This Saturday's Guests - NHS Tayside Stroke Awareness (FAST)

On Saturday afternoon, as part of this season’s Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Community Initiatives, the NHS Tayside Stroke Managed Clinical Network will be at Dens Park to highlight their Stroke Awareness Campaign which encourages the public to think FAST.

The message is clear – be able to spot the signs of a stroke and act quickly.  Calling 999 could save a life and limit damage to the brain.

Gail Smith, Lead Clinician for Tayside Stroke Managed Clinical Network said, “In Tayside last year, over 940 people were admitted to hospital with a stroke, so it is vitally important that people recognise that stroke is a medical emergency.  They need to know how to respond to the symptoms of stroke early to limit further injury to the brain and this is what the FAST campaign aims to do.

"Stroke is the greatest single cause of severe disability in Scotland and the third most common cause of death after heart disease and cancer.  It claims the lives of one in eight women and one in ten men and leaves thousands more with some form of disability.”

The FAST campaign is coordinated by NHS Tayside’s Stroke Managed Clinical Network (MCN) in association with Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS), and is supported by the Scottish Ambulance Service, Community Pharmacies, Angus, Dundee & Perth & Kinross Councils and volunteer stroke patients.

Gail and members of Tayside Stroke Managed Clinical Network will be at Dens on Saturday afternoon to promote the FAST campaign and distribute information, including the wallet sized cards, which carry the FAST signs of stroke – so we'd encourage all fans to pick one up on the day.  Community pharmacists across Tayside are also distributing the wallet sized cards to people collecting their prescriptions and will be targeted at those people receiving statins, warfarin, digoxin, blood pressure tablets and aspirin.

Gail says “Stroke is not something that only happens to older people, of the 13,000 strokes that will happen throughout Scotland this year, around 1000 will be people under the age of 55 and 100 of these will be under the age of 30.  That’s why it’s so important that people across Tayside recognise the symptoms of stroke and know to act FAST by calling 999.”

Society Community Director Jacqui Robertson said “The FAST campaign is vital in highlighting to our fans that stroke awareness can literally be a life saver.  Knowing the signs and acting quickly can easily make a huge difference to the outcome for anyone unfortunate enough to suffer from a stroke.  This could happen to any one of us or affect those we love so I would urge everyone to take a moment to familiarise themselves with the signs.  Who knows when you could make a difference?  We are delighted to welcome the hard working staff from this important campaign to Dens on Saturday.”

For more information about Stroke, check out the CHSS website www.chss.org.uk or phone the advice line on 0845 077 6000.

Take a "DeeTour" Around Dens

On a crisp February morning, a group of youngsters can be seen outside the entrance to the home of the Dees.  This is not a Saturday, it’s not even a weekend, but still they are there.  Monday saw the Dundee FC Supporters Society – in conjunction with Dundee Football Club – conducting what hopefully will be the first of many a tour around Dens Park.

Representing Castlepark School, Dundee were Scott Hunter, Owen Blythe, Reace Stewart and Conor Nelson, along with teachers Robin Patterson, Louise McMillan and Garry Middleton; Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Director Dave Forbes was the man charged with taking the tour.

With the tours hopefully being available to the general public soon, Society Director Dave Forbes was keen to have a run through, and the kids and teachers from Castlepark were happy to oblige as a test audience.  Throw in one very excited volunteer tagging along to document the trip, and the tour soon got under way.

First stop on the tour was a trip to the changing rooms, although the team were using the home one to prepare or training, the away changing room and refs’ room were visited, before a trip down the tunnel, giving the youngsters the feel of what it would be like to run out on a matchday.  Dave, in an attempt to guarantee the kids would be on their best behaviour, was quick to point out the one place in Dens that no-one wants to visit, and this was the first new thing I learned myself, Dens has a holding cell underneath the spot previously occupied by the clock.

Suitably calmed after this revelation, the group made its way back inside, next stop being the Legends’ Lounge, via a corridor lined with photographs of Dees, and while this volunteer was quite happy to feel young by explaining he had never seen the likes of Billy Steel or Doug Cowie wear the Dark Blue, this youthful feeling evaporated when the other members of the tour pointed out they had never seen Claudio Caniggia, Jim Duffy, and in some cases Barry Smith play.
 
