Chairman’s Updates

Dee4Life update – November 2025

Dear Members,

Where to start after another month of peaks and troughs following Dundee?

The high of a first home win over Celtic in 37 years was followed by the lows of a defeat to Falkirk, beset by refereeing controversy, and then effectively a no-show against Hearts at Tynecastle where not a single shot on target was recorded. That stat improved to five shots on target in the home match with Rangers but unfortunately it made little difference to the result with another disappointing defeat recorded and no goals to show for it.

Regular readers will know we prefer to focus on encouraging the head coach and the players and we will continue to do so but it is fair to say that the concern and frustration among fans is becoming more apparent every week as the club slips closer to the dreaded bottom spot. We have to hope that something can galvanise the players to turn the situation around and achieve some momentum with a positive run of results and that it happens quickly.

The future is bright?

On a brighter note, it was fantastic to see three Dundee youths representing Scotland under-17’s in their three matches to clinch European Championships qualification. Warren Lyall, Ethan Crombie and Charley Oosenbrugh played their part across the matches including a memorable 1-0 victory over England in which Crombie intercepted a pass to start the move that led to the winning goal. Congratulations to all three players for doing their Club and their country proud.

AGM reminder

Off the pitch, we are looking forward to the Dee4Life AGM at 11.30am on Saturday, November 29 at the Dundee Social Club in Thistle Street. There will be complimentary tea/coffee and a prize draw from 11am.

A note with the agenda and information regarding election of board members, including the Election Rules and Nomination Form, was issued to members and published on Dee4Life.com.

We would encourage you as members to come along and take the opportunity to make your views known on what you would like to see the Board doing on your behalf.

Supporters Direct Scotland

At our November Board meeting we were delighted to be joined by Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) Chief Executive Alan Russell and board member (and former D4L board member) Ian Baird for the first half hour of our call. Both have track records of working with fan trusts to help them have a more of a say in running their clubs.

Dee4Life is one of more than 20 trusts who are SDS members and our secretary Andrew Pyke sits on their board. We discussed how to maximise the benefits of our membership and highlighted two areas where SDS could make a contribution: communicating why the entrenched rights matter to fans and learning from other clubs about best practice in growing membership.

In our discussion with SDS we could not help but note the recent level of engagement between the American owners at our neighbours across the road and at St Johnstone. In both cases the owners have been out and about meeting fans and engaging with them to hear their concerns and understand what is going well for them at the clubs.

The lot across the road even managed to have an AGM last month where fans could attend and air their views on the progress being made. That is in sharp contrast to the situation at our own Club.

Club meeting request

We have to hope that the example being set by their near neighbours will inspire some similar ideas at Gardyne. The fans are yearning to have more engagement with Dundee and everyone would benefit if that were to happen. That is why we are once again requesting a meeting with the Club in the hope that we can play a role in helping to improve their engagement with the fans.

I will wrap up by wishing Steven Pressley and the players the best of luck for the busy pre-festive period of fixtures. Hopefully they can achieve some consistency and get more points on the board soon.

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Chairman.

Header image by Sean Dee Photography.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life update – September 2025

Dear Members,

The uncertain start to the season continues for Dundee as the newly compiled team tries to bed in while off field matters continue to be shrouded in mystery. The desperate disappointment of a derby defeat was hard to stomach but the seeming lack of attacking endeavour compounded the misery for the Dark Blue faithful. We have had to suffer many defeats to the other lot over the years but few where it has seemed so flat both in terms of performance and atmosphere in the home end. The fact that home tickets did not sell out suggests that pricing is becoming an issue as well as the quality of the fan experience at Dens. Whatever the reason, it did not really feel like a derby and that is perhaps as much of a worry for all concerned as the result itself.

