Further Statement Regarding Proposed Takeover

Dundee FC has been the subject of a recent takeover bid from a consortium comprising two current directors of the club, and outside investors based in Texas.
As the majority shareholder in Dundee FC thanks to the efforts of all of our members, who twice have helped this club through administration proceedings, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society has a responsibility to provide our members with sufficient information to have a full discussion and make a considered decision on such a proposal.  A lack of detailed information and any due diligence has prevented the Society board from being able to do so.
The takeover proposal in its current form has a deadline of today, 24th May 2013, and due to the timescales which would be required to consult with our members, the offer cannot be accepted in its current form, but the Society would welcome further discussions from all parties, and this has been communicated to the consortium.

Rivals4Charity-Sat 25th May

This Saturday, May 25th, Dens Park will host a charity match between two sets of supporters, one from either side of the same street. Fans of Dundee FC will compete against a similar team from across the road in a game to raise money for the Homeless World Cup campaign

The two teams will comprise up to eighteen players, with each pledging to raise a minimum of £150 to the charity, and will be managed by ex players, Brian Scrimgeour will manage the Dees, while Dave Bowman will be in charge of the opposition.

The Dundee team has now undergone over two months of training sessions under the expert eye of 'Scrimmy', culminating in two friendly games in the last two weeks, to get the squad prepared for the big day.  Brian spoke to the Society to tell us how things have gone so far. 'We have been working with the guys now for over two months, and that is mainly so they all get to know one another. Playing at Dens will be a big occassion, and while we had little control over who turned up, what we can do is make sure they are all familiar with each other. Everybody wants to win this game, and it will be no different for our opponents, so we have to make sure we do all we can to get a result.'

'The guys have had a couple of practice matches now, and these games help give me an idea of how the game should be approached, we have tried players out in different positions, and different formations, and hopefully can have the team set up at the weekend to go out and do themselves and Dundee FC proud.'

'At the end of the day though, this is all about the experience of playing at Dens, the guys will all get strips with their names on, and these are strips from  the 'Deefiant' season, the club and Society has gone to great lengths to make this day as memorable as possible, so it would be great to see a big crowd there to support the boys.'

For anyone wishing to take in the game on Saturday, kick off is at 1pm, and admission is £5 for adults and £3 for children, with admission being via the main door at Dens. Fans will be seated in the lower stand, and Tea and Coffee, along with some traditional football fayre will be available.Paula Laurence, who visited Dens under the Community Initiative as part of a drive to give blood, will also be on hand selling raffle tickets with the chance to win signed merchandise. All money from this raffle will go to the intensive care unit at Ninewells.

Dundee FC Supporters' Society would like to thank Jim Thomson for all his help arranging the game, and the club for donating the strips to be used. Thanks also in advance to the Society volunteers, who will be giving up there time once again to make the day run smoothly.

All money raised from admission money and programmes will go directly to Rivals4Charity, to help fund the Homeless World cup Campaign.

Society Update on Takeover Discussions

Following a meeting with John Nelms attended by three Society directors on Monday of this week and a club board meeting on Tuesday, the Society board will meet tonight to continue discussions on the proposed takeover of Dundee FC.

Reports in today’s press quote Mr Nelms as being “very disappointing that I have not sat down with the Supporters’ Society,” and we feel it is important to set the record straight. John’s flight to Scotland was arranged not only at short notice, but before any of the consortium had even checked that club directors were available to meet him, let alone Society directors, and it was therefore impossible for our board as a collective to meet him on the only time and day offered (Monday). Three Society directors did make themselves available and did meet with him, but clearly it would have been preferable for him to have presented to all of us as representatives of the club’s majority shareholder.

Reports also claim that Mr Nelms met with representative of the Dundee Supporters’ Association (DSA), but as our members are surely aware, that organisation was dissolved in 2010 when the fans groups all got together under the umbrella of the Society. George Harris currently chairs the Society’s committee which looks after supporters’ clubs (known as the Dundee FC Supporters’ Clubs’ Association, or DFCSCA) but the meeting held with Mr Nelms was neither with that committee nor with the member clubs’ representatives.

We also noted press reports providing details of a stadium repurchase scheme, and while this has been discussed informally, no details or written plans have been provided to the Club or Society boards, and there actually seems to be more detail in the press than we have been given at this time.

Given our own history and that of other clubs recently, information provided to supporters and shareholders must of course include due diligence on the parties involved, and as of today we are not aware of any due diligence having been conducted. The club officials’ recent visit to Texas was, we understand, primarily to be a fact finding mission as a part of such an exercise, and the timing and deadline of the offer has taken us by surprise.

We understand another informal meeting of some supporters’ clubs has been called by Mr Harris tonight although his committee were not aware of this, and we would urge any clubs attending to reserve judgement until sufficient information is made available to all parties, including of course thorough due diligence.

Statement Regarding Proposed Takeover of Dundee FC

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society today reacted to news of a proposed takeover of Dundee FC by a consortium of US-based firm Keyes Capital and current club directors Bill Colvin and Steve Martin.

While the club has held confidential discussions with potential investors for some time, the proposed takeover from this consortium was first brought to the club board’s attention only on Wednesday of last week, and was then discussed at the Society’s board meeting on Sunday.

While any offer of funding and development opportunities for the club must be considered, this must be balanced against both short-term financial requirements and the long-term destiny of the club. Dundee FC’s own financial history and the high-profile difficulties other clubs continue to suffer mean that supporters would have to give their approval if the club were to return to a single controlling interest, benefactor-based ownership model with the risks that entails, after proper consideration and due diligence.

