A couple of years ago the Dons Trust carried out an exercise to establish the main concerns of members and fans. The result that emerged was unequivocal – the top priority was to retain ownership of the club by the fans, and the second priority was to return to Merton. From time to time I receive approaches from people purporting to want to buy the club. I tell them that I’ll refer their enquiry to the Dons Trust Board, and that while investment might be welcome, they should be aware of the conclusions of that consultation. The most recent of these approaches came a couple of months ago. The offer was to buy the club, build a much bigger stadium and get us into the Premier League – quickly. I explained about the fans’ consultation and the conversation died away, amicably. In the final email sign-off this would-be buyer said, “The idea is to make money, Erik.” Our members have turned their backs on that idea if it means losing control of the club. These days every season brings more overseas owners with no knowledge of, or regard for, the history and culture of the UK game – as an example, witness the recent drive to establish feeder clubs. So we continue to plough (no pun intended) our own furrow, without the massive input of cash and other resources that might become available if the Trust agreed to sell control.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:56:25 +0000
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