AFC Wimbledon owners to vote on ￡87m investment from consortium led by Ryan Bertrand New York Times (Online) Matt Slater The supporters who own AFC Wimbledon will vote over the next four weeks on whether to accept an ￡87million ($116m) investment in the League One club from a consortium led by former Southampton and England full-back Ryan Bertrand. In a complicated deal, Sloane Street Capital (SSC), a newly set-up investment vehicle, would pay ￡16m for approximately 34 per cent of the club's shares this season but then invest a further ￡71m over the next five years, at which point SSC would own 90 per cent of the club's economic value. However, under a shareholders' agreement, the club's current owner — the 6,265-strong Dons Trust — will always retain at least 50.01 per cent of the voting rights, giving the trust veto control over the club and its stadium's freehold. Bertrand, who played for nine different clubs during a 17-year career including Chelsea, Southampton and Leicester City, is SSC's senior football advisor and would hold the same role for Wimbledon, with two of SSC's minority shareholders, investment fund boss Stuart Fiertz and sports executive Oliver Ward, joining the club's board. The man providing the money is Omar Mir, who the club has described as “a British technology leader and philanthropist”. Having studied computer science at Salford University, little is known of his early career but he is now global strategic advisor to the co-founder and CEO of World Wide Technology, a leading U.S. tech firm, and a senior advisor at New York-based private equity firm General Atlantic. The 44-year-old has also worked for Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence firm Group 42 and is now an international advisor on AI and advanced technology for King Charles III's youth unemployment charity the King's Trust International, a visiting professor at Imperial College London, and a board member of Fashion Trust U.S. and the American Ballet Theatre. He has also recently become a Scottish baron. The SSC plan was presented to Dons Trust members at a meeting on Wednesday evening at the club's stadium on Plough Lane. Now known as the Cherry Red Records Stadium, it was opened in 2020 on the site of an old greyhound track and is only 200 yards east of the original Plough Lane football stadium that Wimbledon FC had to vacate in 1991. That club then spent more than a decade as tenants of Crystal Palace before a controversial move to Milton Keynes, 60 miles north, and a rebranding as MK Dons. AFC Wimbledon was founded in 2002 by the fans left behind in south London, with the phoenix club going from the ninth tier back to the EFL by 2011. Since then, they have yo-yoed between Leagues One and Two while remaining English football's most famous fan-owned club. The economic realities of life in the EFL, however, have made it increasingly difficult for The Dons Trust to retain full ownership of the club while also attempting to climb beyond League One and complete the construction of the stadium, which currently has a capacity of just over 9,000 but has planning permission to grow to 20,000. There is also considerable scope for development around the ground. It is perhaps telling that property expert Hugh Rosen, who has been advising Chelsea on their stadium plans, would also be joining Wimbledon as an advisor as part of the SSC investment. Speaking at the meeting, chair of the Dons Trust board Angus Fox said: “Members told us clearly this year that the club welcomes and needs outside investment, and that supporters must stay in control — this proposed deal does both. “It is a new model that lets a fan-controlled club do more than just survive in modern football, we want to compete and thrive while making sure the soul of Wimbledon stays exactly where it belongs: with its supporters.” Fox said the board recommends a 'yes' vote but stressed that it is their decision and urged them to read the information packs the board has published and ask questions. For the proposal to be approved, a 75 per cent majority is needed, with at least 50 per cent of the members voting, and that majority must account for at least 40 per cent of the total membership. The voting closes on November 17. If the SSC investment is approved by the trust, the deal would also need to be cleared by the EFL and the Independent Football Regulator. “We are not here to change what this club is; we are here to help it go further, on and off the pitch, for the men's team, the women's team and the academy,” said Bertrand, who attended the meeting. “It would be an honour to join the Wimbledon family and help write the next chapter, and we look forward to meeting members and answering their questions over the coming weeks.”