The Wimbledon Family

Diagram of AFC Wimbledon and associated charities' structure, showing relationships between professional sports, community trust board, charities, and memberships, with labeled boxes and connecting lines.

The organisation was created by a group of AFC Wimbledon fans who wanted to preserve the rich history of their favourite football club. This decision came after the franchise was relocated 70 miles away to Milton Keynes. The club’s exciting history, including its relocation and subsequent relaunch as a fan-owned, community-based club, is detailed through an expansive array of artefacts that stretch back to the 1880s, the very beginning of football in Wimbledon.

Whilst Wimbledon in Sporting History was formed by a group of football fans, theorganisation covers all sports and remains dedicated to collating, archiving, safeguarding, and displaying the historical artefacts from a range of sporting activities. Wimbledon Common has provided a unique sporting landscape for a number of global sports, including football, speedway, greyhound racing, tennis, rugby, cricket, long-distance running, hockey,and shooting.

The organisation may focus on the history of Wimbledon, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t continually look to the future. The industry is a dynamic landscape, and to maintain guest engagement, Wimbledon in Sporting History must remain ahead of the curve with new and unique displays and initiatives. In doing so, the organisation can ensure the sustained success of its ongoing mission: educating and celebrating Wimbledon’s extensive history.

Managing Director John Lynch said. “It’s a living history demanding of a constantly changing heritage each year.

This requires us to be creative in our development, developing our own skill base, utilising partners’ expertise, developing, evolving, and diversifying.

It has become a much more interactive world, both physically and virtually, moving away from a simple museum with basic cabinet displays to something that is reachable and exciting, wherever you may live.”

WiSH is run entirely by a group of dedicated volunteers who receive no payment or expenses. None of this would be possible without them.

Meet the Team

  • A man with gray hair and a beard, director of WISH John Lynch, holding a silver trophy with yellow and blue ribbons, smiling in front of a brick wall and a glass window.

    John Lynch

    MANAGING DIRECTOR

  • A man with a shaved head and glasses, head of WOPA Ray Armfield.

    Ray Armfield

    COMMUNITY /WOPA TEAM LEADER

  • Close-up of a middle-aged man with gray hair, mustache, and beard, wearing a purple checkered shirt, smiling slightly, against a plain gray background.

    Rhys Torrington

    HERITAGE TEAM LEADER

  • A smiling man in a light purple hoodie and shorts, kneeling beside a pond or water feature, with a blue tarp and blue ropes in the background.

    Chris Hutchinson

    RESTORATIONS TEAM LEADER

  • Smiling elderly man with glasses and a beard wearing a maroon shirt, outdoors with Trees in the background.

    David Growns

    VOLUNTEERING (ADMIN) TEAM LEADER

  • Jude Turner Creative, a Woman smiling while sitting indoors with laptop, wearing a yellow Iowa sweatshirt, in a cozy room with a sofa, cushions, and plants.

    Jude Turner

    MARKETING TEAM LEADER

  • Close-up of a man with glasses resting on his forehead, wearing a dark blazer over a light shirt, outside in front of a decorative glass window.

    Rob Ceccarelli

    GLOBAL OUTREACH TEAM LEADER

  • A bald man wearing a dark blue hoodie stands in front of a wall with text, looking at the camera.

    Stuart Deacons

    STADIUM TOUR GUIDES

    TEAM LEADER

  • A man with short dark hair and a goatee clapping and smiling while attending a sporting event at Cherry Red Records Stadium. He is wearing a sports jacket with a crest on the chest, and other spectators are visible around him.

    Khobi Kramer-agamah Williams

    VOLUNTEERING TEAM LEADER

  • A woman with glasses wearing a blue sports jersey and a lanyard, standing in front of a display case filled with sports memorabilia, in a museum dedicated to the history of the national football league.

    Sharon Armfield

    MUSEUM CURATOR & ARCHIVIST

A lot of the work we do is helped along by a myriad of partners to whom we are ever grateful. The volunteer base we have does have a great skill set, but sometimes you just need that extra bit of help to get over the line.

Thanks to Merton Council, The Dons Den, AFC Wimbledon, Bark Group, Digital Works and Microform Digital for their support.

Our Partners

Green background with white pixelated text that reads 'digital works, the logo for a company specialising in film.
Microform logo on a teal background.
A circular emblem with a yellow border and a red star in the center. The outer ring has the words "The Don's Den"
Logo of Merton showing a stylized letter M in green and purple with the word 'MERTON' underneath.
Geometric illustration of a sitting dog in shades of blue, the logo for Bark , a company specialising in design and print.
The AFC Wimbledon logo featuring a black eagle with red beak and claws, and two yellow symbols on its wings, within a white shield that has a blue border and the text "AFC Wimbledon" at the top, on a blue background.