Planning ahead

Chair of the Dons Trust Board Matthew Breach has an update on the Board’s plans for the year and on opportunities for members to give feedback on the emerging stadium plans and other issues.

The start of the year is always a busy time for the Dons Trust Board (DTB) as we integrate new members elected at the AGM – this year Roger Evans, Colin Dipple and Tom Adams have joined – and set our plans for the next 12..

February’s board meeting summary

The Dons Trust Board (DTB) held its monthly meeting at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Monday, February 15. Ahead of publication of the redacted minutes, this article summarises the main points that were discussed.

Given that the Football Club Board (FCB) report for February included substantial information regarding the revised stadium design, it was decided by the Chair that the FCB report would be discussed first as it would take up the majority of time allocated for the meeting.

The..

20’s plenty

With the cost of watching football rising, we look at the Football Supporters’ Federation’s campaign for cheaper tickets for away fans.

The cost of watching football has been in the news recently, especially with Liverpool fans’ walk-out in the 77th minute of their match last weekend against Sunderland. The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), to which the Dons Trust is affiliated, has a long-running “20’s Plenty” campaign that is also now attracting increased media attention.

The campaign calls on football clubs..

Chair walks for charity

Matthew Breach, Chair of the Dons Trust Board, has news of some charity activities coming up later this season.

Walk Further For Wimbledon

Each year, a group of hardy walkers undertake a long-distance sponsored walk near the end of the season in aid of the AFC Wimbledon Foundation and other local charities.

The ninth “Walk Further For Wimbledon” will take place this year on 15 and 16 April, with the group tackling the 30 miles from Crawley Town’s Broadfield Stadium..

Government supports fans

A UK Government report was launched earlier in January at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. The report, which sets out ways to increase supporter ownership and engagement, drew on the experiences of AFC Wimbledon.

Back in 2011, a select committee set up by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport delivered its findings on football governance. A follow-up report in 2013 acknowledged the value of fan ownership, and an expert working group was set up to identify ways to overcome..

January’s board meeting summary

The Dons Trust Board (DTB) held its monthly meeting at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Thursday, January 14. Ahead of publication of the redacted minutes, this article summarises the main points that were discussed.

The meeting opened with a discussion on the Election Steering Group report, following the recent Board elections. John Dolan, Chair of the ESG, attended for this item. John outlined the main report recommendations to change the current rules governing DTB elections. These were:

That candidate..

Report into supporter engagement unveiled

A government-backed report into supporter ownership and engagement was launched at the Cherry Red Records Stadium yesterday (January 19).

The report was produced by an Expert Working Group that encompassed representatives from a number of supporter organisations, including the Dons Trust.

Its launch at the ground was attended by national media and the Sports Minister, Tracey Crouch.

The report aims to improve fan engagement through:

New opportunities for supporters to bid to own their football clubs in an insolvency situation..

Webjamming with the Trust

Dons Trust Board member Jane Lonsdale has been working on behalf of the Board to find a way to get members more engaged with the Trust’s activities.

For a number of years now the Dons Trust Board has been looking for ways to add value to Trust membership.

Two years ago we launched what we refer to as the member engagement project, and we started to look into using a private social media network tool called Webjam. Some Trust members..

Help our girls buy a defibrillator

The successful AFC Wimbledon Girls section is currently fundraising so that they can buy a defibrillator.

The girls section is totally self-funded and runs teams from under-11s up to and including the Development Team, playing their games at Archbishop Tenison’s Sports Ground in Motspur Park.

They are aiming to raise £2000 so that they can buy a defibrillator to be housed at the ground, and give training so that everyone is aware how to use it.

Sudden cardiac arrest is..

Volunteer web designer – Webjam project

Dons Trust members may be aware that the DT Board has, through 2015, been piloting a private social network called Webjam, aimed at improving the Board’s interaction and engagement with Trust members.

Following a successful trial with a small number of volunteer members (who also provided much valuable feedback), the Board has now agreed to formally launch Webjam to all Trust members in 2016. The project implementation team, led by DTB members Jane Lonsdale and David Growns, begins work in January..