Fan frustration

The pattern of lower attendances continued with the Motherwell game which saw a drop of 1,200 on the last visit of the Steelmen. To the players’ and head coach’s credit they bounced back from a poor first half performance to secure a draw against Motherwell following the international break. There was some grit and fighting spirit on show in the second half which was certainly needed to get them back into the game and to get the home fans behind them. It wasn’t pretty but they hung in there and showed some resilience after the late, and harsh, sending off of Yan Dhanda in particular. Still three points from three draws is not a great tally from the first five games and they will have to get a win or two on the board soon if they are to move clear of the relegation zone. Even this early in the season it is important to build some momentum and draws are not enough.

The presence of Luke Graham has been one area of optimism for Dundee fans. Image: Sean Dee Photography.

We have heard many fans expressing their disappointment at the lack of activity toward the end of the transfer window despite the head coach Steven Pressley making it clear that he felt a few more players were needed. The lack of Scottish Premiership experience in the squad has to be a concern and while we have to hope that some of the new players will succeed in making the transition it is clearly going to be a step up for a good number of them. Doubts also persist in key areas of the park including in goal, midfield and up front but ironically, given how things went in the last two seasons, it is the back line which is giving the most reason for optimism, especially the form of Luke Graham. The young centre-half notched his first top flight goal against Motherwell and showed up well for the Scotland U-21’s. He already looks as if he is going to be a key figure this season.

Burnley link-up?

Another question which fans have been asking is what has happened to the much vaunted partnership with Burnley. After a succession of loan deals for some undoubtedly talented young players from Turf Moor in the last two seasons, the well has suddenly run dry with no explanation coming from the Club. With attacking flair apparently in short supply, now would be a good time to attract a few players north. At the same time the partnership with CF Monterrey in Mexico appears to have stalled. Victor Lopez was allowed to return home to Queretaro without really having had the chance to make an impact and Cesar Garza is struggling to gain a first team place despite the departure of almost all of the first choice midfield from last season. Once again fans would appreciate hearing from the Club on these issues so they can at least have a clearer understanding of what’s going on.

SLOs meeting

On a more upbeat note, we were delighted to meet the Club’s new Supporters’ Liaison Officers, Billy Douglas and Kris Scrimgeour, who joined our recent Board Teams call. Both Billy and Kris are Dees through-and-through and shared some of their fondest memories of going to matches with our directors. We value their knowledge and experience of all things Dundee and look forward to working with them in the months and years to come. We wish them all the very best in their roles and will do everything we can to assist them. If there are issues you would like us to raise with them on your behalf please email contact@dee4life.com.

I will close by wishing the players and the coaching staff the very best for a busy and challenging run of fixtures in the next few weeks, starting with the visit of Livingston.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter
Chairman.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life member update – August 2025

Dear Members,

As we move through the early stages of the 2025/26 season there are still more questions than answers swirling around Dundee FC.

On the field the new Head Coach Steven Pressley and his backroom colleagues have been scrambling to compile a squad. The lack of experienced new signings, the failure to progress in the Premier Sports Cup and the opening day defeat to Hibs were worrying signs regarding the readiness of the team but the gritty performance in gaining a point at Ibrox gave some grounds for optimism. The loss of income from the Cup will be particularly sorely felt compared to last season’s money-spinning tie away to Rangers. The loan signing of Yan Dhanda from Hearts brings some much needed top-flight experience and creativity to the squad. It is to be hoped that a few more signings of similar calibre will be made before the transfer window closes.

Off the field, there are plenty of question marks as well. There is still no sign of any determination on the application for the new stadium development at Camperdown. The earliest any decision can now be made would be at the September planning committee meeting of Dundee City Council but the indications (at the time of writing) are that it could be at the October meeting. The successful objection from a local environmental group to the Riverside training complex application has seen things grind to a halt on that front too.

The aura of uncertainty surrounding aspects of the Club at the moment cannot have helped season ticket sales, as the extension of the early bird offer would suggest, and while the upcoming derby should take care of itself we have to hope that fans will be patient and keep standing by the team.

