AFC Wimbledon have pumped over 100,000 litres of water out of Plough Lane, according to the Dons’ managing director James Woodroof.
The pitch was left underwater from flooding after theRiver Wandle’s banks broke.
Wimbledon’s third-round tie in the EFL Cup, originally due to be played at Plough Lane this evening, has been moved to St James’ Park next Tuesday.
The club are trying to find a different venue for Saturday’s League Two game against Accrington Stanley.
Clear-up well underway 🧹
— AFC Wimbledon (@AFCWimbledon) September 24, 2024
Thanks to our volunteers and staff for clearing flood water in the tunnel and other areas at the stadium 🏟 #AFCW 🟡🔵 pic.twitter.com/tW8lpeTdeX
“I woke up to images from my stadium team. I thought it was AI [artificial intelligence],” Woodroof said on BBC London.
“The entire stadium, the concourse and ground floor, was under water. It was horrendous. The pitch has significant damage.
“We filled four tankers, which house 27,000 litres each – over 100,000 litres.”
The excavation of the pitch will start this week.
“We are deep in investigation mode into what has happened here. Essentially it’s a natural disaster,” Woodroof said.
“The River Wandle was full. There was too much water and nowhere for it to go, and the pressure has been so enormous that this area of the pitch has been the unfortunate victim.
“We really need to understand what the damage has been beneath that surface.”
Wimbledon fan Graham Stacey set up a JustGiving page that has so far raised £50,000. Newcastle have said they will donate £15,000.
Woodroof said: “We are really thankful for all the support.
“It typifies the spirit of this football club, this relentless resilience and community spirit is extraordinary.
“Time after time this football club has defied naysayers. We have another obstacle in our path and I’ve no doubt we’ll be back and I’m hopeful it’s sooner rather than later.”
In a statement on their website, Wimbledon said: Supporters are likely to have seen images or footage circulating of the significant pitch damage at our stadium, following record levels of water at the nearby River Wandle overnight.
It has been an immensely difficult day for club staff given the extent of the flooding, with related damage to our pitch and stadium. No doubt it’s been a difficult day for our supporters and volunteers, seeing the scenes online too.
Staff encountered significant flooding of the ground level of the stadium, affecting our offices, the shop and museum, reception areas, lifts, and tunnel area, as well as all concourse areas at ground level.
This afternoon, several independent contractors have visited the site and conducted surface level investigations. More investigations are required in the coming days in order to plan for repair works to the pitch as a priority, and we are in regular contact with our insurers.
Earlier, we postponed the Newcastle United game, and thanks to them and the EFL for their swift action and agreement to reverse the fixture. As a result, our match against Crewe Alexandra also needed to be postponed.
We are still trying to find a solution for this Saturday’s match, although there is no possibility that this can be at our stadium. We are also doing everything we can to ensure that the Blue & Yellow Club’s fundraising event on Thursday, as well as Geoff Northcott’s comedy fundraiser on Friday night, proceed as planned.
We have overcome many setbacks by working together and this one will be no different. We genuinely appreciate all the messages of support and offers from volunteers and members to help us fix the damage. We ask for some patience whilst we complete our investigations and formulate our plans before getting to work. We will advise further what supporters can do to help us soon; thank you.