The proposal is being considered, but as it stands has a precondition of a very short timescale in order to provide additional playing funds, and this timescale presents difficulties in terms of the democratic processes of the Society. As a supporter-owned club, we have a duty as majority shareholders to consult with our members, and we fully intend to do so.

The Community Initiative

As the season draws to a close, so too does the Community Initiative in its current form. The driving force behind this Initiative, Jacqui Robertson looks back on the two years of community work undertaken so far.

 

'When Scott Glenday first discussed the role of Community Director with me I couldn't have foreseen just how big a part of my life this would become. Now two seasons have passed and the community initiative has reached a natural end with my resignation from the DFCSS board, a decision I didn't take lightly. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank people for their support over this time, without which many charities, health initiatives, children and local groups would not have had their special days at Dens.'

'Picking a few highlights from these days is near impossible as they all meant something to me, and I gave my role my all, for those who came to our club with a message to give out or with a story to tell. It perhaps makes sense that the days that involved children were the most emotional not just for me but for the volunteers who helped tirelessly and for club staff. Blake McMillan will always elicit a smile, but for mum and dad Jenny and Paul, the fight continues way past that one day. We still keep in touch with Dean Widd, father of Arryn the young man in the wheelchair who was helped down the tunnel by cadets who were visiting that day. Severely autistic Eathan still has a big cuddle for me and who can forget him out on the pitch with his hands in the air, something his family were unsure if he would cope with, being out in front of the crowd. The most recent was Ben's Day, close to my heart as Paula who lost her baby In tragic circumstances, and would not have survived without donated blood is a friend of many years. I'm not ashamed to say that these days were a real mixture of happy and sad.'

'What the fans didn't see behind the scenes was special and sometimes heartbreaking as I'm sure the staff at Dens will testify, followed on by lovely letters of thanks, supportive messages on social networks and to see their responses to their day at Dens, priceless. What we managed to provide so easily which meant so much to many people has been so difficult to give up as I enjoyed doing this more than I can describe, however perhaps next season we will see a different setup, with the support of club, DFCSS and DFCSCA, with myself continuing the community work independently and with the extra support that is needed.'

'Finally, saying thank you. There are way too many people to thank and those we met throughout the seasons will know how I feel. My volunteers have been invaluable, behind the scenes working incredibly hard and unseen. Week after week, they without question, worked hard to ensure the days went without a hitch. So my biggest thanks go to them – Dave Forbes,Grant Cook,John Keith, Wendy Hovell, Carlyn Connor, Neil Ellis, Nicola Ironside, Billy Naismith, Karyn Donnachie, Holly Anderson, Billy Shepherd, Graeme Adam, Arryn Hill, and my mini-me and Jamie Mcluskey's biggest fan, Nicole.'

'Despite turbulent times, the Dundee FC Supporters' Society have been incredible in their support, and will be a big part of any future work. I can't thank my colleagues enough who include George Harris in his time on the board and out with. The staff at Dens have equally been amazing over the two years so a huge thankyou to them - Laura Hayes, Verity Tynan, Jim Thomson and Neil Cosgrove, Stewart Brand and Susan Sturrock and her stewards. My final thanks go to Scott Glenday, whose constant support kept me going when it was difficult to.'

SGM/ Election

Following a meeting today of the Society board, the Society can now announce the date set for the previously mentioned SGM will be Saturday June 15th, with a venue to be confirmed.

Further, the Society would also like to announce an interim election in order to complement the numbers currently on the Society board, with three places on the board to be filled. This election will follow normal Society rules for election of Board members, with anyone wishing to participate in the election process invited to complete a nomination form and return it to the address provided by a closing date of 19th of May at 5pm. If the number of nominations received then exceeds the number of places available, a ballot will then be held, with a closing date of June 11th, and the results declared by the EMG at the SGM. The rules for the election are available to download here with the election nomination form available to download here

The Society would also invite proposed motions for the SGM, with the same closing date of May 19th at 5pm, to be forwarded to Dundee FC Supporters’ Society c/o Dens Park. The Society board is keen to have the wishes of all members represented where possible, and to this end would remind members proposed motions must be in the correct format, i.e. a motion which can be put to a vote of the members. Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Board members would also be willing to work with members in order that any motions put forward would be in an acceptable format for the SGM, and any draft of a proposed motion can be forwarded via the ‘contact us’ option, allowing both parties to communicate in order for the proposal to be carried forward for consideration to be placed on the agenda of the SGM.

KPI's/Financial Statement

 This week, Dundee FC released a financial statement and the latest KPI's, with the following press release.

 

DUNDEE FOOTBALL CLUB PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday 30th April 2013

Dundee FC Publish 2011/12 Accounts and Announce Latest KPIs

Dundee FC today published the accounts for season 2011/12 and these are available for supporters and shareholders to download from the club’s website, or on request from the main office at Dens Park.

It is important to reiterate that while the accounts for last season in the First Division show a loss of £346,520, as had been advised by the board in a Q&A earlier this season, this was offset by post-CVA cash injections of £300,000 which were received in the previous financial year plus upwards of £80,000 worth of shares issued during season 2011/12, neither of which are reflected in the profit and loss account for 2011/12. In other words, expenditure was within the club’s means and the difference between income and expenditure was funded from cash reserves and investment.

