It is, says John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, "the greatest underdog sports story you've never heard". It stars, in his words, "a bunch of middle-aged people with absolutely no athletic talent". And soon, thanks to Green, it will be coming to a movie theatre near you.

It is the story of AFC Wimbledon, the supporter-owned soccer team born out of the decision by the owners of the club based in the south London suburb of Wimbledon to move to Milton Keynes, 90 kilometres to the north, in 2001.

The moment AFC Wimbledon became a league team ought to provide a thrilling climax to John Green's story. Credit:Chris Brunskill

Opposed by the majority of fans, the move nonetheless went ahead, and the team played its first games in the northern satellite town in 2003. In 2004, the club formerly known as Wimbledon FC (for Football Club) was renamed Milton Keynes Dons after becoming insolvent.

In 2002, disaffected supporters founded a rival team, AFC (for Association Football Club) Wimbledon, based in the suburb of Kingston-Upon-Thames, just west of Wimbledon Common (home of TV's Wombles). The club began in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League, which is the ninth tier in English football, and has since been promoted five times.