Supporters’ Liaison Officer

Another area of change off the field was the departure of John Burke as the Supporters’ Liaison Officer. I always valued John’s contribution and his efforts on behalf of the fans and I know he was held in high regard by the Board of D4L.

On behalf of the Board I would like to thank him for all his hard work and assistance in the role and wish him all the very best for the future.

The question of who will replace John is another one waiting to be answered following the Club’s appeal for volunteers to cover the position with the application deadline date set for 31 July. It goes without saying that we wish them the very best of luck too.

Strategy day and season review

The Board took part in a strategy day at Downfield Golf Club over the close season, reviewing activities from last season and setting our priorities for this coming year.

A season review was also conducted and we looked at three key themes: whether fans felt engaged and were enjoying attending matches, whether DFC are competitive at the higher end of Scottish football and whether the Club is heathy off the pitch and looking forwards.

We would like to hear your views as D4L members on these areas and would encourage you to share them with us to help inform our views as the Board. Please email them to contact@dee4life.com.

We will be saying more about our priorities for 2025/26 in future newsletters but it is safe to say that they will tie in with these general themes. We have also been working hard to review and improve our procedures and processes as a Board and to ensure resilience in terms of being able to fulfil our responsibilities to members. The minutes from this session and all our Board meetings are available in the members’ section of dee4fife.com.

Fundraising

I will take this opportunity to remind members that you can assist with fundraising for D4L at no cost to yourselves. All you need to do is register at www.easyfundraising.org.uk and whenever you buy anything online money will be donated to D4L.

We have created a step-by-step guide with some more information on our website.

WIN a Dundee top

We are always looking to sign up new members and as the new season gets underway we have the opportunity for one lucky member to win the new DFC home or away shirt.

You can win a this season’s home or away top. Image: Sean Dee Photography

All members have to do is refer a friend as a new member. When that member joins up they will be entered into a draw to win the top.

If you want a chance of winning the new 2025/26 season shirt then email contact@dee4life.com confirming the new member’s full name. If they join prior to 19 September 2025 then you will be entered into the draw.

I will close by reminding you to stay in touch with us at D4L and let us know what you would like to see us doing on your behalf. Despite the controversy around his appointment we continue to wish the Head Coach all the very best and hope that he can find a way to fashion a team and keep Dundee FC in the top division come next May.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter

Chairman.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life member update – June 2025

Dear Members,

What could, and probably should, have been a quiet end to the season for DFC was anything but. After blowing through various chances to secure SPFL status and enduring a remarkable run of VAR and refereeing controversies, safety was finally secured on the last day of the season thanks to a Lyall Cameron double at McDiarmid Park. No sooner was the awards dinner concluded than almost the entire management team led by Tony Docherty was relieved of its duties.

New Head Coach reaction

A couple of weeks later fans were stunned by the news that Steven Pressley, he of across-the-road fame/infamy, was the board’s choice to take over. Combined with the somewhat complicated restructure, in which Pressley was appointed Head Coach and David Longwell became the Technical Manager, it led to some pretty vehement and largely negative commentary on fan forums and social media.

It’s hard to know what to make of this situation from a fan perspective. We have to give any new ‘Head Coach’ a chance. So much will depend on whether he can sign the players needed to secure the Club’s top six target – the initial signings of Paul Digby and Drey Wright suggest the emphasis is being placed on experience – in the next few weeks but it feels as if a huge chance to bring the fans back on board with a popular appointment that everyone could wholeheartedly get behind has been missed. Certainly if the Club does not make a strong start to the new season the pressure on Pressley will be palpable.

Before we close the book on the old regime it’s worth briefly reflecting on the seesaw season of goals galore with a fantastic return of 22 by player of the season Simon Murray in particular being sadly diminished by the flood of goals being conceded at the other end. That defensive frailty continued the pattern from the previous season with so many points being lost from winning positions. It will no doubt become one of the great Dundee conundrums for fans to ponder – what might have been if they had only been able to find a way to combine the excellent attacking football they often produced with solidity in defence. I would like to acknowledge Tony Docherty and his management team for all their efforts and, on behalf of all at D4L, wish them the very best for the future. Let’s hope that they don’t come back to haunt Dundee!

