society updates

Dee4Life AGM 2022

The 2022 Dee4Life AGM will take place at Dundee Social Club from 11am on Saturday 19 November.

The meeting, which takes place prior to Dundee’s home match against Hamilton, will be the first in-person event hosted by the Trust since January 2020. Details of ballots relating to the election of directors to the Dee4Life board will be sent to members shortly, along with the agenda for the AGM and a copy of the Trust’s annual accounts.

The formal part of the AGM will be followed by a Q&A when members will hear from the board about recent changes and Dee4Life’s future direction. Accountability is essential to the success of the Trust and any attendee can raise questions about Dee4Life and its performance.

Dee4Life Chair Norrie Price said, “We welcome the opportunity to host our first face-to-face event for a few years and to speak directly to our members. In recent months our board has been working worked hard on a process of internal reform that will make us more agile and active as an organisation.“

“We know from the recent survey we carried out that our members see our primary purpose being to represent fans. The AGM will also allow us to gauge the views of supporters about the club and the issues they want us to raise with them.“

“Ultimately, we all love Dundee and want it to succeed. For that to happen, the fans and club management need to work together in harmony. It is vital that the views of supporters are heard at boardroom level and respected.”

Snacks will be provided for AGM attendees while refreshments will be available from the bar.

In addition, it is hoped that an open meeting, giving all Dundee supporters the opportunity to ask questions of the Trust’s directors and raise issues and ideas relating to both Dee4Life and the club will also take place before the end of the year.

society updates

Stadium Development Letter – 29/10/22

Dear Member,

We have been asked by BBC Scotland’s The Nine to take part in a feature about the proposed new stadium development at Camperdown. In this we will be outlining the Trust’s position on ‘Nou Campy’ and, as such, I thought we should take the opportunity to share this with our members and the wider Dundee support.

Dee4Life has always been supportive of the stadium development in principle, however there are many outstanding questions that we believe the club needs to address.

The public meetings hosted by Dark Blue Property Holdings as part of the planning process provide an opportunity for the public to understand the implications of the development for the city, but our priority is the impact on Dundee Football Club.

Our concerns include:

The prospect of Dens Park being sold before completion of the new stadium, depriving the club of a safety net

The lack of clarity over ownership of the new stadium

The lack of clarity on the prospect of interim groundsharing

The apparent absence of a Plan B should the Camperdown project fall through

Exposure of the club to risks associated with inflation and rising interest rates facing DBPH

Dee4Life, on behalf of all Dundee fans, are custodians of the ‘A-Shares’ which provide the support with additional rights, including protection against the club playing its home games away from Dens Park for any period exceeding one year. The Trust is committed to representing its members and the wider Dundee support to ensure their views are heard.

Therefore, we have written to John Nelms and Tim Keyes to ask that they, as owners of both DBPH and Dundee FC meet with representatives of supporters, shareholders and other stakeholders to discuss the specific impact the development will have on the club. The relationship between the club and DBPH, including expected lease terms with DBPH or any future owners and details of the risk/benefits for Dundee, is crucial.

We believe a new stadium could prove to be transformative for Dundee but there are examples of clubs who have found themselves in perilous situations because their own dream moves have turned sour. Our own club has twice been placed in administration because the ambitious plans of previous owners were not built on robust foundations. As a result, transparency and engagement are essential to ensure we do not make the same mistake again.

We welcome all views on this and other matters so please feel free to share your own opinions on the development with me, or any of my fellow Dee4Life directors.

Regards,
Norrie
Chair

society updates, Uncategorized

Dee4Life Members Survey Results

Dear member,

Thanks to all of you who completed the survey we sent out last week. The results, which I include below along with some commentary, will be extremely useful as we look to finalise our new strategy ahead of our upcoming membership drive.

It was important for us to allow our members to give their views about the type of organisation they want Dee4Life to be and to help reshape the Trust. In total, 86 members answered the survey and we will follow up with a similar questionnaire aimed at non-members in the future.

While we are delighted to receive backing for the direction we are traveling, less positive feedback is every as welcome and important. We believe it is important for us to always be open to constructive criticism and to have honest conversations with our members and the wider Dundee community if we are to succeed as an organisation.

How do you personally feel about Dee4Life as an organisation?

Very positive 18

Positive 55

Neutral 12

Negative 1

Very negative 0

How do you think the majority of Dundee supporters feel about Dee4Life?