The directors have prepared financial projections which reflect the economic reality of Scottish Football and the generally poor economic climate, and have put strict controls in place to monitor the company’s financial performance against projections, including the preparation of monthly management accounts and the review of defined Key Performance Indicators.

Given the possibility of operating in the First Division again next season, the club’s projections are based on the receipt of a parachute payment of £250,000 which was not the case in season 2011/12, but the additional revenue which the proposed league restructure would have offered (at least £300,000 more) means that operating close to SPL levels will not be possible. The club’s directors and CEO continue efforts to develop other sources of income and investment, while budgeting and operating prudently.

The board also today published their latest set of Key Performance Indicators. The agreed measures are as follows, and as at 31st March 2013, the board can confirm that KPIs were achieved as outlined below.

Percentage of total wages to turnover is 53%.

89% of trade creditors due, excluding administrator’s fees, were paid within agreed terms, as opposed to the target of 95%, but overdue items have been resolved in April.

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

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

Confirmation of no bank debt.

Finally, the club board has agreed to change the financial year end for season 2012/13 from 31st July to 31st May, which will simplify the club’s accounts by bringing them much closer in line to the timing of actual revenues and costs associated with the season in question.

The financial statement is now available here

 Further,in response to a number of questions recived by the Society regarding the clubs financial statement, the Society board asked the club board for clarification, and received the following response regarding a payment made to a club director.

 

 'The payment was paid to an employed full-time director of Dundee Football Club in the year to 31 July 2012. Payment was made under a confidential employment agreement.  No Board member of the Society has ever received any payment in their capacity as a director of Dundee Football Club. No current directors of Dundee Football Club receive any payments for their time and services rendered.'

Ben's Day/ Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

On Saturday April 27, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society entertained Paula Laurence and volunteers from the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service at Dens Park as part of the Community Initiative. Paula set out to encourage others to give blood as part of Ben’s Day, which took place on April 30th. Ten years ago, Paula suffered an amniotic fluid embolism resulting in her son being stillborn, and leaving Paula in a coma for a few days. Paula received thirteen pints of blood, and on the tenth anniversary of this event, looked to encourage at least thirteen people to donate blood to replace what she was given.

picture courtesy of Derek Gerrard

The Society spoke to Paula after her visit, to see how the day had gone. ‘I decided to do a sponsored blood drive, and my friend Jacqui Robertson suggested I come along to Dens, get some more people involved, and get involved in the Community Initiative. Ten years ago I had an amniotic fluid embolism, my son was stillborn, and I was in a coma for a couple of days, I was really lucky to survive. I was on a life support machine and was given a blood transfusion, I pulled through, and I had always said I wanted to do something to give back.’

 

 

 

‘So far, the response has been amazing, I started Ben’s Page on facebook, and now over a thousand people have visited the page, and so far, over 100 people have given blood, so the response has been amazing .The visit to Dens will definitely help, getting more people involved in it, the fans have responded really well to it, and the more people we can reach the better, especially if we can get some of the younger supporters involved in it. Also getting to speak to a different set of people helps, it’s mostly males, and that helps. It has mostly been women so far, so to get the guys involved, as well as younger people is great.’

picture courtesy of Claire Auten

 ‘I don’t think people maybe realise how important it is to give blood, nobody really thinks about it that much until something happens to someone you know, or in my case, to yourself. I never really thought about it, and now, I can’t give blood because I have been given a transfusion, so it is so important, and people don’t realise how much.’

 

‘I think Ben’s Day is a good thing because it is making people realise the importance, people are going to give blood for the first time, and they are finding out it is not as scary as some people think it is.’

 picture courtesy of Claire Auten

'The day at Dens was really good; everything about the day was great. The atmosphere was really good, and the fans have been fantastic, they have really got involved, taking leaflets and chatting away, and all the staff at Dens were really lovely, making us feel really welcome. The highlight was getting a cheer from the crowd as we were given ball and shirt, it brought a tear to my eye, and of course, the fact we won helped.’

 
‘The day was really well organised from start to finish, we were directed where to go and what to do and felt very looked after, we didn't once feel out of place or uncomfortable with what we were doing. I can’t thank Jacqui enough for everything she did organising everything before hand, and on the day, and making sure we were well looked after. She does an amazing job. The top and ball will most likely be auctioned off at the fundraiser on Saturday and we collected around £50 at the game which will go to the fund for intensive care, the fans were very generous.’

picture courtesy of Derek Gerrard

Jacqui said, ‘It has been a really special two years to me doing the community initiatives, so it seemed particularly appropriate that for the final charity, it would be something close to my heart too. Everyone enjoyed the day at Dens and it meant so much to me to do something for my friend and to help spread the important message of giving blood.’

picture courtesy of Derek Gerrard

‘Paula and I have been friends for many years and we've talked about Ben many times but this has been a real education hearing her story properly for the first time and seeing the incredible job she has done with Ben's Day. I know Paula never imagined her drive to get 13 people to give the blood back that she got to save her life would ever turn into something so big, and that is credit to her, her big hearted personality and how much her and Ben's story have touched people's hearts. I can't say how proud I am of her; I hope that many others will continue to give blood in not only Ben's memory, but the memory of anyone who has ever needed blood.’

Seniors Meeting

April 25th saw this month’s meeting of the Seniors Group in the Billy Steel Lounge. Visiting the group was Grant Cook, who came with a request, and a demonstration of some of the work done for people with dementia and the Football Reminiscence Project.