Fan frustrations

Many fans have expressed frustration at the lack of communication from the Club at key moments and the lack of engagement with the media or the wider fan base. As regular readers will know, I and the D4L board have regularly called on Mr Nelms and the Club to be more communicative with the fans. This could be an ideal moment for a reset in that regard. Now would be a fantastic opportunity for the Club to begin consistently engaging with fans and be clearer about how they plan to build a team for next season. This needs to go beyond scripted interviews for the Club’s social media channels and tackle some of the harder questions that are worrying the fans. If Mr Nelms is confident in his vision for the Club then there’s no reason to shy away from such engagement.

One of those harder questions is the status of the new stadium project. We are still waiting to see what will happen regarding the Planning Permission in Principle planning application lodged by Dark Blue Property Holdings in February 2024, despite the previous assurance from Mr Nelms that the Club would be kicking a ball at the new stadium in 2025. Currently the application is being considered by both Transport Scotland and Dundee City Council as the determining Planning Authority. Dark Blue Property Holdings, via their traffic consultants SYSTRA, submitted a further traffic submission on 19 May to address previous objections raised by Transport Scotland over the access and egress point from/to the A90. This will be reviewed and we have to hope that a determination will be reached soon. This shows the challenges in delivering the new stadium, let alone the other development aspects in the PPIP. Let’s hope that Dark Blue Property Holdings and their advisers have now delivered the requisite information so the PPIP can be released and the project can progress to the next stage.

Dee4Life raised questions about the development in early 2024 regarding the delivery, funding and phasing of the development. Many of these points still stand and we believe a close season update on where things sit would be welcomed by all fans. At a time when season tickets are on sale and attention is firmly on next season there is a window of opportunity which the Club could capitalise on to try to get the fans on-side and strengthen their hand as they look to consolidate in the SPFL next season. It’s hard to see a downside to that approach and we believe fans would respond extremely well to being brought into the fold more than they have been in recent seasons.

Future is bright

While the drama of the senior team was playing out, there was some extremely encouraging developments among the youth ranks. While a talented Kilmarnock side proved too strong for Dundee in the Scottish Youth Cup Final at Hampden, the U-16’s and U-13’s both won their respective Club Academy Scotland finals against Celtic and St Johnstone. It suggests the Club is doing a good job of nurturing talent and it has to be hoped that in the next few years we see some of these talented youngsters following in the footsteps of Cameron, Josh Mulligan and Finn Robertson to become first team regulars. Congratulations from D4L to all of the boys in these teams for all that they have achieved.

Dee4Life chair Keith Winter (back left) with some Dundee FC youths after presenting Dee Promotions with a cheque for £2,500.

Off the field, D4L was delighted to be able to continue to support the excellent work done by Dee Promotions. We presented a cheque to them for £2,500. Alison McQueen and the team are to be commended for their efforts and we look forward to continuing to work with them in future.

I will close by wishing all of you a relaxing close season as you recharge your batteries for the new season to come. Let’s keep some optimism that the new Head Coach can bring in the right calibre of players to ensure the Club can progress and firmly establish itself in the SPFL. Wouldn’t it be great to be looking up the league rather than down and challenging for Europe once again?

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Chairman.

Chairman's Updates

Members’ update – March

What a difference a derby victory can make!

Just as things were starting to look really ominous with the spectre of a relegation battle looming large, Dundee pulled out a win for the ages with a comprehensive triumph over the other lot at Tannadice.

The spirit, desire and dogged determination which we have all been searching for suddenly appeared in abundance on a beautiful Sunday. The 4-2 win probably should have been even more comfortable and the players showed that they can still turn on the style.

