MILTON KEYNES DONS F.C.
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(Redirected from MK Dons F.C.)
'Milton Keynes Dons Football Club' is a football club from Milton Keynes, England. They play in Football League Two, the fourth division of English football. The club was launched under its current name on 21 June 2004, nine months after Wimbledon F.C. was moved to Milton Keynes. Somewhat controversially, The FA considers MK Dons F.C. to be a continuation of Wimbledon F.C. However, most of that club's original fans no longer support it, having instead founded their own club, AFC Wimbledon, in south-west London. After negotiation with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association, and mediated by the Football Supporters Federation, it was agreed that MK Dons F.C. would return the trophies and memorabilia of Wimbledon F.C. to the London Borough of Merton, and would make no claims on the history of Wimbledon F.C. thereafter.
Main articles: Relocation of professional sports teams, Professional sports league organization
:''An account of the controversy surrounding Wimbledon's move is detailed in Wimbledon F.C.''
The history of the MK Dons begins in the late 1990s with Pete Winkelman, a music promoter and resident of Milton Keynes. Winkelman saw an opportunity to build a FIFA-compliant new stadium complex in the town, as part of a large commercial development that included Asda and IKEA superstores. There were already four[1] non-League football teams in the borough, including Milton Keynes City, who played in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division. One option available to Winkelman would have been to invest in one of these local clubs, with the aim of repeating the early success achieved by Max Griggs, founder of the Dr. Martens footwear manufacturer, who had overseen the creation of Rushden and Diamonds from two small clubs in nearby Northamptonshire. However, Winkelman felt it would be easier to convince backers to fund a stadium for a league club rather than a non-League team, and to this end, he began trying to bring in a professional club from another town.
Winkelman began approaching any football clubs that were struggling financially, including Barnet, Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers, without success. However, in Wimbledon F.C., he found a club with owners who were already looking for a new base.[2] He persuaded the directors that a move 62 miles north to Milton Keynes might give them the financial boost they wanted. Unsurprisingly, however, most of Wimbledon's fans - as well as the Football League - were against such a move.
On May 28 2002, despite over a year of fan protests against the idea, the Football Association authorised the move to Milton Keynes. Although there have been club relocations in the UK, there had never been such a relocation of a professional club within the English pyramid system, and this move attracted widespread criticism. Those who interpreted the League decision as American-style sports "franchises" gave Wimbledon the disparaging title ''"Franchise F.C."''. Supporters of other teams boycotted games against the club and crowds dwindled to non-league levels. On 5 June 2003, Wimbledon went into financial administration with debts of more than £20 million.[3]
During the 2003/2004 season, Wimbledon F.C. was run by the administrators and many of the team's players were sold. At the end of a dismal season, the club was relegated to League One (the new name for the Second Division). During the summer of 2003, the National Hockey Stadium was converted for use as a football stadium, and in September 2003, Wimbledon F.C. moved into the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes. By spring of 2004, Winkelman bought the near-bankrupt club from the administrators.
In June 2004, against the recommendations of the Football Association's Independent Commission, Winkelman announced that he was changing the name of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes Dons FC. This was not a popular decision - Winkelman had previously promised fans a vote on the issue, and the committee of the official supporters' club had voted unanimously for the word "Wimbledon" to be retained in the name. They felt that by losing the name "Wimbledon", the controversial move to Milton Keynes could no longer be justified as saving Wimbledon FC. Furthermore, the domain name mkdons.com had been registered by Winkelman in 2000, suggesting that he had always intended to start a new club. When the club formally emerged from administration under the new name and ownership on July 1, Winkelman also announced that he was discarding the club's blue and yellow kit for new team colours and a new badge. This change was again implemented without any consultation with supporters. The new badge bore the letters "MMIV", signifying that 2004 was a new start for the MK Dons.