First off, the Seniors had the rules of this game explained to them, they would be shown images of five people in every position, from 1-11 plus a manager, all they had to do was between them agree on who was the better player. The team would play in the traditional 2-3-5 formation, and a player could only be considered for one position.

The debate for manager and the two full backs passed off without incident, although the half back line prompted much debate. Dee legend Doug Cowie was listed as a center half, with Pat Liney insisting that was his position, while others said left half. To solve this dilemma, Doug was moved to left half, where once again, he was pipped for a place in the team.

 

 The forward line provoked most debate, with one Senior claiming after seeing the first number10, that we didn’t need to see the rest, only to change his mind when he saw the second, then change it again when he saw the third..... The upshot of that was no Denis Law, and no Gillie in the team, but they were in pretty good company, Dalglish, Greig, Gordon Smith, Ian St John....none made the team, which is shown below, how many can you name?

The meeting moved on to the serious side of the visit, homework. Football Memories aim to provide a similar set of cards for every club side in Scotland, and a request was made to the seniors that everyone can get involved in. The rules are similar as for the Scotland side, and what is needed is your favourite player for Dundee, in the same 2-3-5 formation, the only proviso being the player must have played before 1980, although we won’t be too strict on the date.  The only other rule is the team of 61-62 is a given, they will all be included, so we are looking for players not in that 11 at Muirton.

Anyone wishing to submit a team or even individual players can do so by emailing here with the subject Football Memories. Anyone wanting more information about the work done by Alzheimer Scotland can visit the facebook page for the Morgan Street Resource Centre here

Society and Club director Dave Forbes enjoyed the meeting, 'The football memories provoked a lot of debate for the seniors group, having to leave out some fantastic players was never going to be easy. The seniors seemed to be enjoying it though, and the telling of stories was as good as picking the team. Anyone who wants to join us in future meetings is more than welcome, we are a friendly bunch, and it gives you the chance to meet with like minded people, and of course join in with the events, the next meeting has Bob Valentine as a guest. The meetings are free to attend, and refreshments are provided,so why not come along and get involved?'

 

The next meeting of the Seniors Group will take place on Thursday May 30th at 11am in the Billy Steel Lounge, with guest speaker Bob Valentine.

Dark Blue Nation

As everybody knows, Scottish football is facing challenging times and a number of Clubs are struggling to deal with this along with the current economic climate. We, as Dundee fans, know more than most how fragile a Clubs existence can be. As a Club and as a support, it is imperative that we work together to ensure a bright future for the generations who will hopefully support our Club when we're long gone.

In the 21st Century, whether it be as a business or a football club, we need to be innovative to survive and prosper. I wanted to come up with an idea which galvanised the Dundee support and which embraced the business community. I also wanted to harness the power of the internet, so that Dundee fans all over the globe could get involved.
 
When I set up the Exiled Dark Blues, I sensed a real willingness of supporters globally to support the Club with ideas, as well as fundraising. We initially started off with a Buy A Kiddies Season Ticket Scheme and are currently running a Sponsor a Goal Initiative. I wanted to take this a step further and that's when Dark Blue Nation was born.
 
Last year we had an Exiled Dark Blues Think Tank session where Dees around the globe sent in Fundraising ideas. Myself and Mark Traynor came up with a similar idea of a Fans Photo Mosaic, which is essentially hundreds of smaller photos merged into a large overall themed photograph, for example the DFC crest. It works along the same principle as the hugely successful Fans Flag (which Graeme Brymer created and raised almost £40k with in our dark Admin days), whereby fans pay to have their photograph included in a larger Mosaic. As well as raising significant funds in the short term, I believe that in years to come it will provide a snapshot (if you'll excuse the pun) of our support in 2013.

I went ahead and bought a website and a domain name (don't tell the missus) and built the website that is www.darkbluenation.com (apologies that the website is not too flashy but I do have very limited IT and web building skills and it was done in under a week!). I also wanted to give businesses the opportunity to tap into this fan base by buying an Ad on the site and allowing them to offer Dundee fans a discount, in return for their custom, hence the concept of a "Dee-Friendly" Business Directory was born.
 
As the website evolves, I'd also like to create blogs and maybe a page where people can send in links of their favourite fan snaps, goals on YouTube, etc. The possibilities are endless. 
 
In summary, the website is a hub/portal for fans and business owners of a Dark Blue persuasion. I genuinely feel that it is a win-win-win situation for the Club, the fans and businesses. There is absolutely no cost to the Club in terms of time and money spent, as I will do all of the creation of the ads and the creation of the mosaic and they will receive 100% of all revenue raised by the site. The money will go straight to Youth Development at Dens, an area which saw the worst ravages of Admin but which is the most crucial part of our renaissance.
  
At the end of the day, the success of this venture will come down to how many fans and businesses get involved. Over 1,000 fans signed up for the Fans Flag. If the same amount of people get involved in the fans mosaic and say 50 businesses buy an Ad, then we will raise £50,000 for a very important part of our club's future success.
 
The Club and in particular Steve Martin, have been very supportive of this Initiative. So much so, that he has agreed that we will have the mosaic made into a massive banner, which will be paraded around Dens at the start of next season by fans who are selected through a lucky draw. The Mosaic will then hopefully be put on display at Dens.
 
In the upcoming weeks, I will be contacting the following groups to seek their participation - Exiled Dark Blues, Dundee Mad, DFCSS/DSA, Club Dundee members, DBBT, Dee Lottery members, Seniors Club members, as well as supporters via the various Internet Forums, Facebook and Twitter pages (@darkbluenation). I will also be contacting the local media.
 