Very positive 6

Positive 30

Neutral 39

Negative 11

Very negative 0

It is heartening that an overwhelming majority of respondents a positive view of Dee4Life but the difference in answers from Q1 to Q2 back up what we already believed – that there is a perception issue among some sections of the Dundee support that we must address if we are to grow and become a more effective organisation

Do you feel Dee4Life has a clear vision and purpose?

Yes 46

No 14

Unsure 26

Do you feel Dee4Life accurately reflects the views of most Dundee supporters?

Yes 41

No 7

Unsure 38

Do you feel Dee4Life effectively represents the views of most Dundee supporters?

Yes 36

No 12

Unsure 38

The large number of members answering ‘unsure’ to these questions suggests that we need to better and actively communicate so supporters are clearer about who we are, what we do, and how we act on behalf of Dundee supporters. The last few years have been exceptionally tough for everyone, and for Dee4Life we have had to navigate the challenges of Covid with a diminishing number of Directors and volunteers that has further impacted on our activities. With the recent injection of fresh blood we are in a stronger position and will shortly be communicating the vision and purpose that you have all helped to shape.

On what basis do you believe we might contribute financially to the club?

Share purchase 25

Interest free loan 6

Community programme 8

Tickets for schools and community groups 24

Stadium improvements to benefit supporters 21

There are very clear preferences as to the type of financial support we might offer Dundee. We are currently in discussion with the club about the type of programmes they would welcome funding for and we will announce the results of this shortly.

The annual Dee4Life membership fee has been pegged at £5 since 2014. Would you support a small increase to bring us into line with other Supporters’ Trusts and enable us to expand our activities and support the club’s development?

Yes 77

No 6

Unsure 3

What do you believe would be a fair annual membership fee?

£5 10

£10 49

£15 15

£20 12

Would you also support the introduction of tiered packages to allow members to sign up for memberships that offer additional benefits?

Yes 67

No 11

Unsure 8

There is very clear support for a small increase in the annual membership fee as well as for the introduction of tiered packages and this will be taken into account as we finalise our plans for the future.

What do you believe the primary purpose of Dee4Life should be?

Represent fans 49

Grow the club’s fanbase 10

Fundraising for club 3

Provide oversight of club’s activities 15

Generate ideas to help club 9

Once again, you have given a very clear indication of what you want to see from Dee4Life. We appreciate that some of the options here overlap and we aim for our new strategy to incorporate several different elements which feed into an overarching purpose of working on behalf of Dundee fans.

How do you rate Dee4Life in terms of communication?

Very positive 17

Positive 49

Neutral 18

Negative 2

Very negative 0

How do you rate Dee4Life in terms of digital presence (website, social media)?

Very positive 9

Positive 25

Neutral 39

Negative 11

Very negative 2

How do you rate Dee4Life in terms of fundraising?

Very positive 10

Positive 25

Neutral 37

Negative 14

Very negative 0

As noted earlier, our activities have been curtailed over the past few years, so we are not surprised by the more negative answers here. Hopefully you will have noticed an improvement in communication over the past couple of months and we aim to improve further. We have undergone a process of refining our social media presence (removing duplicate pages) and plan on increasing our level of activity on there as well. Our membership is growing once again and this will enable us to further review and develop our fundraising activity. We want to improve in every are and your feedback helps us to do so.

Please feel free to expand on any of your answers here and to give us feedback on how we are doing and how you think we can improve as an organisation.

Dee4Life should help grow the club’s support, particularly among younger fans
A desire for a constructive relationship between the club and Dee4Life
Dee4Life must do more to engage with fans
A feeling that members are more optimistic about Dee4Life than they have been for some time
Concern about the way the club is being run
Questions over the proposed new stadium development, and concern over the prospect of groundsharing in particular
Concern over the state of Dens Park and a desire for Dee4Life to raise this with the club
A desire for a fundraising vehicle that allows fans to decide how the money is spent

Thanks again for all your contributions and you can always contact any of our Board to discuss ideas you might have, either for the Trust or the club. Our details can be found here.

Regards,
Gary Cocker
Secretary

society updates

Chair’s Update – September 2022

Dear Member,

September has come and gone and while Dundee sit lower in the Championship league table than we would like, we remain optimistic about the direction Gary Bowyer is taking the team in. Games so far have certainly been more entertaining than we have seen for a few years, so fingers crossed that October brings with it more consistency in the big matches to come.