From the Legends Lounge the tour headed back outside, up some stairs, and the group were shown into the Directors’ Box.  On a sunny day like this, the view is quite spectacular, what it looks like on matchdays must be something to see.



And so the tour continued, leaving the Directors Box and heading back inside for a quick look around the Captains Lounge, and on through the rest of the hospitality suites, before once again heading pitch side for the walk along the park and into the Bobby Cox Stand, where the group had plenty of photo opportunities, under the championship flag was popular, but not as popular as the game of finding a name amongst the bricks.

From the Bobby Cox, the tour took a twist, as we left the stadium to visit the club shop.  Normally this would be an opportunity for visitors to purchase mementoes of the day they visited the most important football location in the world, but as these visitors were unaware of the visit beforehand, a few souvenirs were provided courtesy of Dundee FC Supporters Society to thank them for taking the time to come along and help out with the trial.

The plan at this point was to end the tour in the Boardroom, unfortunately on this occasion, it was in use, although Dave Forbes was quick to point out that this was due to the short notice, and any tours would definitely include a brief stay in there, and as anyone who has had the fortune to visit it will tell you, this is a room that is certainly worth visiting.

After the tour, Dave and Castlepark teacher Garry Middleton had time for a few words, both seemed happy with how the day went.  Garry wanted to point out that although not all the kids were Dundee Fans, they all seemed to have a great time, "Castlepark is obviously a school which deals with kids who for whatever reason, don’t respond well in a normal school environment, and sometimes it’s hard getting them to concentrate, but today at Dens, they all seemed to be paying attention.

"Dave Forbes was fantastic, he dealt with the kids really well, and kept them entertained as he informed.  Some of the questions he was asked maybe came a bit from left field, the first one was how many times has Dundee beaten United, and that was followed by how many people have been in that cell, so I would think this visit may not be the norm, but Dave handled it all superbly.  With only one Dundee Fan among the pupils, it was a possibility the others might get bored, but Dave kept the tour moving, and engaged with the kids, and all in all, the trip was a great success as far as Castlepark is concerned."
 
Dave added, "I think the kids of Castlepark were very well behaved, and a very attentive audience.  This was our first real go at this tour, and the pupils were enthusiastic and great fun as well.  All in all, the day went really well, and I would like to thank everyone at Castlepark for coming down here today and letting me talk about Dundee for them.  It was great to get a tour done, a lot of planning has gone into this, and a lot of people have helped in that planning.  I was obviously the lucky one that got to take the first tour, and can honestly say I probably enjoyed myself as much as the kids did."

Any individual or group wishing to take a tour of the stadium, and it is highly recommended, should contact Dave Forbes via email or phone (07767 214520).

Dundee FC Release Latest Financial KPIs

Dundee FC's board of directors today published the latest set of Key Performance Indicators as part of their commitment to open and transparent financial reporting to the supporters and public at large.  The agreed measures of prudent financial management (KPIs) are as follows, and as at 31st December, the Board can confirm that:

1. Percentage of player' wages to turnover - the ratio was 43.3%, although this will rise from February onwards as the only significant revenue thereafter will be gate receipts and hospitality.

2. 95% of trade creditors due, excluding player debt and administrator’s fees, paid within 30 days - due to the holiday period, this target was missed at 31st December, but as of today all December creditors have now been paid.

All other KPIs (below) were achieved:

3. Confirmation that projected cash flow shows a positive position at season end

4. Confirmation of no debt to HMRC, i.e. all outstanding PAYE and NI liabilities and VAT liabilities are up to date

5. Confirmation of no bank debt

Additionally, half of the TV revenue received in January and the balance of the transfer fee for Craig Forsyth from Watford have been used to help clear players' compensation and it is now anticipated that the player debt will be cleared by February 2013.

The financial focus now turns to securing investment from new and already identified sources, to allow planning for next season, and the CEO and the board are pleased to confirm that one private investor has already injected a five figure sum.

Family Guys Launch at Dens

A collaboration between Dundee FC Supporters’ Society, Dundee FC, Dark Blue Business Trust and the Dundee Community Family Support Project is building nicely as more Dads and their kids take advantage of the donated season tickets to support our boys.  Family Guys visited Dens Park for the first time on Saturday 14th January for the game v Livingston.