I firmly believe that we have some of the most passionate and resilient supporters in Scottish football. This venture gives everyone an opportunity to get involved, for the benefit of the club. I'll be buying a Fans Photo. Will you?
 
Cheers Scott Lockie
Exiled Dark Blues

Broughty Ferry YMCA

Our last visitors under the Community Initiative before the SPL break were Broughty Ferry YMCA. Established in Broughty Ferry almost one hundred and fifty years ago, the Broughty YMCA has been welcoming the good citizens of the Ferry for many a generation, and were for once the guests, as Dundee FC took on Motherwell.

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society caught up with Broughty Ferry YMCA after the game to see how their day went. Jeanette Third from YMCA Scotland spoke about the day. ‘I was first made aware of the Community Initiative and the possibility of going to Dens to raise awareness for the YMCA when a friend of mine in Edinburgh who supports Dundee mentioned it. Grant Anderson is originally from Broughty Ferry, and travels to Dens to watch Dundee regularly, and he passed me details. I then got in touch with Jacqui Robertson, and was delighted when she arranged the visit for us.’

‘The day itself went very well, the Dundee fans seemed keen to hear what we had to say, one even came over to tell us how he had been involved with the YMCA, on the committee of the YMCA in Broughty Ferry years ago. We were really in a situation where we had no idea what to expect, but the Society volunteers helped a lot, we really were well looked after, and with the fans so keen to engage, it really was a great day.’

‘It was all about raising the profile of the YMCA in Broughty Ferry, letting people know what we do there, how they can get involved, that kind of thing, but getting a signed shirt and ball as well, well that helps us in more ways than one. We can raffle the items to raise some funds, and in doing that, we also get more people talking about the YMCA, and that is just as important.’

‘We brought along two youngsters as volunteers, and they couldn’t have been looked after better, we were all looked after really well, Carlyn and Wendy were great, they were there when we arrived, and kept us right, then John Keith got us to our seats in time for kick off, but at half time, John really went the extra mile. First he picked us up and took us onto the pitch for the presentation, then at half time, he sorted out getting the boys match programmes signed by some of the team who were not playing, and a few ex players. The boys were obviously delighted. We really can’t thank everyone enough, Grant for recommending the trip to us, Jacqui for organising everything, and John, Carlyn Conner and Wendy Hovell for looking after us so well on the day, we would recommend the experience to anyone.’

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like toi thank everyone from Broughty Ferry YMCA for taking the time to come to Dens and keep our fans informed about the work they do. The enthusiasm shown by everyone from the YMCA delighted everyone they came into contact with, and we wish them all the very best as they head towards the 150 year celebrations. The Community Initiative continues to roll on, and each new visitor brings something new, every charity has shown that the idea of the Initiative has been a great one, everyone has taken time to spread the word of the work they do, and on every occasion, the Dundee supporters have made them feel welcome. Without the support of the fans, this initiative would not be nearly as successful as it is, and once again, the Society Board would like to thank you all.

Ben's Day

   

            0845 90 90 999        

This Saturday, as Hearts come to visit, the Community Initiative brings supporters the chance to join a campaign to give blood, and donate to the Intensive Care Unit at Ninewells Hospital. This is a cause close to the heart of Paula Laurence, and below is her story.

At a little more than six months pregnant Paula Laurence was fit and healthy and could not have ever imagined what would face her. Paula suffered from a placental abruption, where the placenta comes away from the uterus and which led to amniotic fluid being carried around her bloodstream, effectively poisoning her. The first thing that happened was that she blacked out followed by a fit leading to a coma. At home with her husband Frank, he called an ambulance which rushed her to hospital for a brain scan as nobody knew what was wrong but it soon became clear it was the baby. With her blood pressure so low she was unable to breathe for herself Paula was put on life support and her family advised she was unlikely to make it through the night, which she defied the odds to do. Sadly her baby boy wasn't so lucky and the only option was to induce labour whilst Paula was still in a coma. 8 hours later Ben was delivered. Again her family were told to expect the worst but somehow days after slipping into a coma Paula woke up, although she remembered nothing of her trauma. She had to be told that Ben had died, that she had been unconscious for more than 30 hours and had needed a blood transfusion of 13 pints which ultimately saved her life. Intensive care had not seen such a case before. The following day Paula met her son for the first and last time, holding a christening for him followed by a small funeral.

The 30th April will mark the 10 years that have passed and of Paula's survival of a dreadful trauma and she wanted to mark the occasion by finding 13 people to give back the blood that she was so lucky to get as her transfusion stops her from being able to do so herself. Using the Facebook page Ben's Day to spread the message Paula's friends began to share the page which quickly led to an amazing response with over 170 joining the page and people Paula had never met wanting to help. Ben's Day began as one date for people to say they would give blood but it was quickly obvious that one day would not be enough and Ben's Day quickly escalated to 3 days with over 70 people donating from Dundee, Kirriemuir, Kirkcaldy, Irvine, Edinburgh, Manchester and even as far as Australia. Sponsorship for the blood drive to collect donations for the intensive care unit at Ninewells was set up as Paula believes without their amazing care she wouldn't be here today. Many local companies have already offered their support including Mail Boxes Etc in Union Street who kindly printed off and helped to design leaflets to promote the blood drive. Paula has been so amazed with the response that she is now holding a fundraising evening on the 4th of May in Lyrics where lots of the gifts donated by local companies will be auctioned and raffled for the donation to the intensive care unit. Again the response to the fundraiser has been brilliant with many businesses getting involved such as Scott Brothers, the Apex hotel, Boots, Sally's, Gracie's, the Tapas Bar in Broughty Ferry and The Open in St. Andrews.

