MKFM takes a look back at Pete Winkelman's achievements over the 20 years he spent being chairman of MK Dons and the Stadium MK Group.
Before he was involved with the MK Dons, growing up, Pete Winkelman was an avid fan of his hometown team, Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Pete originally moved to Milton Keynes in 1993 to open up a music studio; Great Linford Manor.
He then launched what was, at the time, a controversial bid to bring Wimbledon Football Club (FC) to Milton Keynes. In 2001, the board of directors of Wimbledon FC agreed to move the team to MK, almost 60 miles from it’s original base in South London, through a deal arranged by Pete. Wimbledon FC was later re-named MK Dons in 2004.
After going into administration in 2003, the team made its Milton Keynes debut in September under the direction of an administrator. Pete then became the club's chairman after a group organized by him bought the team at the end of the season.
In the 20 years of being chairman, Pete has worked endlessly with both public and private sectors to host professional league football and has constructed an iconic multi-functional sports and spectator’s events complex.
In 2007, Stadium MK became home of MK Dons FC and was officially opened by Her Late Majesty the Queen with Pete by Her side.
Four-star hotel, Double Tree by Hilton, opened its doors to Milton Keynes in 2009. The hotel now has 304 bedrooms, making it one of the biggest in the UK.
Stadium MK hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2015, with three record-breaking attendances.
Stadium MK has also brought over £350 million to MK1, in addition to hundreds of employment opportunities in retail and leisure.
Pete and the team also introduced the club’s charity, MK Dons Sports and Education Trust, which now proudly interacts with over 50,000 MK residents every year.
Pete has been recognised for several of his endeavours throughout the years, one where he was awarded MK Business Leaders’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Pete was also handed the Freedom of the Borough of Milton Keynes and is now a Commissioner on the strategic Milton Keynes 2050 Futures Commission for Milton Keynes Council.
In an exclusive interview with MKFM, Pete said, “I only get one chance to hand it over. I need to hand it over to people that care about Milton Keynes and care about the people of Milton Keynes and what else they can do in Milton Keynes.”