We caught up with Duncan Crighton who leads the Family Guys initiative both at Dens and Tannadice to find out how they enjoyed their first trip to Dens Park.  Duncan said, "The 'Family Guys' DFC footie group had their first experience of the new provision offered up to them through the new partnership between the Dundee Community Family Support Project, Dundee FC & DFC Supporters' Society and it proved to be a huge success!

The match was attended by 5 adults & 5 children and they all enjoyed the day thoroughly, especially the final score!  The families got on well together and got to enjoy a fun, socially enriching afternoon and they were all eager to repeat the experience.  One of the 'family guys' sent the following text, 'Cheers for the day, the kids had a great day and they're knackered now lol'.  I would personally like to say cheers to everyone at the club for this opportunity."

Society Community Director Jacqui Robertson said, "I met with Duncan, the dads and kids and our very own Jim Christie before the match to say hello and it was lovely to see how much they were looking forward to the day.  Poor Duncan, a die hard Arab, ended up being photographed wearing a Dundee jacket, a picture which has been shared amongst his friends on Facebook (just for clarity, that's Duncan in the Dundee FC jacket shaking hands with Fraser MacDonald above!)  I know he took a great deal of flak for this but he took it with great humour and is a real credit to his work.

"My favourite moment was seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids as they got to stand on the pitch at half time, they all said they were having a great day.  I was later told they were really excited to be trackside so that makes it even more special.  A massive thanks has to go to everyone at Dundee FC, the Supporters' Society and the Business Trust who made this possible, with a special thank you to Jim Christie for making it all happen."

Fan and volunteer Jim Christie said, "It was a lovely day.  Seeing the expressions on the kids' faces really brought it home to me how worthwhile it all is."

Next Platinum Function, 25th February

The first Platinum members' function of 2012 will take place in the Legends Lounge for the match against Ross County on Saturday February 25th.  The function will have a private lounge, complimentary bar and buffet, and a Q&A session with former players.

Subject to availability, Platinum members may purchase additional tickets for guests at £65 or £35 for U16s (non season ticket holders please add £20).  Further information will be sent to members shortly.

If you'd like more information or to sign up for Platinum or any other of our membership schemes, please visit our membership area.

Online Auction - Euro Programmes!

The Dundee FC Supporters' Society have recently acquired a special collection of framed Dundee FC programmes and would like to offer Dundee fans the first chance to get their hands on them with all proceeds going to the Society.

A couple of months ago, Steve Martin got his hands on programmes from the 1967 Scottish League Cup Semi-final and Final.

The second item we have on offer are the programmes from both legs of the 2003 UEFA Cup preliminary tie between Dundee FC and KS Vllaznia.  This was Dundee's return to premier European competition after a 29 year absence; the Dees won the first leg in Shkoder 2-0 on August 14th and the return leg at Dens a fortnight later 4-0.

With very few Dees making the trip to Albania, the programme for the away leg is extremely rare and is presented here with the home leg programme in a silver coloured frame.  To get your hands on this special piece of Dundee FC memorabilia simply send your offer via "contact us" to the Society and the highest offer received by 11pm on Thursday 9th February will receive these programmes, which can be collected at the home game against Hamilton the following Saturday or by whatever arrangements suit.

Good luck!!

Seniors Group Meeting Next Thursday

The next meeting of the Dundee FC Seniors Supporters' Club will be held in the Andy Penman Lounge on Thursday 9th February at 11am.  Special Guest for the meeting will be 1962 Championship-winning legend Ian Ure.

The Seniors Group have further meetings pencilled in for 15th March, 12th April and 17th May - we'll have more details on these once they're confirmed.

For more information contact Dave Forbes via email or phone on 07767 214520.

Christmas Draw Prizewinners Visit Boardroom

Regular visitors to the Official Dundee FC website will remember the Christmas competition in which the main prize was won by Billy Conway.  Part of the prize was a pair of Boardroom Hospitality tickets, donated to the Official site by Society Chairman Scott Glenday, who was delighted to welcome Billy and wife Karen to join him in the Boardroom for the game v Livingston.

Billy told us "My wife and I really enjoyed the day against Livingston and the 3 points was just the perfect finale; although I have been in the boardroom before today it is still a fantastic experience to gaze upon the history of our great club and it just gives you that little reminder of why you support Dundee Football Club.

