The Dons Trust AFC Wimbledon Club OwnersFinance Committee: Request for volunteers

We are looking for suitably qualified volunteers to join a Finance Committee, which is being formed to devise and implement a refinancing strategy for AFC Wimbledon’s borrowings.

The background is that, through the Plough Lane Bond, the development loan from MSP Capital and the Dons Trust Bond, the AFC Wimbledon group is taking on borrowings of around £10 million. The development loan will be repayable in early 2022 and the first maturities under the Plough Lane Bond fall due in 2025. We need to make absolutely sure that we have other sources of funding in place to replace those loans. We also want to consider financing options for the future expansion of the stadium.

The committee will not be a decision-making body but will advise the boards (i.e. Dons Trust, AFCW PLC and subsidiaries) on financing options, and execute the strategy decided upon by the boards. It will have representatives from the various boards but we are also looking for a small number of other people to join, so as to add further expertise and perspective and to share in the work of the committee.

The people we are looking for will bring some or all of the following skills:

  • Be conversant in capital structuring and financial analysis;
  • Have a track record in raising finance at a comparable scale from a range of sources – ideally including real estate lending, corporate debt, leasing and equity (NB it is not a given that raising additional equity will be part of the financing plan, but all options need to be reviewed);
  • Bring specialist skills in commercial real estate;
  • Bring objectivity and impartiality to their work, including viewing all options dispassionately and implementing whatever strategy the boards ultimately decide to pursue;
  • Work effectively as part of a team;
  • Be willing to make a reasonable commitment of time (at least one meeting per month initially), share in the workload between meetings and to remain involved for at least 18 months.

If you are interested in applying to be a member of the committee, please write to mark.davis@thedonstrust.org with a covering letter and CV or similar. The deadline for applications is 30 September.