Devoted AFC Wimbledon fan from Hampshire raises over £100,000 to fix stadium sink hole

Graham Stacey, 50, from Hook in Hampshire, set up the fundraiser after the Cherry Red Records Stadium was hit with flooding and appeared to have a sinkhole in the pitch. This comes after some areas of the country saw more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours on Monday (September 23).

AFC Wimbledon were due to play Newcastle in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, but it was called off and rescheduled for October 1 at St James’ Park.

The fundraiser was set up with an initial goal of £10,000 but the traget was quickly achieved and Graham upped the goal. The £50,000 mark was crossed on Tuesday after a donor named ‘Newcastle United’ gave £15,000, which Just Giving confirmed was from the Premier League club.

Graham said: “They’ve been nothing but supportive. Obviously, we had a big game lined up against them at home tonight that’s now been switched to St James’ Park, which is a fantastic event.

“For the two sides to play at one of the biggest grounds in the country with one of the best supports in the country is going to be a thrill. Even better when we beat them.

“I should apologise because they’ve been so generous, and if we do (win) I’d almost feel bad… but it’s incredibly generous of them.

“I’ve just been asking people on WhatsApp where we go from here, because the money will be needed.”

The club is supported by American author John Green who ‘donated £200 and was one of the earlier donors.’

Graham added: “I spoke to him on Twitter and he shared our link for our crowdfunding. He put some money in himself, which is very generous.

“We had lots of donations from America, so I’m sure he’s probably behind a lot of that.”

Videos of the apparent sinkhole in the club’s stadium circulated online, which Graham initially thought was generated by artificial intelligence (AI) as the scale of the flooding was not something he had seen before.

He said: “To be honest, when I saw the first video, I thought it was AI. I thought someone had superimposed a golf course onto our pitch because it was so outlandish – how could that happen?

“It’s very dramatic looking but it was devastating because of the extent of it. I’ve not seen anything like that, certainly not on a football pitch and not in this country before.”

He said he has been touched by messages of support from Wimbledon fans and rival clubs who have donated to his fundraiser, and described his club as ‘fan-owned’.

He added: “It’s been incredible. Never more so than times like this you think football’s a real community when it comes together like this and it puts rivalries aside.

“It’s been delightful and flabbergasting in some ways because the messages are almost as rewarding as the donations.”

Graham was a board member of The Dons Trust between 2019 and 2022. The group is formed of supporters who oversee the club and he said the fundraiser will go towards repairing the stadium and pitch as well as keeping the club’s museum protected.

The fundraiser has now hit £103, 387 and Graham has upped the target once more in the hope of trying to raise £150,000.

For more information about the fundraiser, click here.