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“I Thought It Was AI,” Says Wimbledon Director Woodroof After Seeing Stadium Flood Images
AFC Wimbledon’s managing director thought he was looking at AI-created images when he saw pictures of flooding at their Plough Lane home that led to more than 100,000 liters of water being pumped out of the stadium.
Heavy flooding in South London submerged Wimbledon’s stadium, resulting in considerable damage to the pitch, according to James Woodroof in a statement to the BBC. As a consequence, their League Cup match against Newcastle United has been relocated to St James’ Park and rescheduled for October 1.
Their League Two match against Crewe Alexandra scheduled for Oct. 1 was also postponed while club staff repaired the damage caused to the stadium after the nearby River Wandle broke its banks on Sunday night.
“I woke up to images from my stadium team. I thought it was AI,” Woodroof said.
“We didn’t realize it was going to be to this extent… It’s been 60 years since the water had reached this level, and essentially, we were overwhelmed by it.
“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 liters each over 100,000 liters.”
Woodroof also mentioned that the club aims to return to home matches on October 12 against Carlisle United. He anticipates that diggers will be brought into the stadium on Wednesday to start excavating the damaged pitch.
“We are deep in investigation mode into what has happened here. Essentially it’s a natural disaster,” he said. “We need to understand what the damage has been beneath that surface.”
Photos of the damaged pitch showed an area of exposed sand that looked like a golf bunker near one of the corner flags.
Cup rivals Newcastle have donated 15,000 pounds ($20,092) to help Wimbledon with pitch repairs, Sky reported, while a fan launched an online fundraiser bidding to raise 100,000 pounds.
“We are thankful for all the support,” Woodroof said.
“It typifies the spirit of this football club, this relentless resilience and community spirit is extraordinary.
Wimbledon are fifth in League Two, with 13 points after six matches.