Everyone played their part in an excellent team display with inspirational performances from a number of them including big Joe Shaughnessy at the back, two-goal Jordan McGhee and, of course, that man Simon Murray. If ever there was a team that needed a spark to reignite their season it was Dundee and surely this result will give them a huge confidence boost going into three difficult games before the split. I know many of us have been hugely frustrated by the slump in form and results since the turn of the year but now we can look forward with some optimism and belief that we can turn this predicament around. I’m sure we will all give the team as much backing as we can for the run-in, starting with the visit of Rangers on March 29.

Another silver lining in what has been a challenging period for the Club is the fact that we can now look forward to a Cup Final at Hampden. While sadly the senior team did not make it past their Scottish Cup quarter-final with Hearts at Tynecastle, it has been hugely encouraging to see the achievements of the under-18’s team in reaching the Scottish Youth Cup Final. Scott Robertson’s young team produced a strong performance to overcome St Mirren on their home patch with a 2-0 win in front of 1,400 fans. They will now face Kilmarnock in the final at the national stadium with the dates still to be confirmed. I’m sure there will be many of you who will take the opportunity to cheer the Dark Blues on in a national final and we wish Scott and the team all the very best.

Off the field, there does not seem to be much happening, at least publicly, around the new stadium project or the proposed training facility at Riverside. There was no submission to the last meeting of Dundee City Council planning committee and it is concerning for fans when there is no news and the situation appears to be dragging on. We appreciate the Club has a lot on its plate at the moment and the focus must be on Premiership survival but it would be good to hear a little more on how things are actually progressing.

Turning to our D4L prize draw, I am delighted to confirm that this month’s winner is Vincent Brady from Dundee. Eight-year-old Vincent, who joined Dee4Life in 2023, receives £30 worth of vouchers for the club shop. We would ask Vincent’s parent or guardian to email us at contact@dee4life.com so we can arrange delivery of his vouchers. Congratulations Vincent!

I will close by wishing Tony Docherty and the team the very best for the seismic upcoming matches they are facing. We have been here before as a Club and as fans and, to continue the silver lining theme, we know what it’s going to take to get out of this.

Who’s to say we can’t pull off another great escape?

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life members’ update – February

Dear Members,

‘Rollercoaster’ perhaps doesn’t do justice to the slings and arrows of Dundee’s fortunes since the turn of the year.

The highs of Scottish Cup triumphs over the lot down the road and Airdrie alongside a vital away win over St Johnstone as well as near wins over the Old Firm at Dens were wiped out by the lows of deflating heavy defeats to Hearts at home and Celtic away and then a disappointing loss to recent visitors Aberdeen. It’s hard to know what to make of the variation in performances from pushing Celtic all the way at Dens to crumbling to a resurgent Hearts on the same pitch a couple of weeks later.

The team has shown some great ability and effort on the one hand and worrying frailties throughout the pitch on the other. I know many fans were disappointed not to see a striker signed in the transfer window but Aaron Donnelly has been impressive since his return and we have to hope our latest Mexican addition, winger Victor Lopez, can make a difference to the goals for column. It was also extremely heartening to see several players return from injury including the Club Captain big Joe Shaughnessy after a long time out. We wish him well and his experience could be crucial in the crunch games to come.

Away from the field, there was sad news this month with the loss of a Dundee great and one of its best known supporters. Billy Pirie was indeed a legend at the club. His tally of 106 goals in 138 games in the late 1970’s says it all about a special player who was the club’s leading goalscorer for three consecutive seasons. The Hall of Fame member will be greatly missed by all Dundee fans.

More recently we were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Paddy Barclay. One of the UK’s best known football writers who covered World Cups, Champions League and Premier League football, Paddy’s heart was always at Dens. A font of knowledge about all things Dundee he was a friend to many, many Dark Blues fans and will be a huge loss. Our thoughts are with Billy’s and Paddy’s families.

AGM

Dee4Life held its AGM on 1st of February 2025, which was postponed from 23rd of November 2024 due the adverse weather that day. The meeting in the Dundee Social Club was reasonably attended with active participants in the room.

