E. DHST C/O 18a Crebor St, London, SE22 0HF

2017 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
29 June 2017
7.00 pm, Club Bar, Dulwich Hamlet Football Club, London SE22 8BD

Existing Board Members:

Alex Atack (AA – elected 2016), Alex Crane (Chair) (AC – elected 2015), Alex De Jongh (ADJ – elected 2016), Andy Greig (AG – elected 2015), Duncan Hart (DH – elected 2014), Mel Hughes (MH – elected 2015), Walter Johnson (WJ – elected 2016), Isaac Parnell (Treasurer) (IP), Dave Rogers (DR – elected 2015), Mark Scoltock (MS – elected 2016), Peter Wright (PW – elected 2016)

Darren McCreery (Secretary) – appointed.

MINUTES

1. APOLOGIES – Apologies were given at the meeting from DHST members Andrew Finnerty and Liam Hickey.

2. MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING – 4 July 2016 – copies were available at the AGM. No additional comments were received. The Chair (Alex Crane) signed the minutes as an agreed record of the meeting.

3. CHAIR’S REPORT (Alex Crane) – see separate slide presentation and annual report. The presentation covered progress against the Trust’s objectives for 2016-18, i.e. the ground development, supporter-ownership (including volunteer hours and vision & governance), a growing supporter’s Trust and ensuring DHFC has strong links to the community. Alex Crane thanked everybody for their contribution to a successful year.

4. TREASURER’S REPORT (Isaac Parnell) - A summary of the Trust’s finances was presented (see slide pack), including contributions to the football club and other organisations in the last year. The current position with the 100 Club was also reported.

5. SECRETARY’S REPORT (Darren McCreery) – A report was given on key matters relating to the operation of the board. It was confirmed that the board had stayed within the 12 board member limit set out in the rules and had not co-opted any board members over the year. It was also confirmed that no disciplinary action had been taken over the year and the main changes in board responsibilities over the year were set out, namely that Duncan Hart had stepped down as Chair in February (but remained on the board) and Alex Crane replaced Duncan as Chair in February. There had been a single resignation from the board prior to the AGM, with Matt Purser stepping down in May.

6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - The Chair (Alex Crane) opened the meeting out to questions from the floor.

Q1: Can DHST say any more about what Meadows (the company that owns theground and is in control of the club) financial strategy is for the club?

A: DHST’s overall impression from the engagement that has taken place to date is that Meadows priority (in the absence of a planning permission for development of the ground) is to limit further loses to the company and their financial backers. Despite these efforts, the Club’s debts continue to grow at an alarming rate. The bar takings are a different account and company, and proceeds cover the costs of the running of the clubhouse. DHST (along with members of the football committee) have tried to push back when it has been considered that Meadows financial controls impact unduly on the club or supporters, for example on the recent proposal to increase admission prices. DHST will continue to engage positively with Meadows to try to ensure that the voice of supporters is heard and minimise the risk of short-term financial decisions impacting on the long-term viability of the football club.

Q2: How is it possible that the club is continuing to make a loss based on the attendances that DHFC gets?

A: DHST does not have full access to all the financial information necessary to confirm that DHFC is a genuinely loss-making enterprise. DHST has engaged consistently with Meadow (and Hadley before them) to understand the precise source of any losses. We have been able to view headline revenue and expenditure lines that confirm the club is making a loss, but we have not been able to view the information behind these figures (i.e. undertake an audit). Previous reasons given for DHFC’s financial position include loss of money resulting from different parts of the facility (gym, squash court, etc), maintenance of the ground, and legacy debts and bills linked to previous owners/controllers of the club. The main reasons highlighted by Meadow this year are the wage budget for staff and management and having to pay VAT on the gate receipts.

Q3: Do Meadow publish financial accounts for Dulwich Hamlet?

A: Yes. Meadow are due to submit the next set of accounts to Companies House very shortly. DHST will scrutinise the accounts when they are available. [UPDATE FOLLOWING MEETING – the latest set of accounts have now been published and are available here.

Q5: Does DHST have all the financial information it needs from Meadow to complete a business plan for a fan owned club?

