Central Dark Blues 'Dryathlete'

As we approach the end of year festivities, for one Dundee fan in particular, Hogmanay will be a time to raise a glass to the old year, as he spends the first month of the year as a 'Dryathlete'. Gregor Millar, a founder member of the Central Dark Blues, and dedicated veteran of the Dens Park terraces for over 30 years has decided to give up alcohol for January, as he looks to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Dundee FC Supporters' Society caught up with Gregor to find out why he would take on this task, and how he hoped to achieve his goals. 'Watching Dundee is enough to drive anyone to drink.  I think the winter break is an ideal time to attempt this challenge as the Dee only have the one home game and the Penman will not miss too much of my money going over the bar.  The toughest challenge will be the 2 visits to the capital as that is a popular watering hole for the Central Boys, I'm hoping for a heavy winter and the games are called off so that I can partake later in the year.'

'I'm having one last hooley with friends and fellow Central Dark Blues on Hogmanay.  Starting early I'll be found staggering around Falkirk in a desperate attempt to get the last dregs out of the bars before midnight strikes.  The early start on Hogmanay is a valiant attempt to be tucked up in bed to keep temptation afar when all others are topping up their whiskies.  Rest assured I will not touch a drop once the bells have been as in the good traditions of the Dryathlete's Oath - "I promise that I shall take part in Dryathlon™, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern it, committing myself to a month without alcohol, in the true spirit of do-gooding, for the glory of Dryathletes and the honour of Cancer Research UK."'

Gregor also explained how much support he expects from his fellow central Dark Blues, 'I'm sure the Central Boys will provide every encouragement and drink my allocated quota on my behalf.  I'll take great pleasure in watching them drink pint after pint while they tempt me with the pleasing aroma of Guinness and whisky under my nose; meanwhile I'll be ordering another cola.  I think the major encouragement from them will be the fact that their rounds will be significantly cheaper and they have an allocated driver for the games.'

Gregor has set himself a target of £250, but has already raised over £150 of that before his month of abstinence begins, amd urges anyone who may have bought him a beer on a matchday to instead donate the price of that pint to his justgiving page here, or alternately, donations can be made by text,to donate £3 just text 'GREG47 £3' to 70070.  The donation will come out of your phone bill.

Every little really does help, £30 allows a man to take part in a study looking at treatment combinations for prostate cancer,£94 allows a woman to take part in a clinical trial for breast cancer and £324 helps fund a week’s study to investigate the molecules that cause a type of tumour in children.

The Society would like to take the opportunity to commend Gregor on what will be no easy task, and would urge everyone to donate either via the Just Giving page, or by text as one Central Dark Blue embarks on what he describes as 'The toughest challenge of my life.'

Merry Christmas

The Directors of Dundee FC Supporters' Society would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our members for their continued support over the last twelve months, and take this opportunity to wish Dundee FC fans everywhere a very merry Christmas,and a prosperous New Year.

We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow, and in the coming months, and look forward to representing your interests in all things DFC.

Once again, Merry Christmas, and we hope Santa has been good to everyone!

Platinum Event

Platinum members of the Dundee FC Supporters’ Society were recent guests for the Curry Night, taking in the Friday Night game against Inverness Caley Thistle. This was the first Friday night function for the Platinum Members, and the evening’s host, Club and Society Director Fraser MacDonald, told us how the night went.

‘The Platinum members have four hospitality events a year, with former players coming along; they basically get to enjoy a nice bit of hospitality, something a bit different. On this occasion, the club had a curry night, so the Society decided to invite them along as well. It is something we have not done before, and it went down really well.’

‘We have 23 platinum members; these guys pay £1000 a year to join, or £100 a month, so they give tremendous support to the Club and Society, so it is only right that we give them a few special functions, along with a whole host of other benefits. The night went really well, apart from the game, we obviously cannot plan for that though, but what we did have was a Friday night match, with a good atmosphere, a good hospitality function on, and results apart, everybody enjoyed themselves thoroughly.’

