Revisiting the Bold Bid to Move Wimbledon to Dublin as the Dons

“The idea was exceptionally compelling,” said Higgins, who is now chairman of League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers.

“Jack Charlton’s Ireland team was enjoying its golden period after Italia ’90 and USA ’94, so Dublin could effectively have hosted a smaller international-style match every other week.

“I think it could have completely reshaped football across the island, but they [the FAI] were viewing the proposal from a very limited perspective.

“Just consider what followed: rugby and the GAA moved ahead of us and secured the television and sponsorship revenue.

“Football simply lacked the ambition required to deliver such a major change.”

Ultimately, the debate became irrelevant. Following 18 months of negotiations, communication with Hammam abruptly stopped. Telephone calls and written messages received no response.

Higgins, who still keeps the unsigned agreement in his records, was passing through an airport the following year when a television report revealed that Hammam had sold an 80% stake in the club to Bjorn Rune Gjelsten and Kjell Inge Rokke for £26m—more than four times the amount offered by his group.

The proposed site of the top-flight stadium is now occupied by a shopping centre.

Dublin never received its team, while Wimbledon eventually lost theirs when the club relocated to Milton Keynes in 2004.

AFC Wimbledon emerged from the community that remained behind, beginning in the ninth level of English football that same year, with Heller serving as one of its four founders.

Thirty years after the earliest discussions about moving to Dublin, the supporter-rebuilt club competes in League One and has returned to its historic home at Plough Lane.

“People often mention the FA Cup, league positions and cup semi-finals, but in my view, what they have accomplished is the greatest achievement in the club’s history,” Cunningham said.

“They suffered an enormous blow, fell rapidly through the divisions and then fought their way back. Every appearance on the pitch represents another success. I wish them well.

“As for the Dublin proposal, it now feels like a distant memory, perhaps accompanied by some regret over an opportunity that slipped away.

“People might dismiss it today, but I remain certain that it could have succeeded. There is no question that the public would have strongly supported it.”