Steve Meyer is a AFC Wimbledon supporter and also a occasional visitor to Edgar Street.
The two clubs have much in common as both have 'reformed' after financial problems. However at Wimbledon recently there has been much debate over the proposed sale of their Kingsmeadow Ground to Chelsea FC and how that will effect Kingstonian FC.
Steve explains.
By way of a quick introduction I am an AFC Wimbledon supporter but have family in Ross-on-Wye and for many years I have enjoyed going to Edgar Street whenever a visit to my relatives and a Hereford home game have coincided. So far this season I have already been able to see the games v Dunkirk, Stourbridge Swifts and most recently Quorn.
Obviously the circumstances that Hereford FC find themselves in have parallels to the situation that Wimbledon FC experienced in 2002 vis-a-vis the necessity to start a new fans-owned club playing at many levels lower than previously and I have read with interest the various items on Bulls News that have been posted regarding my own club - both old & new. However, to set the record straight regarding the proposed sale of our Kingsmeadow Stadium in Kingston, Surrey I have been asked by Bulls News to pen this short piece to correct any misunderstandings of the situation.
Firstly, The Dons Trust is the vehicle by which the supporters of AFC Wimbledon own their football club. When the opportunity arose to acquire the leasehold of Kingsmeadow Stadium from the then Kingstonian FC Chairman a vote was called and passed to effect such action. Since that time Kingstonian FC have been permitted to co-share the stadium as tenants on what, in my opinion, have been most reasonable terms including initially a minimal "peppercorn rent" and more recently "rent-free". During our rise back to the Football League a substantial number of building works have been undertaken to comply with all the relevant ground and safety requirements - including an extension to the main stand, a roof over the "home end" terrace and most recently the completion of a new stand to replace the opposite terrace. All these works have been fully funded under AFC Wimbledon's name as Kingstonian FC have never been in a position to contribute financially.
Notwithstanding these significant projects, it has always been the stated and well publicised aim of the club to return to it's spiritual home in London, SW19. That aim has recently become more than a dream with a planning application to develop a new stadium plus housing currently awaiting - we hope - approval by the appropriate authorities - a mere keeper's throw from our old home ground of Plough Lane. Furthermore, the opportunity to sell Kingsmeadow Stadium recently arose - namely to Chelsea FC who propose to utilise it as the base for their Ladies Teams going forward.
Such a sale is defined in the Dons Trust constitution as a "Restricted Action" and as such has required not one, but two votes by members to empower the Dons Trust to proceed. The results of both votes has been a resounding and unambiguous "thumbs up" to proceed.
HOWEVER, and this is the important part, a further point of the resolution voted upon was that part of the sale proceeds received from Chelsea FC be passed to Kingstonian FC to assist that entity in locating, purchasing, running etc. a new home ground. Obviously at this point in time the actual figures are commercial in confidence but said payment to Kingstonian FC is variously described as "substantial" and will certainly be a significant percentage of the final sale price.
The decision by AFC Wimbledon to assist Kingstonian FC in this manner was in no small measure prompted by the statement of the Kingstonian Board of Directors that, in effect, with AFC Wimbledon no longer present as landlords they would no longer be in a position financially to stage matches at Kingsmeadow and would therefore seek of their own accord a new home ground more in keeping with their current status and level of support.
Furthermore, notwithstanding that Kingstonian FC have financially benefited from some 10 years of effectively rent-free tenancy at Kingsmeadow Stadium that club has contributed nothing toward the upkeep, improvement or day-to-day running costs of the stadium during that period. From my own personal viewpoint, it would appear that the majority of income has been "invested" in the team in an (unsuccessful) effort to re-climb the ladder. Despite full knowledge of AFC Wimbledon's avowed intentions to return to it's spiritual home in London SW19 as soon as feasible it would appear that no "war-chest" has even been considered.
In summary, I hope the above helps explain in more detail to Hereford FC supporters that AFC Wimbledon is not selling Kingstonian "down the river" or "leaving them homeless" but in fact is being perhaps over-generous in it's treatment of said club by voluntarily passing on a substantial percentage of any eventual sale proceeds.