Chairman’s Updates – Page 4

Monthly update

Dear members,

Over the past three months, representatives of Dee4Life have been meeting with John Nelms and other Dundee FC officials. The purpose of these talks has been to establish a framework for the future relationship between the Trust and the club, including the restoration of fan representation to the Dens Park board.

These discussions are progressing in a positive manner but, given the extent to which the relationship between the two groups deteriorated over several years, there remains some distance to go before we arrive at an agreed position. We feel that for a fans’ representative to be successful, their addition to the board has to be done in a positive manner that adds value to the club and its supporters.

We sincerely hope that the positive dialogue we have had since New Year lays the foundation for a fresh start that will allow us to represent our members – and the wider support – at board level, supporting the club’s development and helping to grow our fan base while also asking challenging questions when appropriate.

Gardyne visit and DSA meeting

I visited Gardyne campus on Wednesday to present the findings of our season ticket survey. A total of 200 members responded, with many taking the opportunity to ask other questions of the club.

We will share the results and their responses to the most asked questions with you all shortly and acknowledge the club’s decision to reduce early bird prices by £15.

After that meeting, myself and several other Dee4Life directors met with the committee of the Dundee Supporters Association.

This builds on our improving relations with the DSA over the past year and it was very obvious from our meeting that the same hopes and concerns are shared across both groups.

Combined we represent a substantial part of the Dundee fan base and we will work together closely in pursuit of our common goals.

The Dundee players celebrate a goal in our recent win over Ayr United. — Image: Derek Gerrard Photography

Earlier that day, Greg Fenton had reaffirmed his intention to meet with supporters’ groups, including Dee4Life, in the close season and we welcome this.

The more communication and engagement that takes place, the more likely it is that the club and fans will move forward as one.

In the meantime, I would encourage as many of you as possible to take advantage of the reduced admission offering for tomorrow’s vital home clash with Hamilton.

Times are tough for many people right now, so we were pleased to see ticket prices slashed to just £15 for the game. Let’s hope for a bumper crowd to cheer the Mighty Dark Blues on to victory.

Kenny Valentine
Trust Director

Chairman's Updates

Monthly Update

Dear members,

Increasing dialogue between Dee4Life and the club has been taking place in recent months, and we are hopeful that this will lead to a stronger relationship that will enable us to better represent Dundee supporters on all the issues that matter to them.

To that end, we were pleased that Dundee’s General Manager Greg agreed to a Dee4Life proposal for members to route any questions they have about the club through the Trust. We will share further details of how members can submit questions over the next few weeks. Greg also expressed his interest in attending a future Dee4Life meeting to hear from members in person.

That agreement came when our Director Kenny Valentine held another positive meeting with Greg at Gardyne Training Centre last month. At this, Greg confirmed that the club are committed to addressing the problems that some supporters have experienced when trying to gain entry to Dens Park this season.

We have agreed to support them in this endeavour and we hope to share plans for an improved admissions experience shortly.

Kenny (above) also shared feedback from members regarding the cleanliness at Dens. Supporters have noted improvements over recent weeks but also report a few areas where more work is required. Greg was pleased to receive this feedback and confirmed that steps continue to be made to improve the general upkeep of Dens.

In response to a question raised by one of our members, it was confirmed the club have plans to relaunch the Junior Dark Blues. We have offered our support for this initiative and look forward to helping with a new offering for young Dundee fans.

Prior to this meeting, Kenny was introduced to John Nelms, spent more than half an hour discussing the relationship between Dundee FC and Dee4Life with him.

Elsewhere, Directors George McIrvine and Scott Lorimer represented the Trust at the recent Dundee FC Sponsors’ evening at the Invercarse Hotel.

Board members George McIrvine (centre) and Scott Lorimer (second right) represented Dee4Life at the recent Dundee FC Sponsors' Dinner. The are pictured with players Luke Hannant and Max Anderson. — Board members George McIrvine (centre) and Scott Lorimer (second right) represented Dee4Life at the recent Dundee FC Sponsors’ Dinner.

The evening was well attended, with players and management staff taking time to chat with guests.
George and Scott had good conversations with Luke Hannant and Max Anderson, who they shared a table with, and both took an interest in hearing about the work Dee4Life does.

The more members we have, the more successful our efforts will be. Please encourage fellow Dees to sign up to the Trust as we aim to provide a voice for supporters.

Best wishes,
Grant Hill (Vice Chair)

Chairman's Updates

Chairman’s monthly update

Dear members,

The most notable piece of work we carried out in January was undoubtedly being able to inform you that Dundee will remain at Dens Park for the 2023/24 season.

Speculation about the imminent sale of Dens, the Camperdown Park development and potential groundsharing has been the biggest concern expressed by members in recent months.

So we were pleased when General Manager Greg Fenton confirmed to our director Kenny Valentine that we will still be playing at Dens next season.

We again thank Greg for taking time to address members’ concerns and hope we can build on recent dialogue to strengthen our relationship with the club.

While this was welcome news in regards to the immediate future, Dee4Life will continue to ask questions about the impact of the stadium proposals on the club and all matters of importance to Dundee supporters.

