The Dons Trust Board held its January meeting on Thursday 10 January.
- Firstly, and following the 2012 AGM held on 13 December, the DTB reappointed Matthew Breach as Chairman, David Growns as Vice-Chairman, and Sean McLaughlin as Treasurer.
- Following the recent election process, Kris Stewart was welcomed back as a board member, together with Mick Buckley, who has been invited to fill the casual board vacancy.
- AFC Wimbledon Chief Executive, Erik Samuelson, presented the latest Football Club Board report, and gave an update on the current transfer situation. The board was pleased to hear of the moves by Neal Ardley and his team to strengthen the playing squad. Erik also gave an update on latest developments in the club’s ambition to return to a new stadium in Merton. The board was encouraged by the progress being made on the design of the proposed Plough Lane site. Erik reported that the Club is close to a situation where the financial viability of the project will become clear.
- Erik reported that the club had received net gate income of more than £60,000 from the FA Cup match held in Milton Keynes on 2 December. The board thanked Commercial Director, Ivor Heller, for securing a deal with Nongshim/Korea Foods to sponsor the new North Stand, and recorded its grateful thanks to the volunteers who organised the bucket collection at the Oxford Utd game, in aid of the playing budget. Including subsequent donations, a total of £4,226 was raised. Similar fund-raising events will be organised at the remaining home games in January.
- Recognising the exceptional scale of club activity that would impact upon the DT Board over the next few months, the board agreed to a proposal from Chairman Matthew Breach to set up three strategic sub-groups to focus on finance/fundraising, the new stadium project, and “people” issues (such as community, charity and volunteers). Each group would consist of two or three board members, with support as appropriate from Football Club Board members and the DTB Secretariat.
- A proposal by DT Secretary David Hall to improve the procedure for signing-off the minutes of board meetings was discussed and agreed. In future,the draft minutes of each meeting will be approved at the following month’s meeting. The board also agreed that the summary of each meeting, currently posted on the AFC Wimbledon and DT websites within a few days, will be more detailed, so members can keep up to date with the key issues discussed.
Agreed minutes of the January meeting will be posted on the Dons Trust website shortly after the next board meeting on 11 February.