Frequently Asked Questions

The Dons Trust will pay interest to bondholders and repay the bonds when they come due using funds generated by the Club’s operations.  If the Club does not generate sufficient revenue and profits to pay all its contractual obligations, service commercial loans (if there are such loans) and stay within the operating limits that commercial lenders may require, then the Dons Trust will not be able to pay the interest or repay the bonds. 

The interest rates under the Bond are lower than short-term commercial lending rates and so the Bond improves the Club’s position compared to servicing a large commercial debt. Matchday revenues are increasing in a larger stadium and also non-matchday revenue will be generated in its facilities. 

Since the original Plough Lane Bond was launched in January 2020, all its bondholders have been paid their annual interest payments on time and in full. 

We have offered flexible rates of interest so that individuals can choose what they would like to receive, between 0% and 7%.

Obviously the lower the interest rate chosen, the better it is for the Club. 

The Trust reserves the right to repay the bond at any time - it is more likely to repay the higher interest bonds before the conclusion of their full term rather than lower interest bonds. 

No. Financial promotion restrictions do not apply to any communication by a co-operative or community benefit society pursuant to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 Article 35. The Bonds are not transferable and do not therefore fall within the scope of prospectus regulation.

Bonds are fixed-term investments and as such cannot be redeemed early. In the event of a Bondholder dying before the end of the term of their Bond, it would then form a part of their estate, and then be payable upon maturity.

Only with the specific written permission of the Dons Trust which would only be granted at its discretion and then only by changing ownership of the Bond to a specific named individual. The Dons Trust will consider requests on a case by case basis.  The Bonds are not freely transferable. 

One year prior to the Bond maturing (so after 4, 9 or 19 years), we will ask if you wish to redeem your bond or create a new term for your existing investment. The longer term lending you are able to provide, the more you will be helping the club. 

At the end of your chosen term length. We have set a minimum of 5 years for the bond to allow the club forward planning of its financial obligations.  So, if you choose 5 years, the Dons Trust plans to pay your money back at the end of that period. We have also opened up the option of 10 years and 20 years. The more money the club can borrow at advantageous rates, the more it will have available for operational and playing budgets.

As administrators of the Plough Lane Bond, we will at some point need your bank details to both repay your capital and pay you interest. Your account details can be left with us either as your buy your bonds or later via your profile pages. 

All communication between the Plough Lane bond website and your web browser is securely encrypted as is all communication between the website and the bond administration. Whilst on the server, all bank details are encrypted using industry standard multi-key cryptography libraries employing unique keys for every set of details. Only you and a single trained staff member can, at any point, directly view your bank details. Logins to the administrator account on ploughlanebond.com is protected by multi factor authentication. The server itself is subject to weekly third party testing to ensure the highest level data security.

It is important to understand that the Bond will rank behind any senior commercial lenders for priority of repayment.  Your bond is unsecured and the Terms and Conditions make it clear that if the club does not have enough money then it will not be able to repay the bonds.

All previous bondholders looking to purchase an additional bond are asked to use the same email address and enter their previous bond code. If you are still experiencing issues please email bondadmin@thedonstrust.org

Interest is paid gross of tax, annually, on the Bond anniversary date in pounds Sterling. This should be declared, along with any other interest that you receive, on your annual tax return.

For all enquiries for existing bondholders - please contact us via email.