Leader of Merton Council Stephen Alambritis plays his part in new football stadium

People may be talking about the stalled football stadium for Chelsea in SW6. But elsewhere in South West London a stadium is definitely taking shape in SW19. The new ground is for AFC Wimbledon. The club famously beat Liverpool in the FA Cup in 1988. Sadly the club was kicked out of London by the powers that be to Milton Keynes. An ugly franchise of a soccer club away from its roots and fan base. Happily the club reformed as AFC Wimbledon and is now back in the League. The fairy tale does not stop there thanks in part to the Cypriot council leader in the London Borough of Merton. Aradippou born Stephen Alambritis is the first ever Cypriot council leader in the UK and has led Merton Council since 2010.

In the early years of his leadership Alambritis piloted an  all party motion in the council chamber calling for the return of AFC Wimbledon back to Merton. The club was encouraged to come back to the borough by Alambritis. The council played its part by nominating the ailing dog track in Plough Lane for “sporting Intensification”. An independent public inquiry with an independent inspector agreed with the council and the rest is history.

Planning permission was duly granted and a 20,000 seater stadium (with over 700 flats around it)  should be ready for the club to move into sometime in the 2019/2020 season. Alambritis is delighted with the progress the club is making both on and off the field “ I am a Fulham fan at heart but name me a council leader who would not welcome a brand new stadium coming to their patch with all the regeneration and benefits such a stadium would bring to a run down part of the borough”. Alambritis was a former football referee in KOPA and in other leagues.

He once took a friendly match involving Wimbledon and a touring side from abroad “ I turned up expecting the reserves to play  but that weekend Wimbledon were thrashed by Arsenal and so the then manager, Bobby Gould,  put out the first team. I ended up officiating  a match with Vinnie Jones and Denis Wise on the pitch. I can tell you there was nothing friendly about that match!” Alambritis however is confident that the new stadium will be given a friendly welcome by both footballing and non footballing fans.