"I can associate with the many pictures, trophies and other memorabilia in the boardroom due to being a fourth generation Dee, my late father along with my big brother (Derek) were always quick to bring up the many exceptional teams, players and games they had watched.  When informed that I had won the competition and the signed Charlie Cooke shirt was part of the prize, I immediately thought of my dad, the original CC was his favourite player, and recounted many times the games that he watched him play, the shirt will be framed and I will hopefully find some place to hang it.
 
"It is a great idea having the fans behind the scenes, there are the many items on display in the boardroom, the chance to meet some of the past players, on this occasion John Duncan & Ian Redford were the guests of the Club, and there is the ever present and legendary Pat Liney who evokes the true Dundee spirit, he really is one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
 
"Karen commented that when she went to the Dens office to purchase a Christmas present (more hossie) how friendly everyone was (not sure why she was surprised) from Alison, Verity, Niccole and in particular Graham, to the players who were walking through, all smiling and saying hello.
 
"Giving fellow Dees this kind of a match day at Dens is something different and a day they would enjoy immensely, some fans would never have this opportunity but now they do, a great idea and one that should continue until everyone has had their day.
 
"We'd like to thank Scott for being a great host and to the many others at Dens who made us welcome and gave us such an enjoyable day, keep up the good work one and all.
 
"Dundee till’ I die"

Scott and Keith Enjoy Dad's Monthly Draw Win

October's winner of our monthly draw for Gold/Platinum/Corporate members was Ian Swankie of St Andrews.  Ian kindly offered his prize of 2 boardroom hospitality seats to his sons Scott and Keith, who were hosted by Society and Club Director Fraser MacDonald for Livingston's recent visit to Dens.

"Scott (left) and I actually sit next to each other in the Derry, but I've only been able to use my seat once this season. So it was nice to be sitting with Scott and Keith again for the Livi game, albeit in the Directors' Box," said Fraser. "It's worth reminding fans that Gold membership costs less than a pint a week, and offers a whole host of benefits including DFCTV, but also a chance to enjoy a game in the boardroom. What's more, it's a great way to help generate additional regular income for the club, so I'd encourage fans to consider signing up."

To find out more about Gold and Platinum membership, visit our membership page.

Boardroom Catch-Up - Kilmarnock Cup Tie

Fraser MacDonald's guest in the boardroom for the visit of Kilmarnock was Elaine Millar of Supporters Direct. Elaine and James Proctor work out of SD's Glasgow office to assist dozens of supporters' trusts across Scotland, and their support - along with that of their colleagues in London - has been invaluable as the Dundee FC Supporters' has grown and evolved over the years.

Whisper it, but Elaine is actually a Kilmarnock supporter, and she was good enough to admit that her team were lucky to take anything from the game!

Capital Dark Blues Burns' Supper

For the 9th successive year, the Capital Dark Blues' Burns Supper was the social occasion of Auld Reekie.  All the rich and famous were there with paparazzi running out of flashbulbs to capture the celebs – 1962 Championship hero Bobby Wishart, star of TV and print Alan Pattullo, our fleet footed dancer of the wing Nicky Riley.  And Fraser MacDonald.

Dave Ellis convinces Kenny Boylan(r) to somewhat reluctantly part with some alcohol for the raffleDave Ellis tells us "A splendid evening was had by a record turnout of over 60 Dark Blues, royally entertained with an audience participation Address to the Haggis; a lively “alternative” Tam O’Shanter; superb soup, haggis, neeps and tatties; a Ross County barman (true! Pair Laddie); and the now traditionally raucous auction where only at the CDBs can the idiot auctioneer be conned into bidding – and winning – an auction item!"

Dave continued "other highlights included John 'the Legend' Smith at 70 years of age showing us that once a sex symbol, always a sex symbol!  Fraser MacDonald making a fans ownership of DFC speech that would put Lenin and Mao to shame!  And Kenny Boylan offering Nicky Riley sweeties for a lap dance..."

Dee Stars Bobby Wishart and Nicky Riley were there...

"Special thanks to the gracious Bobby Wishart – who at 78 stayed until 1am - to Nicky Riley for giving up his Saturday night and to our Hibby mates for putting up with all the ribbing from a 1st Division supporters club.

"But most of all thanks to all members and friends who attended to make the evening a record one with over £2,000 raised for Dark Blue causes and an astonishing £20,000+ raised over the past 7 years.  It’s the 10th anniversary next year – are you going to be there?  Your Mum says you can go."