I delivered the report from the Chair setting out events over the reporting period to 31st May 2024 and the final accounts for the year were presented for information and comment.

There were no additional directors appointed at the meeting though three existing directors were reappointed: George McIrvine, Grant McGregor and Mary Coyle. Mike Woodcock’s place on the Board was also confirmed.

The minutes and reports from the AGM are available in the members’ section of the website.

Following the AGM there was a question-and-answer session which raised a number of points and issues over the development at Camperdown and the ongoing use of Dens Park.

We were asked about relations between Dee4Life and the Club, ideas for engagement with Dee4Life members and the broader fan base and possible actions from the action plan compiled at the board strategy day in August 2024. We received a number of helpful suggestions from the floor which will be followed up.

Junior Dee draw winner

I’m also delighted to announce the winner of our Junior Draw at the AGM:

Mya Hanlon!

Congratulations to Mya who joined in November 2023. She wins £30 of vouchers to spend in the Dundee FC Shop. We would ask Mya’s parent or guardian to email us at contact@dee4life.com so we can arrange delivery of the vouchers.

I will close with a reminder that the Board is a team of volunteers and is working hard to build and develop Dee4Life so it can fulfil its role and support the club but we can’t do it alone.

We need you as members to engage with us and share your ideas and opportunities so we can move forward together. That’s why the AGM was so refreshing but there’s no need to wait for a formal meeting to give us your ideas and views.

Please follow us on X and Facebook and feel free to contact us any time at contact@dee4life.com.

As we look forward to some key league matches and the prospect of a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hearts at Tynecastle let’s get behind Tony Docherty and the team and hope that we can add some consistency to the undoubted potential of such a young team and make the most of the business end of the season.

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates, Member stories

Dee4Life members’ update – December

Dear Members,

Three consecutive home wins, nine points secured and eleven goals scored – it’s a good time to be a season ticketholder! While recent results at home have been very positive unfortunately the away results have not been so good. The quality of the attacking football and the pace and dynamism of players such as Seb Palmer-Houlden, Scott Tiffoney and Oluwaseun Adewumi combined with the skillful probing of Lyall Cameron and the incredible work rate of Simon Murray is making for some great entertainment. The defence is clearly still a work in progress, however, and injuries to the likes of Ziyad Larkeche and Clark Robertson are certainly not helping but the arrival of Sean Kelly on a short term deal should help and there is plenty of reason for optimism. We welcome Tony Docherty’s comments around strengthening the squad in the transfer window and if the defence can be tightened up it could be a very positive end to the season.

Results are not the only thing to be encouraged about at home. The much maligned pitch last season has been replaced with a much healthier looking playing surface that stood up well to Storm Bert and the inclement weather we have seen in recent weeks. The Club and the groundstaff deserve credit for addressing this issue and enabling the focus to remain on winning points and climbing the league table.
With all that in mind it has to be hoped that more fans are tempted to come along to matches and we would certainly encourage all members to be reminding their family, friends and colleagues that half season tickets are now available from the Club.

While the pitch held up well and the Hibs match thankfully went ahead unfortunately it was necessary to postpone the AGM which had been scheduled to take place earlier that day. We did not believe it was reasonable or advisable to ask members to travel, in some cases from other parts of Scotland and the central belt, in those conditions.

The AGM has been rescheduled for 11.30am on 1 February 2025 at the Dundee Social Club.

We look forward to seeing as many members there as possible. Hopefully the prospect of a free prize draw and a nice cup of tea or coffee will entice a good number of you along to Thistle Street!

Among the topics for discussion at the AGM will be our search for new talent to join the Board. We are keen to hear from Dundee fans who would like to get involved and have interests or backgrounds in areas such as membership, social media and events/campaigns/fundraising. If you know of anyone who might be interested please do ask them to get in contact with us or to attend the AGM.

