League Two club AFC Wimbledon owner The Dons Trust has "exchanged contracts with Chelsea" for the sale of Kingsmeadow stadium, according to the BBC. Chelsea wants to use the ground for its youth and ladies' teams. The deal will not be finalized "until a number of conditions have been met, which include the Dons obtaining final planning permission for a new home." Their plans to develop the greyhound stadium in Plough Lane are being scrutinized by the mayor of London. Funds raised by the sale of Kingsmeadow to Chelsea "will help towards the cost of their proposed new ground, which will have a capacity of 20,000" (BBC, 6/7). In London, James Benge reported though the Dons "received planning permission from Merton Council for an 11,000-capacity stadium at their former home," proposals for the ground were called in by then-London Mayor Boris Johnson and remain with his successor, Sadiq Khan. Wimbledon CEO Erik Samuelson said, "This is a major milestone for us. The proceeds of this deal are an essential part of the financing of the new stadium" (EVENING STANDARD, 6/7). In Wimbledon, Jonathan Mitchell reported the sale leaves Kingstonian "without a home." The deal confirms that non-league Kingstonian, which has shared the stadium with the Dons since '03, "will have to find a new ground" by the start of the '17 season (WIMBLEDON GUARDIAN, 6/7).