On 4 June 2005, at the 2005 Football Supporters' Federation "Fans' Parliament" (AGM), the FSF refused [4] the MK Dons Supporters Club membership of the FSF in a debate that, among other arguments, questioned why the Football League had yet to introduce any new rules to prevent the "franchising" of other football clubs in the future. In addition, the FSF membership agreed with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association that the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association should not be entitled to join the FSF until they give up all claim to the history and honours of Wimbledon F.C. With this in mind, the FSF began discussions aimed at returning Wimbledon F.C.'s honours to the London Borough of Merton and/or AFC Wimbledon.
Shortly afterwards, following heavy criticism for allowing the move, the Football League announced new tighter rules on club relocation.
At its AGM on 5 June 2006, the FSF again considered a motion[5] proposed by the FSF Council to allow MK Dons Supporters Association membership if the honours and trophies of Wimbledon F.C. were given to the London Borough of Merton and/or AFC Wimbledon. In October 2006, agreement[6] was reached between the club, the MK Dons Supporters Association, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and the Football Supporters Federation. The replica of the FA Cup plus all club patrimony gathered under the name of Wimbledon F.C. would be returned to the London Borough of Merton. Ownership of trademarks and website domain names related to Wimbledon F.C. would also be transferred to the Borough. As part of the same deal it was agreed that any reference made to Milton Keynes Dons F.C. should refer only to events subsequent to August 7 2004 (the date of the first League game of Milton Keynes Dons F.C.), making it clear that Milton Keynes Dons F.C. are a new entity independent of Wimbledon FC. As a result of this deal, the FSF announced that the supporters of Milton Keynes Dons F.C. would be permitted to become members of the federation, and that it would no longer appeal to the supporters of other clubs to boycott MK Dons matches.[7]
On 2 August 2007, Milton Keynes Dons transferred the replica trophies and all Wimbledon FC memorabilia to the London Borough of Merton.[8]
Main articles: National Hockey Stadium, stadium:mk
The club's first stadium in Milton Keynes was the National Hockey Stadium, which was temporarily converted for football for the duration of the club's stay, Their lease on this ground ended in May 2007.
In July 2007, the club's new 22,000 seater stadium opened in Denbigh, Milton Keynes, not far from Bletchley railway station. Branded formally as , the stadium is known locally as Denbigh Stadium. The complex also includes a 3,000 seat indoor arena, where the MK Lions basketball team will be based: this arena is currently not scheduled for completion until mid-2008. The football stadium's first game was on 18 July 2007, a restricted entrance event against a young Chelsea XI.[9]
The club currently uses the public sports facilities at Woughton on the Green for training. The club's academy sides also play their home games here. During the 2005 close season a new plastic-covered artificial training pitch nicknamed 'the bubble' was constructed.
'Berks & Bucks Senior Cup:'
'''2006''' Runners Up,
'''2007''' Winners
The club spent most of the 2004–05 season in the League One relegation zone; Stuart Murdoch was dismissed in November after an extended run of poor results. He was replaced by former Bristol City manager Danny Wilson, though results remained poor. Based on the results of games played that season, the team would have been relegated. However, they managed to escape on goal difference above Torquay, because Wrexham had had ten points deducted for going into administration. This rule infringement meant that Wrexham were relegated in place of the MK Dons.
The 2005–06 season was another poor season for the club. The team failed to record a league win until their eleventh game of the season, and they spent the first three months of 2006 at the foot of the table. They were again relegated, this time to the Coca-Cola League Two, having finished two points adrift of safety. Since moving from London to Milton Keynes, the club has dropped to two divisions below where they were when they arrived. Following their relegation in May 2006, they became the first former Premiership club (together with Swindon Town the same year) who have subsequently been relegated to the lowest tier of the Football League (Bradford City have since suffered the same fate). Danny Wilson was sacked just after the end of the season and was replaced by Martin Allen on 21st June 2006.
In the 2006-07 season, the team fared slightly better, finishing fourth and earning a place in the playoffs against Shrewsbury Town, though they were eventually beaten 2-1 over two legs. Shortly afterwards, Allen left the club to take up the managerial position at Leicester City FC. He was replaced on 25th June by Paul Ince, the former manager of Macclesfield.
