AFC Wimbledon fans thank Newcastle United and their fans – Fundraising set to hit massive milestone | OneFootball

On Tuesday morning we highlighted that AFC Wimbledon fans had set up a JustGiving fundraiser to help their club deal with the devastating floods that had caused so much damage on the eve of their scheduled cup match against Newcastle United

We said that here at The Mag we had made a small nominal donation on behalf of all the Newcastle United fans who visit the site. We invited any NUFC fans who wanted to join us in making a personal donation, to do so HERE.

The fundraising appeal had started with the aim of raising £10,000, but by 8am on Tuesday morning, they had raised an impressive £27,517 from 625 donations towards their new £50,000 target.

Then with the football family responding from all quarters as the AFC Wimbledon fans got more and more publicity for their fundraising efforts, it has taken on a life of its own.

So much so that the £50,000 revised target was easily smashed, with the help of amongst others, Newcastle United, with a £15k donation (see below).

One of the AFC Wimbledon fans and the main man behind the fundraiser, Graham Stacey, had this to say late on Tuesday, as reported by the Chronicle:

“For the two sides (Newcastle United and AFC Wimbledon) 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 would almost feel bad, but it’s incredibly generous of them.

“Thankfully to Newcastle and the EFL, we’re going up to St James’ Park and I’m really hopeful because we’re in the cup, that will be a revenue share. I think we get 40%, 45% of the revenue share.

“I’m really hoping that Newcastle fans come out in force and, somehow with our train network, Wimbledon fans will get up there and back in their thousands and we make that a great occasion. Obviously, we want to win that game but hopefully we will get a few bob out of that one.”

I have just checked now and at 8.40am on Wednesday morning the AFC Wimbledon fans fundraiser for their club now stands at… £95,604 from 1,966 donating so far. The fundraiser will now be kept going for the foreseeable future and the next target has been set at £150,000. Good luck to them, with surely the £100,000 milestone set to be passed this Wednesday morning.

This is the explanation on the JustGiving fundraising page:

‘I’m raising money to help AFC Wimbledon get games on following damage to the stadium and pitch due to the extensive flooding over the course of 22-23rd September, which left the club having to call off games and destroyed the pitch.

The money raised will go towards helping the club deal with any costs associated with the floods and could range from repairs to pump hire to rental of an alternative venue – that will be decided by the Club.

We have been in touch with the Club and been assured that any help would be appreciated.

As you may know, AFC Wimbledon is a fan-owned club and the ability to play games in front of crowds is crucial to its existence…’

One particular contribution has made a bit of a stir…

This is ahead of course, the significant money AFC Wimbledon will hopefully generate from their share of the St James’ Park proceeds next Tuesday night, via a fingers crossed full house at SJP. Another reminder, go HERE