Last Wednesday, February 27th, was a historic day for Wimbledon fans, as members of WISA committee, club and trust boards, ex-players and ten lucky fans gathered at Merton Civic Centre to watch the unveiling of the honours display. Also present were the Mayor of Merton, Councillor John dehaney, and the council leader, Councillor David Williams, along with a number of other politicians from Merton.
It has been a long road from the day when WISA first sent a letter to Pete Winkelman, demanding back what was rightfully ours: It has been a journey taken via numerous meetings with other supporter bodies to gain approval for the boycott, two annual conferences of the Football Supporters Federation, a number of meetings facilitated by the FSF attended by Simon Wheeler and Ross Maclagan from WISA, and a vote of all Wimbledon supporters (not to mention one of the unmentionables 70 miles up the road).
The council had pulled out all the stops to make the reception area Wimbledon-coloured before the guests arrived -- the whole place was full of yellow and blue balloons, Wimbledon flags from different eras were hung around the walls, and there were many photos celebrating the team’s history. The big coup however was that the FA Cup was on display (and few people in attendance could resist having their photo taken with it!), while the film of the 1988 FA Cup Final was projected onto one of the walls.
The players present included Dave Beasant, Lawrie Sanchez – captain and goalscorer of the FA Cup-winning team -- and Roy Law, captain of the Amateur Cup-Winning team, along with a number of others who played on that historic day in 1963. Sadly the Amateur Cup is very fragile these days, so it could not be displayed. Marcus Gayle, Terry Brown, Stuart Cash and AFC Wimbledon president and all-round legend “Sir” Dicky Guy represented the current team. It was also lovely to see Carl Leaburn, Roger Joseph and Terry Eames in attendance.
The event had attracted a lot of press, and a few TV crews, including NUTS TV.
After the social part of the evening, we moved to the library area, where the main display is housed. Cllr Williams made a short speech thanking WISA and the FSF for making the whole celebration possible. He also said how honoured the council were to display our sporting history, and how much they valued Wimbledon as a community asset. Dicky Guy then gave an emotional and well-thought-out speech covering the history of Wimbledon from 1889 to AFC Wimbledon. (If one of the TV companies captured it, then it would be worth a watch)
Everyone present then crowded round Lawrie Sanchez, Dave Beasant and Roy Law as they formally unveiled the display, by lifting the blue cloth off one of the two display cabinets in the library. Roy then gave a short speech and unveiled a bronze plaque commemorating the occasion; he made a point of saying how proud he was of the display, and of OUR football club.
After the formal unveiling, guests moved back to the reception, spending another couple of hours reminiscing and having photos taken with the various players and, needless to say, the F A Cup. Thankfully we were in time to see Dave save his penalty and Lawrie score the winner again!
The display is now open for everyone to visit, although because of space limitations, Sarah Gould and the rest of the council’s heritage team will be rotating some of the items. In addition, there is a range of books on Wimbledon available to borrow from the library. And there are plans to approach other people who may have items of interest, which could be displayed on a loan basis. Menawhile, the club and other community organisation will also be able to loan items for their own events.
The library is in Merton Civic Centre (formerly Crown House), which is a short walk from Morden Tube and bus stations.
All in all, it was an excellent evening -- it was certainly an emotional evening for me and for others present. It shows that the latest chapter in re-establishing Wimbledon in our home borough has now been completed.
However, there should be more milestones to come, and WISA hopes to be able to announce some more news on another recognition of Wimbledon FC in the next few weeks. So please check this website now and then.
WISA would in particular like to thank our former secretary Ross Maclagan, and our chair Simon Wheeler for all their dedication and skills in negotiating the history and honours accord. Sadly, Simon could not get to the unveiling, because his car broke down on route. Suggestions that a man named Winkelman was seen in the vicinity of the vehicle beforehand are pure speculation!
We’d also like to thank unsung heroes Mick Pugh and Dave McKnight, who helped with the event and the collection of memorabilia. And we would particularly like to thank Sarah Gould and her heritage team for cataloguing and organising the items and creating such beautiful displays, as well as their ongoing commitment to the collection, and to thank the other Merton officers who made the event such a success.
Dave Beasant, Roy Law and Lawrie Sanchez officially unveil the collection
1963 FA Amateur Cup Winners
Marcus Gayle and Carl Leaburn
Dave Beasant and Dicky Guy with FA Cup
За няколко годинки от аматьорския футбол стигнаха до Висшата лига и спечелиха ФА Къп , но тогава футбола не се управляваше толкова много от парите. Ама знае ли човек 
Засега вървим все нагоре 
