Plough Lane, currently known as the Cherry Red Records Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose football stadium in Wimbledon, south-west London, which has been the home of AFC Wimbledon since 3 November 2020. A groundshare with rugby league side London Broncos began in 2022.
For those setting their eyes on the stadium for the first time, it gives off a modern, sleek inner-city vibe with blocks of flats tightly surrounding the stadium, and this makes the ground very intimate for those inside and give those playing a real boost.
A yellow ‘THE DONS’ with black highlights, providing a 3D effect, and blue background adorn the East Stand seats. This is where the family zone will be and should provide interactive entertainment for the younger generations of Dons fans, to add to the spectacle of a home matchday. Yellow and blue seats make up the rest of the speckled pattern around the ground, and these stands combined all match up nicely to provide a sight that many cannot wait to behold.
The West Stand is the real eye-opener. A three-tiered stand, with the glass-fronted executive boxes stealing the show gives the stadium a powerful elegance. It is the tallest stand in the ground and looks fantastic during a fixture under the lights. There is a fans zone, which is for all fans in the ground, meaning the West Stand should have quite the atmosphere before and after games. Complimenting the fan zone will be the stadium pub and hospitality lounges. Very similar to the Chemflow End, or Tempest for the older AFC Wimbledon fans, Plough Lane’s South Stand holds the more ‘vocal’ fans in the ground. It now has safe standing and is where the atmosphere builds. Situated behind one of the goals, the South Stand will also give a fantastic view of the pitch.
Opposition supporters will be accomodated in the Paul Strank Stand, which is the North Stand at Plough Lane and can be accessed via Gate 7 from St Martin's Way or Maskell Road.
Away tickets for games at The Cherry Red Records Stadium can be purchased either through your club in advance or you can buy a ticket on the day of a game depending on availability. We advise buying in advance as ticket prices increase on the day of a game. If you are collecting tickets on the day of the game, you can collect them from the away ticket booth located beside Gate 6.
Plough Lane seating plan:
There are a number of pubs in the surrounding areas. A lot of fans tend to drink in 'By the Horns' although my choice of location was 'The Corner Pin' which had a nice feel and a good selection of beers available.
There will be no parking on site (accessible spectators will be given separate guidelines). Where possible, supporters are advised to travel by public transport as parking spaces cannot be guaranteed. You may wish to consult Merton Borough Council and Wandsworth Borough Council websites for parking restrictions around the Plough Lane area. Wandsworth operates additional matchday parking restrictions in the CPZs near to the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
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The stadium is well served by public transport links, with Earlsfield Station (trains to Waterloo and the South West), Haydons Road (Thameslink and Southern trains to the South Coast, Central London and Hertfordshire) and Tooting Broadway (Tube Northern Line) all within walking distance.
Rivals - Crawley Town, and historically, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Spurs
Travel: I travelled up on the supporters’ bus with Newport County. We left South Wales at 8-00 am and got to Wimbledon around 12-30 pm.
Refreshments: Before the game I went to the Against the Grain cask ale pub. Beers were obviously at London prices’ but of exceptional quality. Well worth the cost. Afterwards I made my way to the ground. The ground is impressive on the outside (see pics) and respect is given to the history of its former incarnation with a statue to Lawrie Sanchez and Dave Beasant, two of the heroes in their 1988 FA Cup win over Liverpool. All the home fans I met were friendly and inquisitive over my quest to ‘do the 92.’
Impressions: An impressive modern stadium ideal for this level of football. Neat compact stands on all sides and I’ve heard that the club has options to extend stands if and when the need arises.
Atmosphere: The game was an exciting affair and Newport took the lead early in the first half. There afterwards they defended well and even extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half. Regarding the stewards, they were friendly and helpful at all times. The atmosphere in the away end was as it always is with Newport excellent especially has they won 2-0. And finally, the ‘pie question.’ Prior to the game I asked if they had vegetarian pies. They did and even had the curtesy to set one aside for me at half time. Needless to say I was not disappointed, especially with the quality.
Exit: Considering that a section of the M25 was closed on this weekend the journey back to south Wales was relatively straight forward and we got back to Newport at 8-30pm.
Enjoy: A really good day out especially as Newport won. As always after visiting a new ground I ask myself ‘if I lived there would go and support the team’? In this case it is an emphatic yes! I can only wish AFC Wimbledon my best regards in their dream to one day return to the Premier League.
Ground Name: Plough Lane
Capacity: 9,300 (all seated)
Address: Plough Lane, London, SW17 0NR
Main Tel No: 020 8547 3528
Team Nickname: The Dons or Wombles
Year Ground Opened: 2020
Site: www.afcwimbledon.co.uk
Online Shop: AFC Wimbledon Photos