‘There is a real mix of ages among the Platinum members, and some will bring guests, maybe teenage children, while some members may now be retired, and just looking to help the club out, and that mix makes these events pretty unique. They will also be getting together for a Christmas Lunch where platinum members and the first team squad will get together, so effectively it’s a one to one mix of players and members, it is a really good intimate function, where you get the chance to sit and chat with your heroes, ask them about games, or training, stuff that you might rarely get the chance to do otherwise.’

Fraser explained the benefits of Platinum membership. ‘First and foremost, you are helping the club, every time we ask Gold or Platinum members what their primary motivation is, it is always to help the club, whether it’s to make a donation, or taking on the responsibility of being a part owner of the club. But Platinum members get a range of benefits. They get all the benefits of gold membership, plus a season ticket, for any part of the stadium, four hospitality events throughout the year, as well as Christmas Lunch with the players. Also, platinum members get a Hall of Fame dinner ticket, a signed shirt and ball, discounts on hospitality and Lounge hire, a weekly Dee Promotions lottery ticket, and a whole host of other benefits. When you start to add all that up, for £1000 a year, it works out as really good value for money.’

Anyone interested in Platinum or Gold membership schemes can collect a form from the club shop, speak to a Society volunteer on match days, or visit the membership section of our website, here.  With around 500 Gold and Platinum members, Dundee supporters are, as always, showing that they are a pretty unique group. By growing the ranks of these members, the Society can continue to support the club financially, so along with the benefits you receive as a member, you will be helping the club as well.

Seniors Meeting

Thursday December 20th sees the final seniors meeting of the year in the Andy Penman Lounge at 11 am.

The Seniors is open to anyone over 50, although that is a guideline, although a keen interest in Dundee FC would be an obvious advantage. Previous meetings have seen appearances by players both current and past, and are well attended, and well received. Why not give yourself a break from all the festive activities, and pop down to Dens for a few hours of relaxed chat about the Dark Blue's.

New members are always welcome, so take advantage of the opportunity to meet with others who share your passion.

AGM - Chairman's Report

 It seems ages ago now, but our financial year just ended of course began in July 2011, with the club just out of administration and in your hands, as members and owners. A lot has happened since then, and we covered a lot of it at least year’s AGM, so looking back over the calendar year 2012…

Steve Ayre joined the Society board for a number of months and helped us out, and in May Scott Glenday stepped down as Chairman. John Knight has done tremendous work as our financial director and stepped down at the end of last month, and Graham Smith is also stepping down today after many years’ service, and I’d like to thank them all for getting involved and giving their hard work and effort.
 Sadly, a number of our members passed away this year, with some well known faces including Wullie Reilly, Mel Mill and John Kennedy.

We’ve got a strong number of supporters’ clubs as members now, have youth and senior clubs as well, and work with the Former Players’ Association, Junior Dees, and also the Society began offering stadium tours, and half-time hospitality in the Penman Lounge, which of course still operates on matchdays except for Category A where the club needs it for hospitality, and we’ve run Platinum functions with the next one being a Christmas lunch with the players tomorrow. We also ran a fun day, 6-a-sides and Player of the Year dinner and raffle, and volunteer days.

Eddie Devlin joined the club board when Scott stepped down, and of course the club also appointed Scot Gardiner as CEO, and there’s a lot of work has gone on over the last 12 months behind the scenes, how the club’s run, the facilities, the staff, and so on, which was essential even without the unexpected bonus of getting back into the SPL and being the first supporter-owned club in the UK to play in the top flight. And I think it says something that we have the lowest gate prices in the SPL, the club didn’t put prices up and kept Under 12s at £20 including Junior Dees membership.

There’s a real call for change in Scottish football, we see the problems at other clubs and the likes of Rangers, Hearts, Dunfermline, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Motherwell all looking at fan ownership, so we stay involved with the work that’s happening at a national level through Supporters Direct where Fraser is a member of the Scottish council.

