The Dons Trust’s first South London Press column

By Kevin Rye

As this is the first of these columns, I wanted to take the opportunity to explain why The Dons Trust, owners of AFC Wimbledon, want to provide a regular column for the South London Press.

After all, we’re not really news, are we? That’s the club, after all.

You’d be right in thinking that we’re not the most newsworthy out of the two, but for a lot of people, they don’t always understand our role.

Ever since Wimbledon’s football club was reformed in 2002, fans have been at the front and centre of the club.

We were making the entire operation possible at the beginning. We provided almost everything, from the chief executive officer to the head of stewarding.

Fans established the centre of excellence and grew our youth system.

It was us as fans and The Dons Trust members who ensured our presence in Merton didn’t die – we were the ones who made the weather when it came to returning to Plough Lane.

It’s not that we didn’t employ professionals – because we did – we just didn’t need quite so many.

Now things have changed. I’m not sure it’s always appreciated by enough people just how much we’ve grown by moving back to Plough Lane – for history buffs, this is actually the second time we’ve played on the site.

At the opening of the gates of our new stadium, we doubled in size – we now attract upwards of 8000 to home matches. Our turnover has massively increased, and our academy is now a category three academy. In short, we’ve changed.

With it, we’ve had to begin to take a different role, one of what we call ‘oversight’.

It might not always be totally clear what that means to some people, but what we mean is making sure that we help to set the right aims [promotion, growth, development on and off the pitch, team, stadium and community] and ask the right questions of those we put in charge.

We’ve been very lucky to secure the services of Danny Macklin to be our new managing director. We’ve got a very calm and firm hand as chair of the board of AFC Wimbledon PLC.

Alongside them, we have a group of very dedicated and enthusiastic staff, who will always go the extra mile for the club and who we all want to be looked after.

We have an amazing foundation, delivering community work across Merton and surrounding areas. And alongside them, an award-winning Dons Local Action Group, who go above and beyond.

A lot of clubs would be envious enough of that. And we have committed volunteers who deserve the best of care. 

That’s where our role now sits.

Our job is to make sure that we work with the club to help to develop that group of volunteers.

We have to help join thinking up across the club and ensure that we always remain focused on making sure that we run a club that is successful on and off the pitch.

Also, we have to remain financially sustainable, grow the club’s presence across the communities it serves, and be the best at fan engagement it can be.

Go to thedonstrust.org for more.

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD