We held our monthly Board meeting at the club last night (Minutes published in due course). Duncan stepped down as Chair after 19 successful months in the role. Duncan’s term is due to come to an end in July, and stepping down now allows him the opportunity to help a new Chair settle into the role. Duncan has also recently started a new job, which is a great new challenge and deserves a greater part of his attention in the coming months.

Alex Crane agreed to be nominated as the new Chair, and was unanimously supported by all Board members in attendance. Al has been on the Board for 19 months, served as vice-Chair for the last seven months and has the experience and skills to make a great success of the role. We are delighted that Alex Atack has agreed to serve as vice-Chair, and also continue in her role as project lead for fan ownership. The Board also backed this appointment unanimously. We hope all fans and trust members will give them the support they deserve through this critical period for the club, in particular the handling of the planning application to redevelop Champion Hill, which Al will continue to lead on.

Duncan commented “I am delighted that Al and Alex have stepped forward to lead the Trust. We are privileged to have a very talented Board, and I know they will be a great success. I look forward to supporting them, as they settle into their new roles. Having the ability to change leadership is great way to keep new ideas flowing and staying innovative. It also a good sign of a healthy Trust Board, where we are fortunate to have the talent to make changes like this with ease.”

He added: “We are at a critical point in our club’s history. The proposed redevelopment of the ground needs all our backing, as it offers the best opportunity to secure the future of our club. I’m confident that Al, Alex, all the Trust Board and the Football Committee will be able to galvanise all supporters of Dulwich Hamlet to do just this; as we approach the deadline for comments (7 March) on the planning appeal. We will be publishing more information on this in the coming week”.

Al said “I would like to say a big thank you to Duncan for the sterling work and strategic direction he has given the Trust Board in both his 19 months as Chair and also previously to that when he led on communications. I think it’s fair to say that I have some big shoes to fill and I hope that I can continue to lead the Board as well as Duncan has. I’m grateful that Duncan will still be around to provide guidance and also pleased that Alex Atack has agreed to take on the additional role as vice-Chair”.