We continue our community work, with amazing effort from Jacqui and her team, and the charities who visit Dens have been full of praise for the bridges we help build in terms of putting them in touch with football supporters. Our work has been praised by Henry McLeish as well when he looked at what all clubs in Scotland do, so it’s important to note that recognition. We’ve also stepped up our sponsorship of schools football, with the latest funding handed over to them last weekend.

We’ve put an end to the bucket collections, but being in the SPL doesn’t mean an end to fundraising, and having made a commitment to the club of £70,000 this year, there’s a long way to go to actually reach that target. Just because we’re in the SPL doesn’t put an end to this, we actually need to step up the membership schemes and fundraising, and also get more people involved as volunteers so we can deliver what you as members want us to be working on.

But we don’t want to rest on our laurels, and we’ll be taking stock over the holiday period as to our strategy and aims for the next 12 months. We want to know what you and other members want us to do for you, where our focus should be, and getting involved can be anything from simply making suggestions and giving feedback, to putting forward ideas and helping make them happen, or being a volunteer or board member as a number of people came forward to do last year.

AGM This Sunday

The Society's annual general meeting takes place this Sunday in the Andy Penman Lounge at Dens Park at 11.30am (doors open 11am and refreshments will be served). Please bring your membership card with you to ensure entry.

The agenda can be downloaded, along with the minutes of last year's AGM and the annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30th June 2012, by clicking on the respective links.

If you're travelling up to Dingwall then take care on the roads and let's all hope for a good result and an enjoyable return journey.

Thanks for your continued support - we look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

Saving Scottish Football

Scottish Fans are delighted to announce that Head of Supporters Direct Scotland, Paul Goodwin's second book 'Saving Scottish Football' is now available to buy.

This is the first book to take account of the current state of Scottish football since the demise of Glasgow Rangers FC.

Paul convened a panel of Scottish Football experts to take stock of the game as it stands and to come up with proposals for its future. There are contributions from highly leading coaches such as Alex Smith, Jocky Scott, Sandy Clark, Davie Hay and Jimmy Calderwood as well as respected pundit Des McKeown.

Goodwin and his panel of experts look in detail at issues such as the role of fans in running football clubs, a winter break, a complete restructuring of the system to make football a summer sport, community schemes, the draft system of clubs choosing players, club partnerships, financial controls, ground sharing and other initiatives to form a strategy to save Scottish football.

Saving Scottish Football: What We Need to do Next challenges the way football is currently being operated in Scotland. The book confronts some of the biggest issues in the sport and with the help of a panel of experts delivers solutions to how football in Scotland can be improved.

The book is a not-for-profit project and all money raised will go towards Prostate Cancer Research.

You can purchase the book from here.

Journalistic Reviews

· Alan Pattullo says Saving Scottish Football is 'a timely & impressive rigorous study'h

· Graeme MacPherson says of Saving Scottish Football: "Leaving no stone unturned Paul Goodwin’s ideas are innovative"

· Stephen McGowan describes 'Saving Scottish Football' as "Required reading for the powers that be"

Penman Lounge Fully Booked

Due to this Sunday's match being a Derby fixture,and therefore a Category A game the Andy Penman Lounge has been fully booked for Hospitality pre- and post-match.  We realise this may cause a slight inconvenience for Penman Lounge regulars, however in light of the additional income that hospitality packages generate for the Club, we are delighted to see it selling out.

We would ask all Penman regulars to please make alternative pre- and post-match arrangements for this weekend's match, along with the following two fixtures, Celtic and Aberdeen, which are both also category A fixtures

Boardroom Catch Up

Norrie Price and Bob Slessor were recent boardroom guests of Society Director Fraser MacDonald, travelling down from Aberdeen to take in the recent game against Hibernian. Fraser had this to say about his guests, ‘Norrie is formerly a president and chairman of The Dundee Supporters Association; I first met him when I was involved with Dees Down South Supporters Club, in the late 90’s, we were then on the committee of the DSA together.'

