Trophy and promotion back to third tier, where they still are at the start of the 2011/12 season.

The New Wimbledon

Some supporters upset at the club’s move to Milton Keynes formed a new club under the name AFC Wimbledon in 2002. After moving up through the lower leagues, the club start the 2011/12 season as a Football League team themselves. Supporters of many clubs hope they eventually play MK Dons – the old Wimbledon versus the new Wimbledon will be a match that will pack many a stadium.