Soccer-‘I thought it was AI,’ says Wimbledon director of flooding images at stadium

Published : 2 weeks ago, on 25/09/2024

 

(Reuters) – 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 litres of water being pumped out of the stadium.

Heavy flooding in South London left Wimbledon’s stadium under water and its pitch suffered significant damage, James Woodroof told the BBC, causing their League Cup match against Newcastle United on Tuesday to be moved to St James’ Park and rescheduled for Oct. 1.

Their League Two match against Crewe Alexandra scheduled for Oct. 1 was also postponed, while club staff repair 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 realise it was going to be to this extent… It’s been 60 years since the water had reached this level and essentially we were totally 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 litres each over 100,000 litres.”

Woodroof added that the club was looking to play at home again on Oct. 12 against Carlisle United, while he expects diggers to be brought into the stadium on Wednesday to begin excavating the damaged pitch.

“We are deep in investigation mode into what has happened here. Essentially it’s a natural disaster,” he said. “We really 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 really 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.

($1 = 0.7465 pounds)

 

(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)