A: Access to financial information has been a challenge for the last couple of years (both under Hadley and Meadow). DHST has been persistent in pushing this issue and now has information that we think will allow a credible business plan to be written – whether it is all the information that is needed is something that DHST can only answer when we get more advanced in the business planning process and undertake a financial health check of the club in collaboration with Supporters Direct.

Q6: Can DHST publish information on the corporate structure around DHFC?

A: DHST has built up a picture of the different structures around the club and will speak with Meadow about publishing this to try to increase transparency.

Q7: What’s the plan B for the future of DHFC if planning permission isn’t given for redevelopment of the current ground?

A: DHST currently supports plan A as that is the direction that the DHST membership overwhelmingly decided it wanted to go in when polled and the limited resource we have is channelled into trying to secure that. If the DHST board gets an indication that the view of the membership may have changed or there is an indication that the substance of Plan A won’t be delivered as per the information published to support the poll, then the DHST board would need to reconsider the overall support for plan A. There are broader moves within the football club to consider what a plan B might look like and DHST is engaging positively with those discussions, even though the main effort remains on Plan A.

Q8: Does 100% fan owned in the DHST objectives mean that is non-negotiable (i.e. That the model could not accommodate an investor securing a greater share of the club?)

A: DHSTs aim is for 100% fan ownership, which will be delivered if the current proposals for the stadium are given planning permission and Meadow deliver what has been agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with DHST. No additional capital will be needed if that is delivered as Meadow have committed to providing a working capital. This is the direction of travel that the DHST membership decided in the poll that they wanted to go in. However, DHST recognises the need to be pragmatic and consider any genuine option that is on the table and assess it in line with securing the overall purpose of DHST, which is to ensure that Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is successful for the longer term both on and off the pitch and plays a positive role in our community and beyond.

Q9: What’s the impact of the new Southwark plan?

A: Southwark Council are consulting on development options for the new Southwark Plan [UPDATE NOTE – consultation closed on 7 July]. This will form a major part of the new local plan that will guide planning decisions into the future. The consultation includes an allocation for a site that includes the existing stadium (proposing a mixed use development that includes housing and a new football pitch). DHST has already submitted comments to Southwark pointing out that the proposed allocation doesn't fully take account of the needs of the football club in terms of the ancillary facilities that need to be accommodated. DHST has urged members to write in with unique comments.

Q10: Should DHST be at the Peckham Rye fete?

A: Agreed to discuss offline.

Q11: How can we better co-ordinate the putting up of match posters?

It is acknowledged that more could be done (both in DHST and the football club) on match posters. DHST plans to do more on this in the coming year, and specifically ensure that a team of volunteers are in place to help get posters up in all areas of the community. DHST is also looking at ways to reinvigorate the poses partners scheme.

End of Q&A session

Thanks were put on record from the floor, to the members of the DHST board (and all other volunteers at the club) for all the hard work over the year, including work on things like increasing the amount of volunteering at the club and fund raising for the 2018 Altona anniversary trip.

A note of congratulations for Peckham Town Veterans team was also recorded. They had recently won a national veteran tournament, and several of the players had been on the books of Dulwich Hamlet in the past.

7. RESOLUTIONS – none received or raised from the floor.

8. ELECTION OF NEW BOARD – RESULTS - In accordance with the election procedures laid out in the DHST constitution and supporting policies, the following DHST members were elected to serve on the board for a period of three years:

  • Duncan Chapman
  • Nick Pittaway
  • Peter Campbell
  • Dominic Smith

Thanks were put on record to Alex Atack & Alex De Jongh from the DHST board and to Oliver Holtaway from the Bath Supporters’ Trust for their help in managing the election of new board members.

Together with existing members not up for re-election (Alex Atack, Alex Crane, Alex De Jongh, Mel Hughes, Isaac Parnell, Dave Rogers, Mark Scoltock, and Peter Wright) the elected members will form the new DHST Board. The date for the first meeting of the new board will be confirmed shortly.

Andy Greig, Duncan Hart, and Walter Johnson stand down from the DHST Board at the AGM. Matt Purser resigned from the DHST Board in May 2017. All Members who have served on the DHST board were thanked for their hard work.

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Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust is the trading name of Dulwich Hamlet Football Community Mutual Limited, No. 29531R