Hamilton Bucket Collection for MacMillan Nurses

At the beginning of the season we pledged that any monies received from bucket collections throughout the season would be split 80% to Junior Dees with the remaining 20% split equally between 5 charities (Alzheimer's Scotland, British Heart Foundation, Help for Heroes, Maggie's Centre and TCCL).

For our next home game v Hamilton, however, we will be having a special bucket collection, where ALL proceeds will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Support as a tribute to Dundee Fan - described by Rab Douglas as a "legend and entertainer" - Wullie Reilly.  Wullie, a real die-hard Dee, is probably the most "weel-kent" face in the Dundee Support, he's followed the team through thick and thin, the length and breadth of the country.

Wullie was recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the oesophagus, and told he has a couple of months left.  Far from being downhearted, he decided to hold a party in Lyrics in Dundee this Sunday "I want two wakes.  One I’m going to and one I’m not" he told the Evening Telegraph.  "It’s going to be in Lyrics and I want everyone I know to come down."  Those who attend the celebrate the life of a true Dundee man are being asked to make a donation which Wullie will present to MacMillan Nurses.

The Society Board felt that it would be a fitting tribute to Wullie if we could help raise even more for his nominated Charity, hence every penny put into a bucket on Saturday 11th February will be donated to MacMillan Nurses.  For those who cannot make Wullie's party, nor the game on 11th, you can make a donation here.

Society and Dundee Mad Supporting Depression Alliance Campaign

With depression being such a high profile issue in football since the sad death of Gary Speed and a handful of players admitting they have also suffered at various points of their careers, Depression Alliance UK in conjunction with ex Premiership footballer and radio pundit Stan Collymore are running a campaign to highlight an issue often shied away from.  Many sufferers find it hard to admit to having a problem with depression initially, and even harder to talk about it and seek help. Many aren't even aware that depression is the cause of the feelings they may be having.

 

To bring attention to the people who can help - anonymously, online, or through local support groups - Stan has been collecting signed and match worn shirts from his contacts and friends in the game and is running a prize draw for anyone who wishes to donate a fiver to support the charity's work up until the 31st of the month.  A full list of all the shirts and Premiership hospitality prizes are available here, along with terms and conditions.

 

The Dundee FC Supporters' Society and Dundee Mad are working together in support of the campaign, and to raise awareness of Depression Alliance UK locally, the Society have donated a squad signed 2011/12 shirt to the campaign.

 

For more details on this, and for your chance to get your hands on either the Dee top or one of the countless others that have been donated, visit the Dundee Mad website.

Transform Follow Up

Saturday 14th January saw the return of SFL action to Dens Park in the Dee's first home league game of 2012, and Dundee FC Supporters' Society were delighted to welcome Transform Community Development along to the game against Livingston as part of the Community Initiative.

Transform Community Development (formerly Dundee Cyrenians) is a community based project aimed at overcoming social exclusion and poverty by providing temporary accommodation, with 70 beds across three units, along with support in finding permanent accommodation and furniture for people who are in need and creating employment opportunities for people who are having difficulty finding employment.

Transform also provide a whole range of other services, from Dundee Homefinder Service, Arch Catering, The Big Apple through to the distribution of quality surplus food through their FareShare project.  The Society caught up with Bryan Smith to see how the day had gone for them.  "Everything on the day was fantastic, the organisation shown by all the volunteers at Dens was unbelievable, so the day went off really well.  The article in the match programme was fantastic also, it said exactly what we wanted to say, and that set us up for a very successful visit.

"We are really happy for all the support we received from Jacqui Robertson, and the Dundee supporters, and we have already received a few enquiries since the visit.  We have had some people in touch donating furniture, and a few just enquiring as to what exactly our services have to offer.
 
"We were obviously aware that people were really at Dens to watch the football, and have a good time, so we were keen not to be badgering them, so we decided just to have leaflets available, I was handing them out with my two kids, Georgia and Lewis, and that seemed to be enough.  Plenty were handed out and, hopefully, a few more people are now aware of Transform Community Development and what we do, and if that means that in the future we can help more people, then we have achieved our objective.

"Obviously the leaflets can never explain the whole story, and homelessness is a pretty complex issue, but if anyone really wanted more information then I felt that they would not really be wanting it there and then, they were at Dens for the football after all, and contact information was on the leaflets handed out, so they could always get in touch later, and thankfully that proved to be the case.