MK Dons are the only club in the top 4 English divisions to have finished lower each season in the leagues for the last five seasons.
The club's reserve side currently competes in the Football Combination East Division. The reserve players also make up the bulk of the squad which competes annually in the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. Commencing from the 2007/2008 season, reserve games will be played on Monday evenings.
''As of 31 August 2007.''
''Relocation of professional sports teams: United Kingdom''
★ Milton Keynes Dons Football Club Official Site
★ The MooCamp MK Dons Fans Forum (requires registration)
★ MK Dons Vitalfootball Website and Fans Forum
★ Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association
1. See Sport in Milton Keynes#Football
2. The Guardian's account of move, January 2003. See section beginning "But the dispute's roots stretch back as long ago as 1991."
3. Dons' move to city in doubt (MK Citizen, 9 June 2003)
4. Motion 1 on pages 6 minutes at www.fsf.org.uk (pages 44/45)
5. Motion 6 (pages 6)
6. "Accord on history and honours of Wimbledon FC" - WISA website
7. "MK Dons agree to return Wimbledon trophies to Merton - and sanction amendments to football statistics" - FSF website
8. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wimbledon/6927439.stm
9. Dons open stadium against Chelsea
'Milton Keynes Dons Football Club' is a football club from Milton Keynes, England. They play in Football League Two, the fourth division of English football. The club was launched under its current name on 21 June 2004, nine months after Wimbledon F.C. was moved to Milton Keynes. Somewhat controversially, The FA considers MK Dons F.C. to be a continuation of Wimbledon F.C. However, most of that club's original fans no longer support it, having instead founded their own club, AFC Wimbledon, in south-west London. After negotiation with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association, and mediated by the Football Supporters Federation, it was agreed that MK Dons F.C. would return the trophies and memorabilia of Wimbledon F.C. to the London Borough of Merton, and would make no claims on the history of Wimbledon F.C. thereafter.
| Contents |
| History |
| Change of name |
| Supporters club recognition |
| New stadium |
| Training Ground |
| Trophies |
| League history |
| Reserves |
| Current squad |
| Technical Staff |
| Previous Managers |
| See also |
| External links |
| References |
History
Main articles: Relocation of professional sports teams, Professional sports league organization
:''An account of the controversy surrounding Wimbledon's move is detailed in Wimbledon F.C.''
The history of the MK Dons begins in the late 1990s with Pete Winkelman, a music promoter and resident of Milton Keynes. Winkelman saw an opportunity to build a FIFA-compliant new stadium complex in the town, as part of a large commercial development that included Asda and IKEA superstores. There were already four[1] non-League football teams in the borough, including Milton Keynes City, who played in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division. One option available to Winkelman would have been to invest in one of these local clubs, with the aim of repeating the early success achieved by Max Griggs, founder of the Dr. Martens footwear manufacturer, who had overseen the creation of Rushden and Diamonds from two small clubs in nearby Northamptonshire. However, Winkelman felt it would be easier to convince backers to fund a stadium for a league club rather than a non-League team, and to this end, he began trying to bring in a professional club from another town.
Winkelman began approaching any football clubs that were struggling financially, including Barnet, Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers, without success. However, in Wimbledon F.C., he found a club with owners who were already looking for a new base.[2] He persuaded the directors that a move 62 miles north to Milton Keynes might give them the financial boost they wanted. Unsurprisingly, however, most of Wimbledon's fans - as well as the Football League - were against such a move.