Another piece of news from the Board is that sadly Ross Day has stepped down. Ross has been a mainstay of the Board for two years and has made a substantial contribution. His knowledge and experience will be missed and we would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his efforts on behalf of Dee4Life.

Back to Club matters and it was encouraging to see the proposed training complex at Riverside receive planning approval from Dundee City Council. The benefits to the Club are clear in terms of establishing a dedicated high quality training facility with grass and all weather pitches and in taking this component out of the plans for the new stadium at Camperdown. It also pleasing to see the community benefits being offered at the Riverside complex and the Club is to be commended for linking up with Riverside West End FC to allow their various teams to use the facilities.

It is also going to be interesting to learn more about the Club’s new partnership with Mexican side CF Monterrey, known as the Rayados, and see what the outputs might be from a player development perspective in particular. We will be curious to see if Antonio Portales will be joined by some more of his countrymen from the Rayados Youth Academy in the coming months.

I will wrap up by wishing all of you the very best for the festive season. I hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are in fine fettle for the first of our two encounters with the lot from down the road next month on 2 January. Between that and our Scottish Cup tie there is plenty to look forward to.

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life members’ update – August

Dear Members,

We hope you have enjoyed the start to the season as much as we have. With a convincing run in the Premier Sports Cup group stages followed by a comfortable home victory over Airdrie we can now look forward to a plum tie at Ibrox. August was also a good month in the league with a nailbiting derby and an excellent win over Hearts at Dens before battling draws at Easter Road and against St Mirren at home. Perhaps most encouraging of all has been the goalscoring exploits of the team with 33 chalked up in league and cup so far. Long may that continue!

Tony Docherty’s recruitment for the campaign ahead has continued with several additions to the squad, including the very popular return of Simon Murray, and some departures, notably Cammy Kerr, after a lengthy period of club service. Our best wishes go with Cammy for the future. There was a flurry of activity at the end of the transfer window with the arrival of loanees Sammy Braybrooke, Julien Vetro and Oluwaseun Adewumi. However, and not a surprise, we sadly saw Luke McCowan make the transfer to Celtic. A definite loss for the team but our best wishes go with Luke following his service to the club over recent seasons.

The club’s investments in the playing surface and the e-ticketing arrangements and approach have certainly on the evidence to date been positive and should improve the experience for the team and the fans.

At Dee4Life we have been continuing to work behind the scenes on the administration of the website and ensuring the minutes of the board meetings are posted in good time. We have also restored minutes from meetings in previous years to the website.

The planning application for the new stadium at Camperdown has not advanced as the club expected and we note the deferral of the consideration of the PPIP application from the 12th August planning committee of the city council. At this time a new date has not been given for when it will go to the planning committee. We are keenly awaiting an update on this and hope that the club can provide any additional information required for the PPIP application to advance.

The sudden departure of the club chief executive Greg Fenton just before the start of the league campaign raised concerns among some fans and we hope the club will communicate their plans for the role in due course.

The board held a strategy session on 31st August to review the last year and look forward across the 2024/25 season. The discussion was involved covering matters such as the relationship with the management at the football club, growing and engaging with the Trust membership, promoting and supporting the club, community trust and the wider club community. More of the output will be shared over the coming months.

For information the DSA held their AGM on 31st August following the planned Secretaries meeting at the Dundee Social Club.

I will close by asking you as members to let us know what you are thinking in terms of the progress being made by the club and if there are questions that you would like answered. We are working to develop better communication channels with the club and hope to be able to establish a constructive dialogue that can help our members and the club itself. Our contact details are available below and we look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s to another strong season for the Dark Blues!

Regards,
Keith Winter
Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life members’ update – July

Dear Members,

The summer break can often drag on for us football fanatics but the Euro’s have partially helped fill the void. Whilst the football on show could certainly be described as cautious, it was fitting that the team that consistently played, open, attacking football lifted the trophy. Viva Espana!

