Welcome to the December update. Another year passes and the festive period is coming fast.
The Dee4Life AGM took place on the 29th of November at the Dundee Social Club with a good turnout of members.
AGM round-up
The AGM received performance and finance reports for the twelve months to May 2025. There were two reappointments, with notification of two impending retirals from the Board, Grant Macgregor, as of the AGM, and Mike Woodcock from February 2026.
Following the formal AGM there was an open question and answer session. A lot of focus was on the current position both on the pitch and off the pitch.
There was a lively and open discussion on various aspects with a consensus view from those present that the focus for the coming months should be on pursuing a more stringent line with the management of DFC.
Fan experience concerns
Specific areas of concern raised included the condition of Dens Park for the fan experience, the delays at Camperdown around the new stadium, the general running of the club including the summer replacement of the first team manager and the recruitment approach and consequences as witnessed in the performances and results achieved so far this season. The board were charged to take this away and consider appropriate next steps. This to include raising a matter of no confidence in the day-to-day leadership of the football club.
Specifically on the new stadium there was no Dundee City Council Planning committee meeting held in December as it was stated there was no business to consider. This means therefore that the Planning Permission in Principle application for the stadium and related developments remains unready for advancement to committee. It is to be hoped this resolves itself early in 2026 and certainly ahead of February and the second anniversary of the submission date.
Turning to the results over late November and into December again this has been mixed with one win and a draw achieved. The performances again are a roller coaster as evidenced recently in the Livingston match, truly a classic game of two halves. Still, we are positive and hope for better returns over the coming weeks leading into the Derby on the 3rd of January.
DSA meeting
As advised before Dee4Life has been seeking to meet with our colleagues at the DSA. I am pleased to advise that we now have a date to meet in January and will update you after this.
Finally, all the best for the festive period to all our members and their families, a good stocking filler for a relative or family friend could be a Dee4Life membership, a well spent £10.00.
In February the Dee4Life board sought to gain the views of members in a survey. Around a third of our members (171) took the time to share their opinion on the trust and what they would like us to focus on going forward.
We will take these views into consideration to help form our strategy.
Below is the list of questions we asked with the top-level results from each. Beneath each answer section is a summary of our thoughts on the responses.
Here are nine things Dee4Life could focus on, on your behalf. What THREE things do you think we should focus on most?
Working to ensure Dundee FC are here for the longer term (selected by 74% of respondents)
Bringing all Dundee-minded people together to support the club (51%)
Providing feedback to the club on off-field performance raised by members (38%)
Our overarching aim is to help ensure that Dundee is successful on the park and financially secure off it, which chimes with the most popular option selected by members. For us, providing feedback on the club’s operations and performances – and encouraging genuine engagement with as wide a section of the fanbase as possible – is vital if this goal is to be achieved.
Our door is always open to any Dundee-minded group or individual and we will meet with representatives of the club or any other fan group at any time and without any preconditions.
How much do you agree that there should be:
Fan representation on the club board (62% strongly agree, 29% slightly agree)
A Dundee FC AGM for shareholders (75%, 18%)
More regular feed of information about the off-field performance of the club (66%, 30%)
More regular feed of information about the current/new stadium (70%, 26%)
More regular Q&As with club representatives (64%, 28%)
Enhanced communication from the club is the clear priority of members. For almost a year we have been campaigning for the reintroduction of the club AGM and/or a meaningful Q&A with supporters’ representatives. We believe that this would address the information deficit around the stadium and other issues and enable the views of a wider cross section of fans’ views to be heard.
We will continue to push for engagement of this kind and note the answered to our stadium questions supplied earlier this week.
Do you believe Dee4Life are on the right track?
Strongly agree (46%)
Slightly agree (38%)
Disagree slightly (7%)
Disagree strongly (5%)
No opinion (4%)
It is important for all organisations to be self-reflective and responsive to feedback from members and other stakeholders. While we are pleased that 86% agreed that we were on the right track, we note that the number who strongly agreed was lower than for any other question.
Clearly a major factor in this is that relations between the club board and Dee4Life are not currently positive. We remain committed to rebuilding this relationship and our local MSPs have offered to broker a meeting between Dee4Life and the club board. In addition we have been in discussions with intermediaries about restarting relations. We hope they respond positively to these efforts and that this will enable us to seek the priorities outlined in your answers above.
Thinking about Dee4Life membership at £10 at year, which is most true of you?