Gwen Fenton at the blood transfusion centre said, "Every minute of every day someone somewhere is receiving a blood transfusion.  Without blood donors, hospitals simply could not operate.  The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) always needs new blood donors and we would very much like to welcome you. Blood is needed for lots of reasons. A&E wards depend upon blood donors for emergency situations. Many cancer and leukaemia patients need regular blood transfusions as part of their treatment. However, only 5% of people in Scotland are blood donors. Paula first shared her story with us on our facebook page (Give Blood for Scotland), when she set up Ben's Day hoping to get 13 donors to donate replacing the 13 units she received, over 50 people have signed up to Ben's day. Help us by signing up now."

 

Paula said, "When I opened the Facebook page, I never dreamt I would get such a response from people from all over. I was looking to get 13 people to give back what I was given and I've been able to that  5 times over and it has just made me want to get as many as I can. So many friends and family are into football and I thought it would be great to attend a game and hopefully encourage more people to give. People don't usually think about giving blood until something happens to a loved one or someone they know so I thought it would be a good chance to let people know how important it is, especially the younger crowd who may not have anyone close to them who might be dependent on getting blood and thought that helping save so many lives would be a great way to remember my little one who wasn't so lucky. So many people have got involved in Bens Day and the fundraiser, and those who can't give blood can still get involved by making a donation to the fund for intensive care so everyone can do something.

Anyone who would like to sponsor the blood drive can do so through PayPal at email address paulalaurence8@googlemail.com or at RBS bank account number 00289574 sort code 831812.

You can also follow the progress of Ben's Day on the Facebook  page at https://www.facebook.com/events/314335065356605/?ref=2.

Dundee Blood Donor Centre

Open 3 days a week

 To ensure that you are not faced with any unnecessary waiting time, you can make an appointment to give blood by emailing NSS.receptiondundee@nhs.net or calling 01382 645166. Alternatively, donors who drop in will be advised of the next available opportunity.

Level 8, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY

Opening times

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 12.30pm - 7.30pm

Wednesday: 9.30am - 4.30pm

Thursday: Closed

Friday: 8.30am - 3.30pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

www.scotblood.co.uk

Rivals4Charity/ Lennon's Fund

On May 25th, Dens Park will be the venue for a charity football match involving supporters from either side of the great divide, to raise money for the Homeless world Cup campaign. The match has been organised by Rivals4Charity in association with both Dundee FC and Dundee United.

 

After being contacted by Dundee FC Supporters’ Society, Rivals4Charity have agreed to donate the mascot space to local charity Lennon’s Fund, a recent visitor under the Community Initiative at Dens, to be auctioned off on facebook on the 25th of this month. Obviously this will be auctioned in two lots, one for each team, but both mascots will receive the full treatment, a tour of the stadium, taking part in the warm up, and of course the chance to lead out their team for the game itself.

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society has also pledged to supply a strip for the mascot if required, with ArabTrust looking to do likewise for the winner of the auction for their mascot. To win the chance to have your child leading their team out on the day, all you have to do is join the auction here and wait for the lot to come up, and of course, bid more than anyone else.

 

 

Dundee FC Supporters' Society would like to thank Rivals4Charity for allowing these places to be auctioned, and wish Lennon's Fund all the very best with their fundraising on the night.

Senior's Meeting

This months Senior's Meeting  will take place in the Billy Steel Lounge on Thursday April 25th at 11 am.

The meeting will include a visit from the Football Memories project, who will give a demonstration of the work they do, and will also be looking for opinions from those present, in a bid to create the finest Dundee FC team ever, and then use the results within the project.

As usual, refreshments will be available, and the meeting is open to anyone interested in attending, with the chance to meet up with fellow Dees, and on this occasion, take a wee trip down memory lane.

Society Board Update

Yesterday, April 13^th the Society board met in a scheduled meeting.

As previously stated, the Society Board has been in discussions with both our supporters’ clubs committee (DFCSCA) and the Dark Blue Business Trust (DBBT) regarding a way to proceed, with the intention of making the Society as inclusive as possible to all supporters groups. These discussions are still ongoing. The Society Board intimated an intention to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM), and hopes to formally announce a date for this meeting shortly, however recent correspondence received means that this meeting cannot now take place for at least one calendar month, and a provisional date has been set for Sunday May 26^th, this will hopefully be confirmed shortly.

Further, the Society is planning an interim election to supplement the number of directors currently in position, and will look to begin this process as soon as possible, with elections results being announced in mid-June.

With regards to recent communications, Elliot Davie reported a number of members had recently contacted the Society with a view to viewing the members register, however the Society will seek guidance on the data protection ramifications, and until such guidance has been received, has taken the decision that members may only view their own personal data.

Our next board meeting is scheduled to take place on Sun 21^st April, and an update will be posted as soon as possible after that meeting. Minutes of our most recent meetings are currently being prepared and will be posted on our website shortly.

The society continues to seek ways to improve communications with all groups, as well as individuals, and is happy to receive recommendations on ways to improve things, suggestions can be sent via the ‘contact us’ button on this page.

