Dundee FC Supporters’ Society have spoken at length about their desire to establish a community club over the past few months, and are now asking Dark Blues fans for their input in shaping the new concept.
If the club is successful in its attempts to exit administration before the end of the season the Society will be charged with plotting the route forward. The DFCSS board have held meetings to detail what is meant by the term community club, and now want to open the consultation to the wider fanbase.
Supporters will be able to offer suggestions over the next month as the Society looks to finalise proposals for the club’s community engagement policies ahead of a board meeting at the beginning of April
Acknowledging that fans may have both exciting ideas about what a community club can achieve and reservations about the plans, Dave Forbes, DFCSS community director, explained that it was vital for the future direction of the club to be influenced by as many supporters as possible.
“We want to give everyone the chance to shape the future of Dundee FC,” he said. “We know that fans often feel isolated from the decision-making process at football clubs, but we are determined that our model will be different. We have around 4000 members and it is only right every one has the chance to input.
“Please get in touch if you have any ideas about what we can do in future. What does a community club mean to you? Do you think we should be doing more work with local kids? Providing opportunities for young footballers from this area? Supporting local businesses? How can we help to get involved with minority groups and the disadvantaged? Perhaps you work with a group or have expertise that can help drive our community strategy. Maybe you’ve always had an idea but never felt there was an outlet for it. This is your chance to get involved and have your voice heard.
“Inclusiveness is key to our vision of the future. We want everyone to have the opportunity to give their opinions. Obviously we can’t guarantee that all suggestions will be acted upon, but each one will be considered. Our recent volunteers appeal showed that there is a wealth of energy, enthusiasm, skills and expertise within the Dundee support and we need to make the most of this. We know there are people out there with great ideas, fresh ideas which are just waiting to be explored and which can make a huge difference to the prosperity of the club.
“This is a new dawn – please play your part and help in the rebirth of Dundee FC. As a support we can pool our respective strengths and build upon the togetherness shown by the supporters of Dundee over the past few months in order to help club reach out to the local community in future.”
The consultation period will run from Thursday, 3rd until Thursday, 31st March. Following the end of this period and discussion at full board level, the DFCSS will publish a manifesto outlining their vision of what they hope to achieve as a community-owned club.
Fans can take part in the consultation process by emailing their suggestions to dundeefcss@gmail.com, visiting the feedback page on the Society’s website (http://www.dee4life.com), or posting their thoughts into the DFCSS box at Dundee Direct.