I will definitely rejoin this year (81%)
I will probably rejoin (13%)
I may or may not rejoin (6%)
It is heartening that the vasty majority of you will either definitely or probably rejoin and we hope to win over both those who are currently unsure as well as to attract new members. We will look closely at all the reasons given, whether positive or less so, and this will feed into our approach over the next year.
Which of these things are true of you?
I have a season ticket (70%)
I go to most games (65%)
I buy food/drink from the outlets (26%)
I buy hospitality (25%)
I buy things from the club shop (71%)
I am an 1893 Foundation member (27%)
I am a Dee Lottery member (39%)
I buy half-time draw tickets (34%)
I am a DeeTV subscriber (23%)
I contribute to club raffles (30%)
I go to club events and dinners (26%)
I am a club sponsor/advertiser (3%)
I am a shareholder (24%)
I am a member of the DSA/a supporters’ club (36%)
Your answers demonstrate that Dee4Life members are passionate, loyal supporters of Dundee FC who contribute to the club in a variety of ways. Applying these figures across our entire membership, we can say with reasonable certainty that around 350 Dee4Life members are season ticket holders.
While the data does not allow us to ascertain exact spend, using fairly conservative assumptions we estimate the total financial contribution of Dee4Life members to the club each year to be in the excess of £200,000.
Who are our members?
Gender – male (94%), female (4%), other/prefer not to say (2%)
Age – 25-34 (5%), 35-44 (11%), 45-54 (12%), 55-64 (35%), 65-plus (35%), prefer not to say (2%)
From – DD postcode (62%), AB (8%), EH (7%), KY (5%), G (4%), Other Scottish (9%), Non-Scottish (5%)
Our typical member is a man, aged sixty, living in the Dundee area. Clearly for the future of Dee4Life we need to attract more younger members and increase the number of female members.
What is the best thing about being a Dundee FC fan?
Analysing your responses, three clear themes emerged – team (41% of mentions), identity (34%) and kin (19%). You have made it clear that Dundee is not just your team, it is part of your identity and that of your family.
There were also a few answers along the line of “I wish I knew”!
I would like to thank all of you who came along to Saturday’s AGM and contributed to an impassioned discussion about the club we all love.
As a board, it is important for us to listen to our members and to have them shape our future direction. We are currently reflecting on all that was said at the AGM and will share our thinking, and any other developments, in our regular update at the end of the month.
I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Andrew Pyke, our newest board member.
New Dee4Life board member Andrew Pyke
Andrew brings with him a wealth of experience in market research having worked for a number of multinational companies. His career includes nearly five years as Insight Manager at the Scottish Football Association. While there, Andrew set up the SFA’s first ever Insight function, established marketing planning, worked with UEFA to establish benchmark measures for football in Scotland and led Scotland’s EURO 2020 evaluation group.
More importantly, Andrew is a lifelong Dundee fanatic who is a season-ticket holder for the Bobby Cox Stand and a member of the Glasgow Dees, We are excited about the energy and ideas he will bring to Dee4Life.
A polite reminder that the Annual General Meeting of the Society for 2022/23 will be held at 11.00am on Saturday 11 November 2023 in the Dundee Social Club.
The AGM will be conducted for the purpose of considering and if thought fit passing the items below requiring the approval of a majority of those members who participate in the AGM
Minutes of the AGM held on 19 November 2022.
Report on the Society’s Performance.
Presentation of Revenue Account & Balance Sheet for year ended 31 May 2023.
Appointment of Walker Dunnett & Co as the Society’s Independent Examiner.
Election of Board Members.
Any Proposed resolutions
An agenda has been emailed to members previously and it is hoped this will allow us to conclude the formal part of the AGM more quickly, thus allowing members to engage in the subsequent Q&A session which will end by 1pm at the latest.
Members have also should have been emailed links taking them to our latest accounts and minutes of our previous AGM minutes.
We are delighted to be sponsoring the South East Section’s first ever tifo at Saturday’s game v Kilmarnock. 🇨🇷
Coloured cards will be placed on every seat in the South Enclosure for fans to raise as the team takes to the park. A Dee4Life flyer containing a details on who we are and what our objectives are along with a QR code to allow you to join the Trust is printed on the reverse side of the cards and we hope as many of you will choose to sign up.
This forms part of the activity we have planned for Saturday’s game, which we are the matchball sponsors of. Four Dee4Life members who won our competition earlier this week will enjoy a day in hospitality while our directors will be on hand out side the Bobby Cox and Main Stand handing out flyers and answering any questions fans may have before kick-off.
You may also notice the new Dee4Life advertising boards on display at the trackside.