While our ability to influence events on the park is limited, what we can do is try to ensure that Dundee supporters enjoy the experience of following the club. To that end, Dee4Life’s George McIrvine met DSA committee men Davie Craig, Matt Edwards and Jim Mitchell and DFC Supporters Liaison Officer John Burke last week.

The purpose of this meeting was to explore how Dundee fans can best be represented, with the specific topics discussed including e-ticketing, pay-at the-gate and the resurrection of the Junior Dark Blues. As you know, Dee4Life previously had an offer to fund e-ticketing turned down but we remain committed to addressing the number one issue raised by our members in recent months. All parties were agreed that the JDBs were important to capturing future generations of supporters and we are always interested in supporting initiatives that help the club to grow its fanbase.

Co-operation between ourselves and the DSA continues to develop with George reporting that all enjoyed the meeting. Aside from covering serious matters, it is always good to meet up with other Dundee diehards and talk football, something I was reminded of when I attended the recent new stadium consultation and bumped into many of the Dark Blues I have become well acquainted with over the years.

That so many supporters took time out of a working day to absorb the information on display reflects the fact that the proposed Camperdown development is a potential watershed moment for the club. Dee4Life remains supportive of the concept in principle although many questions about the project remain unanswered and, once we have discussed these as a board, we will seek clarification on various points. We are keen to hear from members what they think about the proposals so please feel free to get in touch to share your views.

You will hopefully have seen that the Dee4life group has undergone something of a rebranding, including the launch of a more modern, dark blue and white logo. Some fans have asked us about the distinction between Dee4Life and Dundee FC Supporters’ Society (DFCSS), While the latter remains the registered name at Companies House, our preferred title is Dee4Life, which we feel best reflects the group ethos.

As such, we will always refer to ourselves as Dee4Life, or the Trust, and our director Mary Coyle has taken the initiative by placing an order for pin badges incorporating the new logo. These will be available shortly, and we will also soon be able to announce further developments that reflect our new look and vision for the future.

Last week, notice was given of the Dee4Life AGM which will take place at 11am on Saturday 19 November, and we hope to see as many of you as possible at this event.

We remain committed to building a stronger membership. The more fans we have in our ranks, the better we can represent them. If you are not already a member, please consider joining today.

Best regards,
Norrie
Chair

society updates

Chair’s Update – August 2022

Dear Member,

August has been another busy month for your Dee4Life board as we continue to lay our plans for the future and focus on our upcoming membership drive.

A key element of this has been the members’ survey, which was carried out to allow you your say in the future direction of the Trust. As Gary Cocker noted when communicating the results, it was gratifying to see that most respondents had a favourable view of our work but it was also important to receive less favourable feedback so we can continually look to improve our performance.

The views of every member and indeed every Dundee supporter matter to us. We have taken your answers and comments into consideration when finalising our new vision and strategy, which will be launched next month as part of the membership drive. A new logo and website are also imminent as we look to modernise our operations and public image.

Part of that process also involves overhauling our social media output, something that attracted some negative feedback. We are looking to add a social media officer to work alongside Communications Director Grant Hill and Mary Coyle, who has done invaluable work to keep our accounts active meantime, to ensure we get things right in this vital area. Kudos, too, to Gary C for winning his battle against one of the titans of Silicon Valley to merge duplicate Dee4Life Facebook pages! We know social media was neglected for too long but we now have a solid platform and intend to do much better.

Following our meeting with John Nelms and Greg Fenton last month, Membership Secretary Ross Day presented innovative Trust proposals for an eticketing system at Dens Park to alleviate many issues fans have reported this season. This followed extensive research into solutions and Ross’s proposal would have been fully funded by Dee4Life. The club have chosen not to accept this offer and we remain in discussions about alternative projects we might contribute to.

Earlier this summer we were delighted when John Burke agreed to resume the role of Supporter Liaison Officer, and Gary recently met with John to discuss ways in which we can work together to ensure the views of Dundee fans are represented. This was a positive and productive meeting, and we look forward to sharing news of developments in the near future.

Our own Liaison Director George McIrvine has continued to build relationships with other groups, although his presence at the Fife Dark Blues shindig prior to the Raith match may not have been an entirely selfless act! Credit also to our Director Douglas Tott, who was one of the volunteers helping to give Dens a spruce up before the first home game of the season.

As said last month, the key to making Dee4Life the organisation we want it to be is building a stronger membership. The more fans we have in our ranks, the better we can represent them. If you are not already a member, please consider joining today at https://www.dee4life.com/membership_form.php

Best regards,

Norrie