DONS TRUST BOARD CO-CHAIR XAVIER WIGGINS SHARES AN UPDATE ON EVERYTHING FROM FINANCE TO CUP FINALS
There is a fair bit going on, right now. So, I wanted to give you a quick round up on some of the many things the DTB is involved with.
We have now banked well over £8m from the two bonds – a fantastic effort from investors and all those involved.
We recently broke through the £3m mark on Plough Lane Bond 2 but we want to keep going. The more we bring in over £3m the closer we ge to refinancing all our external debt in April. Talks are ongoing with some potential equity investors, and we are still talking to lenders, but every bond sold helps. Despite the very difficult background to our first full season back at Plough Lane we are on course for an operating profit for the first time in several seasons and we will see further revenue streams come online next year, so the medium term financial prospects are good. Many thanks to you all for your support.
We recently announced the departure of Joe Palmer, our CEO and I would like to thank Joe for his fantastic work ethic and major role in getting us back to Plough Lane as well as the many other contributions that will help us for many years to come. Thanks Joe and best wishes from all at the Dons Trust Board.
Mick Buckley has had his first week as Interim Chair and he has spent his time speaking to many of the staff and volunteers. Thanks again to Mick for stepping in. He has a big workload ahead of him, and we look forward to offering him maximum support.
Plans are coming along nicely for the 15 May Family Fun Day at the stadium. It is a packed schedule of fun things to get involved in and a major fundraiser for the Dons Local Action Group. As well as food and drink stalls, music, football tournaments, interviews and kids’ games there will be an opportunity to meet players and management and people from across the club. It will be “a tin to get in” so no entry fee, just bring a tin of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish or pulses. Please get in touch if you would like to help at the event or in the build-up.
One of the tasks the DTB is currently working hard on is a reboot of the volunteering structure at the club. More time needs to be spent ensuring that the volunteer experience is a better one, not just on matchday but right across the club. And we also are looking at how our volunteers can be of maximum support to the club, in line with the five strategic objectives. We will be speaking to many volunteers and staff members in the coming weeks to gather feedback on how we can be better.
We would like to place on record our thanks to everyone involved in the Continental Cup game at the stadium. It drew a capacity crowd and gave many people their first experience of the Cherry Red Records Stadium. Feedback on social media has been extremely positive. The success of the event relied heavily on the club staff and volunteers going beyond the call of duty. Thank you.
Last, but not least, we must mention the Women at the Game initiative today. There will be many women in the stadium for the first time today – let’s make all of them as welcome as we can and encourage repeat visits.
If you would like to drop me a line on anything above or indeed anything AFC Wimbledon related, I’d be happy to talk, of course. Email Xavier.wiggins@thedonstrust.org