What happened at the SGM on 7 May

DT logoThere was a bumper turn-out for last Tuesday’s Dons Trust Special General Meeting at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Around 130 members contributed to a lively evening of debate and quizzing of the DT Board.

The first part of the meeting focused on three resolutions – two proposed by the Board, the other by a DT member. DT Chair Matthew Breach, supported by AFC Wimbledon Chief Executive Erik Samuelson, explained how the two Board resolutions were necessary to amend the current DT constitution. An amended constitution would enable the Trust, as and when the time arose, to launch a Community Share issue to raise any finance necessary to help us achieve our ambition to move to a new stadium in Wimbledon.

Members asked a wide range  of searching questions of the Board, after which the number of votes on the night, combined with those already submitted online or by proxy, resulted in an emphatic approval for both resolutions (see box below for more details).

The third resolution, proposed by  member Tudor Jennings, instructed the DT Board to introduce a Volunteer Database by the start of next season.  Matt Breach agreed that this action had been on the Board’s ‘to-do list’ for some time, and its implementation overdue. Again the combined ‘on the night’, online and proxy votes were over-whelmingly in favour of the resolution – more details below.

Perhaps buoyed by the Dons’ final-day League Two survival, much of the focus of the open Q&A session was on plans for next season. A number of members expressed the hope that the Club would be in good financial shape to push on up the table in 2013/14. Erik Samuelson was, as ever, open and honest about the realities of AFC Wimbledon being a fans-owned Club.  A playing budget of around £1m (including a fantastic contribution of around £50,000 from the We Are Wimbledon Fund), although slightly up on 2012/13, would still place us near the bottom of the League 2 spending table. However, we had a bright, young manager in Neal Ardley, and the Football Club Board was confident that the Club would continue to make progress on the pitch.

Other questions posed by members included the reasons for the increased Youth Development Programme funding next year, the Club’s engagement strategy with local schools, ticket prices for next season, the Club’s social media policy for players, and the quality (or lack of!) the Kingsmeadow pitch this season.

Members also heard short updates from the Board on the three working groups – Finance/Fund-raising, New Stadium Structure and People.

Finally, there was a presentation to retiring Bar Manager Paddy Sweeney, who received warm applause from members for his sterling service to the Club.

The DT Board would like to thank all those members who attended the meeting, and to those who voted online or by proxy.  As was stressed at the SGM, although the resolutions passed on the night now enable the Board  to amend the DT Constitution, as and when a Community Share scheme is proposed the scheme itself will be the subject of a further formal consultation with the membership.

Resolution

In   favour

Against

Abstentions

Total   Votes

1

558

5

6

569

2

557

7

5

569

3

555

4

10

569

For more details of the three resolutions download the SGM Agenda.