AFC Wimbledon flooding: what caused pitch to flood and when will Plough Lane reopen?

Shocking pictures and videos of AFC Wimbledon’s pitch at Plough Lane surfaced on social media after it was heavily damaged by flooding.

The damage to the pitch yesterday was widespread - the water was seemingly absorbed by the surface, causing it to warp and create huge sinkholes. It is believed that the cost of repairs could exceed £1 million.

Wimbledon confirmed that they have postponed two games as a result of the flooding: “Earlier, we postponed the Newcastle United game, and thanks to them and the EFL for their swift action and agreement to reverse the fixture. As a result, our match against Crewe Alexandra also needed to be postponed.”

In an interview featured on TalkSPORT, Wimbledon vice president Ivor Heller said: “We don't know the full extent yet. You know, there's so much water.

“There's so much going on that it's going to be investigated and a route map to get back to Plough Lane will be put in in the coming days and we'll know what the route map is and how we deal with it. We always seem to be getting back to Plough Lane don't we? But we're resilient and we'll get on with it.”

How may the flooding have been caused?

While flooding is somewhat commonplace in English football in the event of inclement weather, such extensive damage to a playing surface certainly is not. As such, the materials used in the foundation of Wimbledon’s pitch have been brought into question.

Plough Lane uses a hybrid pitch. The exact specification of the materials used are unknown, but it combines real grass with ‘synthetic material’ - ideally, this would have created smooth playing surface with minimal bumps and bobbles.

However, in a situation such as this, it has proven incapable of withstanding a deluge of rain. The incident may cause other clubs to consider using hybrid pitches in the future.