On May 28 2002, despite over a year of fan protests against the idea, the Football Association authorised the move to Milton Keynes. Although there have been club relocations in the UK, there had never been such a relocation of a professional club within the English pyramid system, and this move attracted widespread criticism. Those who interpreted the League decision as American-style sports "franchises" gave Wimbledon the disparaging title ''"Franchise F.C."''. Supporters of other teams boycotted games against the club and crowds dwindled to non-league levels. On 5 June 2003, Wimbledon went into financial administration with debts of more than £20 million.[3]
During the 2003/2004 season, Wimbledon F.C. was run by the administrators and many of the team's players were sold. At the end of a dismal season, the club was relegated to League One (the new name for the Second Division). During the summer of 2003, the National Hockey Stadium was converted for use as a football stadium, and in September 2003, Wimbledon F.C. moved into the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes. By spring of 2004, Winkelman bought the near-bankrupt club from the administrators.
Change of name
In June 2004, against the recommendations of the Football Association's Independent Commission, Winkelman announced that he was changing the name of Wimbledon FC to Milton Keynes Dons FC. This was not a popular decision - Winkelman had previously promised fans a vote on the issue, and the committee of the official supporters' club had voted unanimously for the word "Wimbledon" to be retained in the name. They felt that by losing the name "Wimbledon", the controversial move to Milton Keynes could no longer be justified as saving Wimbledon FC. Furthermore, the domain name mkdons.com had been registered by Winkelman in 2000, suggesting that he had always intended to start a new club. When the club formally emerged from administration under the new name and ownership on July 1, Winkelman also announced that he was discarding the club's blue and yellow kit for new team colours and a new badge. This change was again implemented without any consultation with supporters. The new badge bore the letters "MMIV", signifying that 2004 was a new start for the MK Dons.
Supporters club recognition
On 4 June 2005, at the 2005 Football Supporters' Federation "Fans' Parliament" (AGM), the FSF refused [4] the MK Dons Supporters Club membership of the FSF in a debate that, among other arguments, questioned why the Football League had yet to introduce any new rules to prevent the "franchising" of other football clubs in the future. In addition, the FSF membership agreed with the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association that the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association should not be entitled to join the FSF until they give up all claim to the history and honours of Wimbledon F.C. With this in mind, the FSF began discussions aimed at returning Wimbledon F.C.'s honours to the London Borough of Merton and/or AFC Wimbledon.
Shortly afterwards, following heavy criticism for allowing the move, the Football League announced new tighter rules on club relocation.
At its AGM on 5 June 2006, the FSF again considered a motion[5] proposed by the FSF Council to allow MK Dons Supporters Association membership if the honours and trophies of Wimbledon F.C. were given to the London Borough of Merton and/or AFC Wimbledon. In October 2006, agreement[6] was reached between the club, the MK Dons Supporters Association, the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association and the Football Supporters Federation. The replica of the FA Cup plus all club patrimony gathered under the name of Wimbledon F.C. would be returned to the London Borough of Merton. Ownership of trademarks and website domain names related to Wimbledon F.C. would also be transferred to the Borough. As part of the same deal it was agreed that any reference made to Milton Keynes Dons F.C. should refer only to events subsequent to August 7 2004 (the date of the first League game of Milton Keynes Dons F.C.), making it clear that Milton Keynes Dons F.C. are a new entity independent of Wimbledon FC. As a result of this deal, the FSF announced that the supporters of Milton Keynes Dons F.C. would be permitted to become members of the federation, and that it would no longer appeal to the supporters of other clubs to boycott MK Dons matches.[7]
On 2 August 2007, Milton Keynes Dons transferred the replica trophies and all Wimbledon FC memorabilia to the London Borough of Merton.[8]
New stadium
Main articles: National Hockey Stadium, stadium:mk
The club's first stadium in Milton Keynes was the National Hockey Stadium, which was temporarily converted for football for the duration of the club's stay, Their lease on this ground ended in May 2007.
In July 2007, the club's new 22,000 seater stadium opened in Denbigh, Milton Keynes, not far from Bletchley railway station. Branded formally as , the stadium is known locally as Denbigh Stadium. The complex also includes a 3,000 seat indoor arena, where the MK Lions basketball team will be based: this arena is currently not scheduled for completion until mid-2008. The football stadium's first game was on 18 July 2007, a restricted entrance event against a young Chelsea XI.[9]
Training Ground
The club currently uses the public sports facilities at Woughton on the Green for training. The club's academy sides also play their home games here. During the 2005 close season a new plastic-covered artificial training pitch nicknamed 'the bubble' was constructed.
