Pressure is mounting on Wimbledon Football Club to abandon its plans to move to Milton Keynes and consider sites closer to home.
Merton Council stepped up its campaign to get the club back to a permanent home in or close to Merton by passing two motions during a council debate last week.
Council leader Councillor Andrew Judge stressed the importance of the First Division outfit to Merton.
Wimbledon Football Club in the past has done good community work in providing football training in this borough and thats a connection which we would seek to retain, he said.
In a recent survey 86 per cent of residents said they would support the club returning to the borough of Merton. There are two clear sites which were aware of where this remains a possibility, the Greyhound Stadium and the old football ground, both in Plough Lane.
Coun Judge said a 22,000 to 25,000 capacity stadium could be built on the present Plough Lane site if other problems could be overcome.
Wimbledon Football Club favours a move to a £50million, 45,000-seat stadium in Milton Keynes. The proposal is set to go before a Football Association arbitration panel next year after it was rejected by the Football League in August.
Coun Judge added: We hope these resolutions will deliver an important message on
behalf of this whole council, which is that we will continue the links with the club and
we will do everything to
facilitate the club finding a permanent home in or near Merton.
Councillor Michael Mannion said the club had suffered a great sadness by being homeless since leaving Plough Lane 10 years ago.
There have been insufficient moves on all sides to get the club back to Merton.
Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association has produced a viable plan for
the club to remain at Plough Lane.
Wimbledon belongs in Merton, Wimbledon fans are voters too.
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