"We got involved today because the three of us are season ticket holders, and saw the work done at Dens, in fact it was the second home game of the season, where we saw Boomerang had a stall in the Bobby Cox concourse; we have actually dealt with Neil and his team at Boomerang, so I knew a fair bit about them, and it got me thinking, if Boomerang can do it, why can’t Transform Community Development?

"So I got in touch with Jacqui, and soon plans were afoot for our visit last week, and I would recommend it to any local charity who would like to become involved in this initiative.  The way the day was organised left us free to concentrate on what we wanted to achieve, and with the help of the volunteers at Dens, I think we exceeded our expectations.  Indeed if any charity is interested, but maybe a bit unsure, I would be happy to talk to them personally, and let them know how well things went for us on the day."

When asked if Dundee supporters were reflective of his target market, Bryan was quick to point out that everyone is his target market.  "As I said to Jacqui prior to our visit, we don’t have a target audience as such, because anyone can become homeless, people in any circumstances can find themselves in that situation, but on top of that, it might be that people may know of someone else in those circumstances, and maybe now they might just think of Transform Community Development, and if they get in touch, then we can direct them to wherever they need to go for the help they need.

"Dundee might have a fairly low number of people sleeping rough, but homelessness is more than just those people, someone sleeping on a friend’s sofa or anyone who does not have secure accommodation is maybe homeless, and we look to help those people.  Our aim at Dens was to raise awareness of what we do, and thanks to everyone involved in this community initiative at Dens, we feel the day was successful.  Because of the work we do, sometimes it is hard for us to actually get any publicity, and this was a great way for us to do that, and I can’t thank everyone who helped out today enough."

For Jacqui Robertson, the day was also a successful one, "It was a pleasure to work with Bryan not only in his capacity with Transform but as a fellow fan in the Bobby Cox.  The fact that he had noticed one of our other charities in the stand was great as it led to another interesting and informative local charity being highlighted.  The platform is there and I want to hear from people like Bryan who see the opportunity to make their voices heard in the community and amongst a group of fans who have proven they care deeply about many things.

"One of the things that Bryan said to me that stuck with me is that it doesn't matter who you are, anyone can become homeless.  I'd like to think that if I or anyone I know was ever in the position that a lot of our fellow Dundonians find themselves in, that Transform could make a difficult situation that little bit easier."

The Dundee FC Supporters' Society would like to thank Bryan, Georgia and Lewis for coming along to Dens on the 14th, and are proud to be associated with the leading homeless charity in Dundee.  Anyone wishing further information on Transform Community Development, whether it is to use the services they offer, donating furniture, volunteering or indeed any of their other services, can contact Bryan through the Transform Community Development website.

Message from Wullie Reilly

Society Community Director Jacqui Robertson and celebrity Dee Bobby Brady visited Dundee's most famous fan, Wullie Reilly, last Thursday after he'd spent a while in hospital.

Wullie told Jacqui and Bobby that he has been overwhelmed with all the messages, visits and love he has had from everyone since his stay in hospital.  His ward sounded like a who's who of local celebrities and none more so than him!  He asked Jacqui to pass on a big "thank you" to everyone for their kind words which have kept him going.  Wullie asked that we say a particular "thank you" to Mark McGregor who has been a real strength and also to his god-daughter Carra - and to let Carra know he was wearing his Dundee top (pictured), a present from her, when they visited.

Society Welcomes CEO Appointment

Dundee FC Supporters' Society today welcomed the appointment of Dundee FC's new Chief Executive, Scot Gardiner.

All three Society representatives have met with Scot on several occasions, including several recent matches - as have the rest of the club board - and we are confident that with his strong commercial background both inside and outside of football, Scot will be a valuable asset to the club at a time when it is looking to grow revenue streams and attract investment.

We wish him every success in his new role.

Alasdair Draws Attention to the Players!

You may remember a story we featured recently about Junior Dee Lyndsey Bennet who was given a day to remember as a club mascot v Falkirk after missing out on a birthday message in the match programme.  Well, Lyndsey wasn't the only one in the family who had an exciting day as big brother Alasdair wowed the lads in the dressing room with his drawings of them in action.  At just 12 years old, Alasdair may be a young lad but we think he has a great future ahead of him if his player portraits are anything to go by.  Community Director Jacqui Robertson asked Alasdair what he made of his day.
"It was a great game!  It’s not often that you see that many goals in a match.  I go to a lot of the games and I really enjoy it.  I haven't missed a game this season.  It’s really disappointing if Dundee put on a bad performance and lose, but when we score it’s brilliant and the atmosphere is amazing.