Seniors Meeting on Thursday

Dundee FC Senior Supporters' Club are meeting this Thursday at 11am in the Billy Steel lounge at Dens Park. Guest speaker is Jim Spence.

Members and non-members welcome - even if you don't consider yourself "senior" yet!

Broughty Ferry YMCA

Saturday March 30th sees Motherwell visit Dens park in the SPL, and also the visit of Broughty Ferry YMCA to Dens as part of the ongoing Community Initiative. Dundee FC Supporters’ Society spoke to Jeanette Third of YMCA Scotland to hear about some of the work they do, and a bit of their history in Broughty Ferry.
The YMCA in Broughty Ferry was founded in premises in Gray Street in 1868.In 1893 a gymnasium was gifted by Alexander Jefferson Buist, President at that time. Traditionally the local Association is sport orientated producing many fine players within the realms of Badminton, Table Tennis and Football over the years. Local volunteers have helped the YMCA survive as the years have moved on; through giving up their time to help develop the local young people of Broughty Ferry and enhance their interests. These volunteers have been invaluable to the survival of the YMCA. However more help and funding is always needed to keep the YMCA going.
.
Broughty Ferry YMCA is at the heart of the community with the building always in use with local groups (See list below or check out our website for details) we also have many exciting projects planned for the future!
 
The Board of the YMCA recently embarked on a fundraising campaign to purchase a soft play box for our Thursday Club young people, some of whom suffer from autism and they are delighted with this new equipment. We are looking to fundraise further for the children already attending and to raise money to help fund a full time youth worker that can look at working with young people particularly those aged 8-12 years  
 
 MONDAY
Ballet 4-00 6-45pm
Exercise class   10-00  11-15am
Stretch Class 12-30 1-00pm
Chi Kung (Relaxation) 1-00  2-30pm
Judo   5-00  9-00pm
Girls Club   6-30  7-30pm
Karate 6-50  7-50pm         ****NEW
 
 
TUESDAY
Ladies Badminton   10-00 12-00pm
Exercise class   10-15  11-15am
Yoga   11-00  12-00pm
Tap   3-45  4-45pm
Ballet   5-00  6-00pm
Yoga   6-00  7-00pm
Fishing Club   7-00  9-00pm
St Andrews Ambulance   7-00  9-00pm
 
WEDNESDAY
Tap Dancing   10-30  11-30am
Kick Boxing   8-15  9-30pm (14 yrs +)
Zumba   7-00  8-00pm
Yoga   7-00  8-00pm
Karate 6-30  7-30pm   ****NEW
 
THURSDAY
Exercise class   10-15  11-30am
Art class   10-30  12-30pm
Yoga   10-00  11-00am
Irish Dancing (Beginner)   6-00  7-00pm
Thursday Club   6-30  10-00pm
Kick Boxing   7-00  8-00pm
Taekwondo   4-00  5-00pm
 
FRIDAY
Christian Aid Lunches (September-May)   12-00  1-30pm
Art Class   10-00  12-00pm
Karate 5-00  7-00pm
Adult Ballet/Contemporary/Tap   6-30  8-15pm
Glee Club 4-45  -7-00pm
SATURDAY
Pre School Ballet   11-00  1-30pm
Coffee Mornings  (Check Dates)
Broughty United   (Gym)

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to warmly welcome Broughty Ferry YMCA to Dens today, and wish them all the best on their visit. In today’s world, providing a safe environment for children to take part in sport is vital, and the Society would like to thank the YMCA in Broughty Ferry for doing great work in this area. Once again, we would like to thank Dundee supporters for doing what they do for every charity guest, take time to listen to what they say, and take on board information. The Community Initiative has been a great success, and that is down to you, the Dundee fans who have engaged with every visitor we have had so far, and for that, the Society thanks you.

Asbestos Action (Tayside) Follow Up

Asbestos Action (Tayside) visited Dens as part of the Community Initiative to take in the game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on March 9th.

The charity was set up by a group of people in the East of Scotland who either have, or care for someone with an asbestos related condition, dealing with a wide range of services, from one to one support through to advice on personal injury claims, with a 24 hour answering service enabling them to deal with enquiries as quickly as possible.

Asbestos related diseases range from pleural plaques, an inflammation of the membrane that envelopes the lungs, Asbestosis, a scarring of the lung tissue, Mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lungs, to asbestos related lung cancer. Mesothelioma alome kills one third more people than cervical cancer, and is predicted to kill over one million people in western Europe by 2035.

Dundee FC Supporters’ society spoke to Alison Blake from Asbestos Action (Tayside) to find out why they came to Dens, and what benefits the charity hoped to get from the trip. ‘One of our members, Jim Gibbon died of Mesothelioma, and his family are all staunch Dundee fans. His daughter Sandra had noticed the charity visitors every game, and nominated us for a visit , and DFCSS got back and offered us a place.Visiting Dens was a great experience, it is vital that people are aware of the dangers of asbestos because although employers are now more aware of their responsibilities to the workforce a lot of homeowners who get involved in DIY are oblivious to the life threatening nature of the product. Visiting Dens was excellent from the point of view of getting the chance to speak to a lot of people and raise the profile of the dangers to them in their daily working lives and also in the home. These are people we may not normally encounter, and lots of them, and getting the chance to talk to so many at one time was a really fantastic opportunity.’photo courtesy of Derek Gerrard

‘Getting the chance to come to a game and speak to the Dundee supporters was brilliant, we did not really know what to expect, but the fans seemed very interested in our message. We engaged a lot of people who had previously worked with asbestos and were not aware of the work of Asbestos Action Tayside. Should they be diagnosed with an asbestos related condition in the future they now know where to contact us. Plus - on a personal note the hospitality that Dundee FC offered us was excellent, we were well looked after by volunteers, who made sure we were ok, got us to our seats, and generally made the experience an easier one.’