Trophies
'Berks & Bucks Senior Cup:'
'''2006''' Runners Up,
'''2007''' Winners
League history
The club spent most of the 2004–05 season in the League One relegation zone; Stuart Murdoch was dismissed in November after an extended run of poor results. He was replaced by former Bristol City manager Danny Wilson, though results remained poor. Based on the results of games played that season, the team would have been relegated. However, they managed to escape on goal difference above Torquay, because Wrexham had had ten points deducted for going into administration. This rule infringement meant that Wrexham were relegated in place of the MK Dons.
The 2005–06 season was another poor season for the club. The team failed to record a league win until their eleventh game of the season, and they spent the first three months of 2006 at the foot of the table. They were again relegated, this time to the Coca-Cola League Two, having finished two points adrift of safety. Since moving from London to Milton Keynes, the club has dropped to two divisions below where they were when they arrived. Following their relegation in May 2006, they became the first former Premiership club (together with Swindon Town the same year) who have subsequently been relegated to the lowest tier of the Football League (Bradford City have since suffered the same fate). Danny Wilson was sacked just after the end of the season and was replaced by Martin Allen on 21st June 2006.
In the 2006-07 season, the team fared slightly better, finishing fourth and earning a place in the playoffs against Shrewsbury Town, though they were eventually beaten 2-1 over two legs. Shortly afterwards, Allen left the club to take up the managerial position at Leicester City FC. He was replaced on 25th June by Paul Ince, the former manager of Macclesfield.
MK Dons are the only club in the top 4 English divisions to have finished lower each season in the leagues for the last five seasons.
Reserves
The club's reserve side currently competes in the Football Combination East Division. The reserve players also make up the bulk of the squad which competes annually in the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. Commencing from the 2007/2008 season, reserve games will be played on Monday evenings.
Current squad
''As of 31 August 2007.''
Technical Staff
| Paul Ince | First Team Manager | |
| Ray Mathias | Assistant Manager | |
| Ademola Bankole | First Team Goalkeeping Coach | |
| David Tuttle | Chief Scout | |
| Mike Dove | Director of Youth and Community/Under 18's Manager | |
| Paul Heald | Assistant Academy Director/Academy Goalkeeping Coach | |
| Duncan Russell | Fitness Coach | |
| Andrew Stone | Academy Sports Scientist | |
| Paul Collins | Academy Physiotherapist | |
| Joseph Aylett | Head Groundsman | |
| Dr Peter Reed | Club Doctor |
Previous Managers
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | % | ||||
| Stuart Murdoch | May 2002 | November 2004 | 122 | 35 | 65 | 22 | % | |
| Jimmy Gilligan (Caretaker Manager) | November 2004 | December 2004 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | % | |
| Danny Wilson | December 2004 | June 2006 | 81 | 25 | 32 | 24 | % | |
| Martin Allen | June 2006 | May 2007 | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | % | |
See also
''Relocation of professional sports teams: United Kingdom''
External links
★ Milton Keynes Dons Football Club Official Site
★ The MooCamp MK Dons Fans Forum (requires registration)
★ MK Dons Vitalfootball Website and Fans Forum
★ Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association
References
1. See Sport in Milton Keynes#Football
2. The Guardian's account of move, January 2003. See section beginning "But the dispute's roots stretch back as long ago as 1991."
3. Dons' move to city in doubt (MK Citizen, 9 June 2003)
4. Motion 1 on pages 6 minutes at www.fsf.org.uk (pages 44/45)
5. Motion 6 (pages 6)
6. "Accord on history and honours of Wimbledon FC" - WISA website
7. "MK Dons agree to return Wimbledon trophies to Merton - and sanction amendments to football statistics" - FSF website
8. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wimbledon/6927439.stm
9. Dons open stadium against Chelsea
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