Given that we will remain at our traditional home for the next season, we have also raised concerns around the general cleanliness of Dens and enquired about the possibility of reinstating a pay at the turnstile. Matters surrounding the series of postponements this month have also been discussed with Greg and we will keep members up to date with any further updates.

Kenny Valentine hands over some of the hot water bottles we donated to Greg Fenton at Dundee's Gardyne Campus base. — *Kenny Valentine hands over some of the hot water bottles we donated to Greg Fenton at Dundee’s Gardyne Campus base.*

When meeting with Greg, Kenny also handed over 168 hot water bottles for Dundee FC Community Trust’s winter support program, which provides a vital service to those most in need in the wider community.

Liaison officer George McIrvine attended Saturday’s DSA meeting. It was interesting to hear the views of their members and learn more about their work and conversations with the club. George also talked about the work that we have been doing recently.

While Gary Bowyer is making adjustments to his playing squad, there have also been a couple of changes within Dee4Life.

Firstly, Douglas Tott resigned from his position as Director on the board. Douglas took on his role last February after first volunteering with Dee4Life in January 2018 and wewish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Meanwhile, Scott Lorimer has been appointed as our new Communications Director.

Scott, who has experience in journalism and public relations, takes over the comms brief from Grant Hill, who will continue in his role as Vice-Chair of Dee4Life.

Scott was straight into action, handing out Dee4Life flyers at the recent home game against Queen’s Park alongside Grant.

They were assisted by Grant’s son Elliot, who was paid far in excess of the national living wage for an 8-year-old in the club shop afterwards.

Young Dee Elliot was on hand to help recruit new members before the Queen's Park game. — *Young Dee Elliot was on hand to help recruit new members before the Queen’s Park game.*

We welcome those of you who signed up after receiving one of our flyers, bringing our membership up to 428 at the time of writing.

While pleased at more than doubling our member numbers over the past six months, if each of us could reach out to two or three others, that number could fairly swiftly reach our medium-term target of 1,000.

That would be significant progress and give Dee4Life an ever-increasing voice so please encourage your friends and family to sign up at dee4life.com.

Finally, minutes from our most recent Board meeting are now available to view for Members when they log in to the website.

Kind regards,
Norrie Price,

Chair

Chairman's Updates, Uncategorized

Dens park update

At our AGM back in November, and via subsequent communications, our members made it clear how worried they were about speculation that the sale of Dens Park was imminent, with Dundee FC having to ground share from 2023/24

As you know we previously contacted the club for clarity over aspects of the new stadium proposals and today General Manager Greg Fenton confirmed to Dee4Life director Kenny Valentine that the club will still be playing at Dens next season.

We welcome this and thank Greg for taking the time to address what was the biggest single concern expressed by the members we have spoken to.

Not being able to share details of all we have been doing of late has been frustrating, but we feel progress is being made and we hope to be able to update you more fully in the near future.

Dee4Life will continue to ask questions about the impact of the stadium proposals on the club and all matters of importance to Dundee supporters. We sincerely hope to build on recent dialogue to establish a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with the club board.

Norrie Price

Chairman

Chairman's Updates

Chairman’s monthly update

Apparently there’s a World Cup on, but anyone who is anyone had their eye fixed firmly on the Scottish Championship this November. With three straight league wins and a potential Scottish Cup banana skin safely navigated, it’s been a good month for Dundee supporters and long may it continue.

I’m delighted to report that this upturn in fortune has been matched by a rise in our Dee4Life membership, with almost 400 now signed up and numbers increasing every day. Our medium-term target is 1000, and with figures doubling over the past month we are making good progress towards that goal. To those newly joined, thank you and welcome – please feel free to get in touch with comments, concerns and ideas. We are accountable to you all and welcome constructive criticism and the chance to engage with our fellow Dees. It has been particularly heartening to see members using social media to encourage others to sign up. We will always seek to represent you and to do what we believe to be in the best interests of Dundee FC and its fans.

The board’s efforts to modernise the Trust’s operations, allied to good, old-fashioned leafleting and other initiatives has helped, but the concern felt by many Dundee fans is likely the main driver behind this rise. Our recent AGM at Dundee Social Club demonstrated the clear concern amongst Dark Blues regarding lack of communication from the club, particularly around the proposed Camperdown development and the implications of leaving Dens Park.

In light of the fears expressed by our members, we once again wrote to the club to seek answers to the fans’ questions and for reassurance on the risks posed to the club. We sincerely hope that the board will choose to engage with supporters to allay these fears and allow us to move forward together.

A week after the AGM, Dee4Life directors George McIrvine and Grant Hill were back at Thistle Street as guests of Dundee FC Supporters’ Association at their latest meeting of member clubs. George and Grant outlined the changes that have taken place at Dee4Life over the past five months and our future plans as well as discussing the club’s current situation. It was clear that the frustrations expressed at our AGM were shared by those present.

The relationship between different Dundee supporters’ groups might previously have been strained but I believe there is now a mutual determination to work together for the betterment of both club and supporters.

Best wishes
Norrie