The Dons Trust AFC Wimbledon Club OwnersElections

The following are the final results from the Dons Trust Board Elections 2024. 

The turnout for this election was 2,110, which is a record turnout for a Dons Trust Election by number.  The percentage turnout was 33.65%, which is fairly representative of previous elections.  Given the large increase in the numbers of members due to the new approach to membership, this is an encouraging sign that engagement is not being diluted.

The total number of votes for each candidate is as follows:

Martin Drake – 762
Alex Folkes – 715
Ivor Heller – 1,622
Simon Hood – 794
Simon Howson-Green – 581
James Longhurst – 836
James MacDonald – 691
Sean McLaughlin – 1,022
Graeme Price – 931
Adam Procter – 588
Dominic Proctor – 667
Ian Robinson – 893

I therefore declare that the following candidates have been elected and will serve for the following term lengths:

Ivor Heller – 3 years
Sean McLaughlin – 3 years
Graeme Price – 3 years
Ian Robinson – 3 years
James Longhurst – 2 years
Simon Hood – 1 year
Martin Drake – 1 year
Alex Folkes – 1 year

I would like to thank James MacDonald, Dominic Proctor, Adam Procter and Simon Howson-Green for putting themselves forward for election and ensuring we had a fair and vibrant election. 

I would also like to thank Tim Hillyer, Julian Edwards and David Growns for their efforts as part of the ESG, Neil Springate for once again acting as our independent scrutineer, and George Jones (Acting DT Secretary) for their help on IT and the process.  

As usual, a formal report on the election will be provided to the DTB in the New Year; this will include a number of recommendations on how to manage the process in the future with the increased membership base we now have.

Matt Breach
Chair (Elections Steering Group)

Your chance to help set the direction of your club.

We are proud to be a fan-owned club, and the ultimate decision makers are the people Dons Trust members elect to the Dons Trust Board. We are pleased to say that we have 12 candidates
standing to look to fill the 8 vacant places, so there will be a contested election.
The candidates are:
Martin Drake – Manifesto
Alex Folkes – Manifesto
Ivor Heller – Manifesto
Simon Hood – Manifesto
Simon Howson-Green – Manifesto
James Longhurst – Manifesto
James MacDonald – Manifesto
Sean McLaughlin – Manifesto
Graeme Price – Manifesto
Adam Procter – Manifesto
Dominic Proctor – Manifesto
Ian Robinson – Manifesto

The Board’s intention is that all elected members will serve for three years, with one third retiring each year.  However, because in the past some appointments have been for shorter periods, some members have stood down before their terms ended, and last year there were too few candidates to fill the vacancies, this year there will be a mixture of 1-, 2-, and 3-year positions to be filled,.  This will enable three year appointments to be the norm in future.  As such, the 4 candidates who receive the most votes will be elected for 3 year terms, the candidate who places 5th will serve a 2 year term and the other 3 successful candidates will serve for 1 year.

The current plan for the remaining dates is as follows:
  • Ballots sent out: Saturday 9th November
  • Ballot deadline: Tuesday 3rd December (23:59)
The Elections Steering Group also encourages fans or fan groups to organise hustings and other events where the candidates can meet and talk to DT members. It is hoped that at least one of these will be arranged; the “9 Yrs” podcast is currently looking to organise an event.  If you are also interested in holding such an event or getting involved, please get in touch!
We also welcome anyone who wishes to support the work of the Elections Steering Group. For this or any election related question, please contact me: Matthew Breach, Elections Steering Group Chair, via:  elections@thedonstrust.org . The current membership of the ESG also includes Dave Growns, Julian Edwards and Tim Hillyer plus our independent scrutineer, Neil Springate, and a representative from the DT Secretariat, George Jones.
Matt Breach
Chair (Elections Steering Group)