Some of the SES squad who have helped add to the atmosphere at Dundee games.
The SES lads and lasses have done a great job in helping to improve the atmosphere at Dens over the past 18 months so let’s join them in getting behind the team and greet them with a sea of blue, white and red when they emerge from the tunnel.
I spoke with DFC General manager Greg Fenton last week to discuss several issues that members have raised with us. I have summarised these, and Greg’s responses, below.
As we outlined in our recent partnership proposal, we want to work with the club to resolve issues as well as raising them. Our proposed next steps are outlined in italics.
A section of the Dundee support in the Bobby Cox Stand at the Motherwell game. Image: Derek Gerrard Photography.
Tannoy system
Several members were concerned that the South Enclosure tannoy system that has been inaudible for several seasons is now a bigger issue given the need for VAR updates.
Answer – the club invested in the SE tannoy in the summer and are monitoring the situation to test for its effectiveness.
We have received mixed feedback from the Motherwell game, with some fans reporting an improvement and others noting no change. We have offered to liaise with the company that DFC use to see what further options there are to improve the tannoy system and to potentially fund any improvement.
Ticketing
As we shared with you at the start of the month, we have been discussing this longstanding complaint of fans with the club, have proposed temporary solutions and have offered to support the introduction of eTicketing.
Answer – the club felt the new collection booth worked well in reducing club shop queues prior to the Motherwell match and are considering additional resources that would make it quicker and more convenient for fans to purchase and collect tickets.
Our offer of support remains in place and we are happy to explore any other ideas members might have.
Condition of South Enlosure seats
Dee4Life directors and members reported finding broken and dirty seats upon arriving at the Motherwell match.
The condition of some of the seats in the South Enclosure prior to the first game of the season.
Answer – all seats were cleaned in the days prior to the opening match of the season and stained and/or broken ones have now been removed, with replacements in place for the Hearts game. Seats in the areas worst affected by bird droppings are covered until 1pm pre-match.
As the club only has covers for a fraction of the total number of seats we are looking at whether we can fund more.
General stadium maintenance
Members expressed disappointment at finding old signs, bottles, cones and general debris upon arriving at the ground last week.
Answer – the club would appreciate any support to help clean up articles that litter the ground.
Earlier in the summer we helped connect the club with tradespeople willing to help out with stadium maintenance and we are liaising with individuals and other groups to see what further assistance we might collectively provide.
In addition, we were also asked to contact the club by a member regarding concerns about disabled access following on from the new parking restrictions introduced by the local authority. We thank DFC Disability Access officer Declan Gall for providing a speedy response confirming that disabled parking places for supporters are available on Provost Road and North Isla Street.
Any members who would like to provide their own feedback or raise any issues they’d like raised with the club then please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing contact@dee4life.com.
Another season is upon us, and we look forward to seeing the Championship flag raised at Dens Park on Saturday. On behalf of the Dee4Life board, I would like to wish Tony Docherty and his players and staff all the best of the Premiership campaign ahead.
This Saturday, sees the start of the 23/24 Cinch Premiership season and we welcome Motherwell to the Kilmac Stadium on the opening day.
With a bumper crowd expected for the Motherwell match, we hope not to see any repeat of the lengthy queues at the club shop and turnstiles that have been a regular feature over the past year. This is the issue that members have contacted us about most frequently and we appreciate that work, family, and other commitments mean fans are often unable to purchase and collect tickets in advance or to turn up some time ahead of kick off.
A queue outside the Dundee Direct shop prior to the Inverness game.
Our Chair Keith Winter met with John Nelms last week and once again raised the possibility of introducing eticketing and/or a cash gate. The Trust previously offered to financially support the introduction of eticketing and this remains in place. Positive talks took place with the club on this matter but it appears that current contractual arrangements prevented it from being implemented for this season. On implementing a cash gate there remain some issues to address also, though this will again be followed up.
We appreciate some fans remain frustrated about this option being available in the away end and, when Keith raised this point, he was told that this only happens with clubs who cannot operate any online arrangement. We will continue to explore this issue and willing to help fund a short-term solution for season 2023/24 as it is one of our priorities to make it simpler and more appealing for supporters to attend games.
Dens Park could see a bumper crowd this weekend. Image: Derek Gerrard Photography.
In our recent proposal to the club we outlined ways we can fulfil our key objectives and hope that the club fully engage with us in taking matters forward. I want to thank all of you who took the time to share feedback on the proposal, the vast majority of which was positive.