"I really enjoyed my day – getting to meet all the players was amazing!  Jake Hyde and Kyle Benedictus took most interest in my drawings and kept following me about so that they could see the drawings of the other players!  I was so happy that I was allowed to go into the changing rooms to meet the players with my sister who was, after all, the real mascot.

"I have always enjoyed drawing and one day decided to draw one of the players who was in the programme.  After that I drew all of the other players.  I kept asking my dad how I could get them signed, so  I was really happy when you phoned up telling us that Lyndsey would be mascot because that meant that I could get them signed.  I spent a couple of weeks beforehand working really hard redrawing all of the pictures to make them better.  I was so glad to get them signed after all the hard work!"

Well done Alasdair and we are so glad you had such a good day along with your sister.  More of Alasdair's player drawings can be found here.  We’re sure you’ll agree he’s a talented lad!

Billy Enjoys Boardroom Experience

Guest of Society Director Maurice Kidd for a bit of Boardroom hospitality last Saturday was Billy Shepherd.  A former Society Director himself, Billy has been involved at the club looking after match day mascots for many years.  Maurice said "Billy is one of many volunteers behind the scenes, whose great work probably goes unnoticed by most.  Fortunately, I have seen how Billy transforms an already special day for mascots into a day they will remember for the rest of their lives, and I was therefore delighted the Society recognised his excellent work and invited him to the Boardroom."

Billy told us "It was a great afternoon.  I look after the mascots pre-match so I’m familiar with what goes on behind the scenes on matchdays – it’s my dream job as far as I’m concerned, even if I am a volunteer!

"Being invited into the boardroom, however, was still a fantastic experience and it’s great that so many ordinary fans are now getting the chance to mix with the people who run the Club.  This has been unheard of in all the years I’ve supported Dundee FC, and must still be fairly unique amongst most football clubs.  I see it as a clear indication of the positive direction the Club is now taking and it was obvious on the day that we now have a group of people running Dundee FC who have the grand old lady’s best interests at heart.

"For any Dee, a visit to the boardroom will be a special experience and I was extremely grateful for the opportunity.

Monthly Draw Winners...

We've fallen a bit behind with the Gold/Platinum Monthly Draws, so to rectify the situation, Society Board Members Steve Ayre and Eddie Devlin have drawn a number of winners to catch up.  Winners are therefore as follows:

October's winner was Norma Dye, who will be attending Dundee's match v Hamilton on February 11th.

The draw for November was won by Bill Tait, who will be guest at the Dundee v Ross County game on February 25th.

Andre Coppens won December's draw and Andre will join the Society Board for the game on March 10th v Ayr Utd.

January's winner is Grant Anderson, who has won hospitality for the game on 24th March v Raith Rovers.

Congratulations to Norma, Bill, Andre and Grant.

The Gold and Platinum monthly draws are just one benefit of subscribing to the membership schemes - if you're not already a member and would like to sign up or find out more about each scheme, visit our memberships page.

Capital Dark Blues Burns Supper on Saturday

Things are hotting up for the Capital Dark Blues Burns Supper this coming Saturday, with a number of attractions confirmed!
 
Dave Ellis told us "Bobby Wishart of the famous 1962 XI will be attending, we have some 'alternative' Burns entertainment and some interesting auction and raffle items including golf, rugby, and the inevitable bottles of refreshments.  Matt Lockwood will be there to explain penalty taking and Nicky Riley on hamstrings as well as the Capital Dark Blues’ very own board member, Fraser MacDonald, who will give an inside update on what’s happening at Dens.  But what we need is YOU!!  And your chums!!"  Tickets are still available – so contact Dave to book your place.
 
The time – 7.30pm, Saturday 21st January (after the Partick Thistle game)
The place – Willowbrae Bowling Club, Edinburgh
The details – 3-course Burns Supper, auction, raffles, fun and nonsense, and much, much more…
 
Tickets are priced at just £20 and are available from Dave Ellis on 07912 653013 or at ellis1959@btinternet.com.