‘The top and ball that Dundee FC donated to us will be auctioned as a fund raiser and this was greatly appreciated. Photographs of our day went on our Facebook page and will also go in our newsletter to make our current membership aware of the good support we had from the Club. The day itself was a great experience, the game was pretty good, although that late goal was a bit unlucky, we had a great time, and the club and Society should be applauded for not only giving us this chance, but also for the welcome we received, and the way we were looked after, getting our photograph in the Courier was an unexpected bonus, but anything that raises awareness of our cause is great.’

‘Everyone at the charity would really like to thank Dundee FC, the Supporters’ Society, the fans and in particular, Jacqui Robertson who dealt with our visit and organised everything, and Grant Cook who looked after us on the day. The opportunity to raise awareness of a vital issue was fantastic, but the way it was handled by everyone connected with the club made it a day to remember.’

Community Director Jacqui Robertson was happy to help the charity, ‘One of the best things about being the Community director is getting the chance to meet some really nice people, who do a lot of great work in the community, and this was no exception. Alison and everyone else from Asbestos Action (Tayside) were really great, and their enthusiasm for spreading the word about their charity really shone through. The work they do may not get the attention of some other charities, but really is vital, and getting the chance to help them raise awareness was a pleasure and a privilege.’

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to thank everyone from Asbestos Action (Tayside) for coming to Dens and passing on some really good information to the Dundee fans, who once again engaged fully with our charity guests. Asbestos Action (Tayside) provide a real service to those they deal with, and having them at Dens spreading the word about the work they do is what the community Initiative Jacqui runs is all about. We would like to wish the charity all the very best in the future, and hope we helped in some way to raise the profile of an excellent service.photo courtesy of Derek Gerrard

Rivals Update

Monday March 25th saw the final indoor training session for the players hoping to take to the Dens Park turf on May 25th in the Rivals4Charity football match.

Under the expert eye of Brian Scrimgeour, the players were once again put through their paces as Brian looks to mould a team capable of representing Dundee FC, and its supporters in an upcoming game against our rivals across the road. Brian was happy with the progress being made, and is looking forward to getting the guys outside onto grass next week to see what they can do. ‘We have been training indoors for five weeks now, and it has been great. The boys have worked hard, and we are beginning to see the rewards for that, they look more of a unit now, and are starting to gel. While we have been indoors, it’s been hard to work on some things, but hopefully if the weather clears up a bit, we can get them outside and working with grass under their feet, and that’s when you really see what they are made of.’

‘We have around twenty of them turning up, and we are really looking for a squad of fifteen, so competition for places is going to be pretty fierce, but they are all still in with a shout, the standard has been pretty high, and no-one has looked out of place, it is not going to be easy if I have to leave anyone out.’

‘Saying that, it is not just me, and I have to thank Grant Cook and John Keith for all their help organising things. The two of them have arranged pretty much everything, from bibs and balls, to the fantastic facilities at St Pauls, and stood in for me while I was ill, and kept things ticking over, so between the three of us, we will look at everything over the next few weeks, and hopefully get at least one game in before we select the squad for the game.’
 
The game itself is all about raising funds for Rivals4Charity, with proceeds going to help the Homeless World Cup Campaign, and Dundee FC and the Supporters’ Society are proud to be helping with this fundraising. The club have donated strips for the players, as well as the use of Dens Park on the day, while the Society has helped out with the logistics of getting a group of people together, and organising things.

 The game itself will be the last chance this season to see Dundee play against ‘the neighbours’, and will be open to the public for a small admission fee. The players themselves will all have raised a minimum of £150 to take part, and for that will have the chance to play in the game, as well as the strip to take home with them, and the Society would urge as many people as possible to take in the game, to help raise money for the charity, and also to support the team wearing Dark Blue and give them the best experience they can have on the day.

Productive Meeting Held by Dundee Fans Groups

 Today, representatives of the Dark Blue Business Trust, Dundee FC Supporters’ Clubs’ Association and Dundee FC Supporters’ Society met for exploratory talks at Dens Park.

An amicable and productive two hour meeting saw the groups agree to a number of proposals and actions to discuss with their members.

 DBBT trustee Peter Marr said “This was a long overdue meeting with all fans’ groups around the table and from all that was discussed, it’s clear there’s a lot of common ground and we all want the best for Dundee FC in the long term.”

 DFCSCA chairman George Harris agreed “A recent meeting of supporters’ clubs asked that we meet with the Society board and DBBT, and following that meeting today we’ll be reporting back to the clubs with recommendations on a way forward. I feel real progress has been made today.”

 DFCSS chairman Dave Forbes concluded “After all that’s been said recently, at the end of the day we are all Dundee fans and have to find a way to work together for the good of the club. Today’s meeting was very productive and we’ve agreed to meet again shortly to further develop ideas which we would then all take to our members.”

 Present at the meeting were Peter Marr and Ritchie Robertson of the DBBT; Peter Campbell, Davie Craig, George Harris and Colin Reid of the DFCSCA; and Grant Cook, Elliot Davie, Dave Forbes, John Keith, Maurice Kidd, Fraser MacDonald and Barbara Tough of the DFCSS.