All our efforts with the club are geared towards fans receiving the information we believe they deserve. In line with our proposal, we would like a Q&A to take place where supporters’ representatives can ask questions relating to the proposed new stadium development and other matters of concern and interest to Dundee fans. The club expressed a willingness to hold such a forum earlier this year and we hope to bring you news on this shortly.
I am sad to report that that Norrie Price has decided to step down as Dee4Life Chair though he will remain an active member of our Board. He became a director several years ago and held the position of Secretary before assuming the Chair last year.
It is vital for any organisation to have a diversity of opinion and it is fair to say that Norrie is not shy when it comes to getting his point across! He argues passionately for what he believes to be in the best interests of Dundee FC, while respecting other viewpoints and the democratic process.
Norrie played an important role in ensuring that Dee4Life survived a difficult few years and was instrumental in introducing new directors to bolster the Board. I am personally thankful to him for bringing me on board, and for his leadership, support and friendship.
Norrie (above) said, “I am pleased that in my time as an office bearer we have seen a transition to a more modern and streamlined setup. Also that the age profile amongst the directors has been reduced and the resultant influx of fresh blood has driven an increased membership level to almost 500.
“However, I feel great frustration at the way the football club itself continues to be operated. This has contributed to my decision to step away from my current position.”
We will update members on the vacant Chair position in due course.
Thanks to all who were able to attend yesterday’s AGM and contribute to what was an extremely passionate discussion about the future of Dundee FC.
It is clear that there is significant concern among our members about the lack of communication and transparency on the future of the club, particularly with regards to the new stadium development and the possibility of the club becoming homeless if Dens Park is sold.
We are accountable to you all and, as we said yesterday, we will continue to ask questions of the club board on your behalf and to use every means available to us to ensure the club engages with the fanbase to ensure views of supporters are heard.
To that end, we have once more written to John Nelms and Tim Keyes to seek clarification about their plans for the future and to ask them to publicly reassure fans that adequate protections are in place to avoid any threat to our existence.
We will get behind any proposals which we believe to be in the best interests of Dundee FC but we cannot give our backing to the Camperdown project until the apparent risks to the club’s future are addressed.
Firstly, I apologise for the delay in getting October’s update to you all – so much has happened over the past month and we wanted some of our projects to reach fruition before circulating.
As part of our efforts to improve our digital presence, we have launched a new website at www.dee4life.com
that incorporates a new membership management platform. This was a much-needed upgrade and the new platform will help automate a lot of the time-consuming administration work and ensure an improved experience for members.
Gone are manual spreadsheets, difficult to pull distribution lists and members’ communications relying on director intervention. Now, we can offer you a seamless customer experience including simplified 4-step sign-up process, multiple payment options, ability to self-update membership details, digital membership card and access to a members’ only portal to see trust documents.
This work has been led by our directors Ross Day and Ryan Norrie and forms a major part of our efforts over the past few months to overhaul the way the Trust is run to ensure we are a more modern and agile organisation capable of representing Dundee supporters.
You will have seen that our annual membership fee has risen to £10, a modest increase that was backed by the vast majority of those who completed our recent survey. This will help us expand our activities and, where appropriate, support the club’s development. This deduction will occur automatically on your renewal date and no action by yourself is necessary.
In a similar vein, our recent raffle of framed tops sponsored by Dee4Life in recent seasons – organised by Ross – raised £420 for our funds and the winners will be receiving their prizes by post shortly. We will also raffle/auction Paul McGowan’s 2021/22 awayshirt at our AGM on Saturday 19 November, when limited edition Dee4Life pin badges – an initiative by board member Mary Coyle – will also be on sale.
This will be the first occasion since pre-Covid that we have been able to hold an in-person AGM and we hope as many members as possible take the opportunity to attend. The event starts at 11am in Dundee Social Club and it is our intention to complete the formal part of the meeting as quickly as possible to allow the maximum time for questions from the floor and an open discussion about the direction of both Dee4Life and the club we all love.
The proposed development at Camperdown will no doubt be uppermost in the minds of many of you and we are keen to hear your thoughts about this at the AGM. As we shared with you last month, we have written to the club to ask that they consult with fans directly about the potential impact, risks and benefits of the development for the football club.
We have been gauging the views of experts in planning, property, construction, and the law as we seek to provide oversight on behalf of all Dundee fans. Given our club’s previous brushes with extinction, we believe this is essential. While we support the development in principle, our backing is contingent on the club addressing the issues that we outlined previously and fully engaging with supporters.
Dee4Life 