Back to Dark Blue matters. We were delighted that DFC won the race to sign Simon Murray and are appreciative of the significant commitment the Club made to secure his signature. We understand that more signings are imminent and our wish list would include extended contracts for Luke McCowan and Lyall Cameron.

It was good to recommence competitive football again with the group stages of the League Cup. A fine, dominant 7-1 win away to Bonnyrigg Rose, followed with another good win at a notoriously tricky venue saw us off to a great start.

We were due to host our first home game of the season against Annan Athletic on the newly improved pitch surface however the Club has decided that the pitch will benefit from additional time to settle and have announced both “home” League Cup ties will be hosted at Brechin.
The first game at our temporary home, along with results elsewhere, booked our place in the last 16 of the competition, with a game in hand. It’s fantastic to see the team strive on the pitch.

Whilst we support the Club’s decision to ensure the pitch is in the best condition possible for the start of the League campaign it is disappointing that fans will be left out of pocket due to additional travel expense. It would be a positive gesture from the Club to either offer subsidised supporters’ buses or reduced entrance prices to these matches.

We will just have to wait a little longer for the first match of 24/25 at The Kilmac Stadium and the launch of the e-ticketing system. The first home game at “Dens” is one of the most eagerly awaited matches for many Dees being the first chance to see the many new signings on home turf.

The aim of the Dee4Life Board for 24/25 is to improve our relationship with the Club so as to help increase engagement and enhance communication between the Support and Club on matters such as the temporary move to Brechin. We remain positive about the general direction of travel but remain committed to achieving greater fan involvement.

Whilst the board was enhanced by the addition of Mike Woodcock in June, sadly I have to report that Norrie Price has opted to step down as a director to focus on another project.

We thank Norrie for the great commitment shown to Dee4Life in his six years on the board, which included a two-and-a-half year spell as Chair.
He remains very much a Dark Blue diehard and we look forward to his continued contribution and support as a Dee4Life member.

Best wishes,
Keith Winter,
Chair.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life members’ update – June

Dear Members

It has been very encouraging to see the progress made on the extensive work being done to ensure the pitch at Dens is ready for the new season. We are yet to learn what the route cause of the drainage problem was but we look forward to seeing the first match on the new surface when we meet Annan in the League Cup on 23rd July.

Off the pitch, there was less positive news on the decision made by the SPFL to ask Dundee to cover Rangers’ travel and hotel costs for the two postponed matches. We were extremely disappointed to read this news and believe it sets a dangerous precedent for the Scottish game.

As communicated earlier this month, Grant McGregor attended the D.F.C EGM on June 2 and cast the Dee4Life vote in favour of both resolutions. We would like to reiterate that we received no clear guidance on what the new investment will be used for. While the percentage of minority shareholders will be diluted further, including our Dee4Life percentage, that doesn’t affect the rights relating to the ‘A’ shares. Ultimately we believed that supporting the club’s plan was the best course of action and we have to acknowledge that the result was inevitable given the high percentage holdings commanded by the majority shareholders. It is fair to say that there are still many questions regarding what the Club is hoping to achieve with the share issue and we hope that their aims will be communicated to fans in due course.

We will shortly be writing to the Club with the aim of re-opening channels and to try to establish constructive dialogue. The recent EGM illustrated the Club’s ability to organise and host professionally run meetings. Regular communication can only help both the Club and the fans and hopefully help bring ore fans back to Dens in the long run. Our hope is that we can achieve the reintroduction of AGM’s and more immediately a Q&A session for members and the wider fan base. We recognise the progress being made at the Club and believe that an engaged fan base can play a big part in helping the manager and the team to make even bigger strides next season.

In other news, I am pleased to introduce a new addition to the Dee4Life Board.

Mike Woodcock (above) has joined the Board as Communications Director. Mike is the Director of Communications at The R&A and is an avid D.F.C supporter, having been attending Dens since the days of Iain Ferguson (the first time) and Cammy Fraser. We all look forward to working with Mike.

Regards,

Dee4Life Board.