We're better off without fans, says Koppel

Wimbledon chairman Charles Koppel claims the club are better off without their stay-away fans despite months of playing at a near-deserted Selhurst Park.

Thousands of supporters have boycotted the cash-strapped club this season over Wimbledon’s impending move to Milton Keynes.

Attendances have plummeted as low as 664 at the 26,400 capacity ground the Dons share with Crystal Palace.

But chairman Koppel insists families are returning on match days because the atmosphere has improved, and claims Wimbledon’s finances are healthy.

He said: “There might be a smaller number of people in the ground but the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic.

“The fans who come now are fully behind the team and the noise they make belies their number. We are all enjoying it.

“It was a hostile environment last year because of the protests but the families and kids have now come back.

“It was a lousy year with supporters turning their backs on the team on the pitch. That was very unpleasant. But now everyone wants to be part of the future.

“We are better off than we have been for a couple of years. We dramatically reduced the wage bill by releasing 19 players and our matchday expenses are down considerably.

“We are all fighting for our future and there is a fantastic spirit here now.”

Wimbledon, whose rent on Selhurst Park is a proportion of gate receipts at the ground, were losing around £20,000 (€31,500) a day last season.

But Koppel said: “We are losing significantly less now. All of those costs have come down.

“Even our stewarding costs are down because some areas of the ground are closed.”

Fans opposed to the club’s relocation reacted angrily to Koppel’s claims.

Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association chair Nicole Hammond said: “There were protests last year but we were faced with the death of our club and we were trying to save it without it moving.

“It’s extraordinary for a chairman to say a club is better off without fans. The level of attendance has dropped so low I find that quite amusing.”

WISA have formed their own club, AFC Wimbledon, who regularly draw larger crowds than Wimbledon in the Combined Counties League.

But Koppel insists the club is confident it can get final approval from the Football League for a temporary 12,000-seater stadium at the Milton Keynes Bowl.

He said: “We’ve set all the wrong records for lowest crowds but now we have a chance to change those statistics.

“We have set a date internally for our move to Milton Keynes and we’re very committed to getting it done this season.

“Football League final approval may only come two weeks before we play our first game there.”