' Norrie is obviously a well known Dundee supporter, his books, ‘Up Wi’ The Bonnets’ and ‘They Wore The Dark Blue’ are both fantastic, Norrie is a real fountain of knowledge, and his support of the club in a number of ways over the years matches that. So it was a real pleasure to have him along in the boardroom as my guest today, along with his friend Bob Slessor’

Eddie Devlin had as his guest John Morrison and son Ruaridh, John being the October winner of the Club Dundee Draw. John is a platinum member, while Ruaridh is currently studying at Glasgow University. Director host Eddie Devlin said ‘Having John and his son as guests today is really special as they in their own way support Dundee FC through thick and thin,week in and week out.’Both were delighted to have brought good fortune to our team with a resounding 3-1 victory versus Hibernian. John commented ‘It is wonderful to be treated so well by all the directors present today and seeing the boardroom and its heritage will live with me forever.’

You too can have the opportunity to enjoy this special boardroom hospitality simply by joining Club Dundee Gold or Platinum membership here

Dundee FC Supporters' Society Annual General Meeting 2012

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the above named Society will be held at 11.30am on Sunday 16th December 2012 in the Andy Penman Lounge, Dens Park, Sandeman Street, Dundee DD3 7JY for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, passing the resolutions below requiring the approval of a majority of those members attending in person or by proxy:-

1)  To approve the minutes of the AGM held on the 10th day of December 2011
2)  To receive the revenue account and balance sheet for the financial year ended
     30th June 2012
3)  To re-appoint Walker, Dunnett & Co as financial auditors
4)  To receive a report on the Society’s performance in the previous year
5)  To elect the directors of the Society

With regard to item 5, there were six vacancies on the Society Board for elected directors and at the closing date for nominations (2nd November 2012), the Election Management Group reported that there were four valid nominations, namely David Forbes, Maurice Kidd, John Keith and Grant Cook, and, there being fewer nominations  than vacancies, an election was not required and the above mentioned members were deemed elected to the Society Board.

Doors open at 11.00am and all members are invited to join us for the meeting, where refreshments will be provided.  Please bring your membership card with you to ensure entry.

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

Yours sincerely

Elliot Davie
Secretary, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Ltd


Please note:  Any member entitled to attend and vote at the above mentioned meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote instead of him or her and such proxy need not be a member of the Society, and may do so in writing on the form available from www.dee4life.com or upon request from the Society at DFCSS Ltd, PO Box10162, Dundee, DD5 3RY, under the hand of the appointer or of their attorney duly authorised in writing, and by depositing the appointment document at the above address not later than 14th December 2012.  Where the appointment document is exercised by an attorney on behalf of the appointer, the authority under which it is executed, or a copy of such authority certified notarially, or in some other way approved by the Society, is to be lodged with the appointment document.

Seniors Group Meeting on Thursday

The next meeting of the Dundee FC Seniors Group will take place in the Andy Penman Lounge at Dens on Thursday 29th November.  The meeting starts at 11am and the guest speakers are ex-Dee stars Bobby Glennie and Brian Scrimgeour.

The Seniors Group is all about giving something back to Dundee's senior fans, with meetings often including speakers offering advice on day-to-day issues, in addition to a healthy sprinkling of ex-Dundee FC players and staff.

There's no age limit and no membership fee, so if you're a Dee and you feel you qualify, feel free to come along and join the Senior Dees!

For more information on the Seniors Group please contact Dave Forbes via email or telephone 07767214520.

George Harris speaks to the Tele

The chairman of the Dundee Football Club Supporters Trust expects around 1,000 of the Dark Blues’ faithful to make the long trip to Paisley on Saturday as Dee look to continue their recent revival. Two wins and a draw from their last three has seen the Dens Park club climb from the depths of despair to within touching distance of safety. A win at St Mirren, who are one place and point better off, would see Dundee off the bottom for the first time in more than ten weeks.

'This game is huge for the club,' said Harris. 'I’m sure the manager wouldn't thank me for saying it but we have a fantastic opportunity. I think this club and this team have turned the corner. By no means are St Mirren any mugs. Everyone has to remember they are a seasoned SPL side and will pose a different kind of challenge to us this weekend.'

'Every game in this division is tough but if we continue to play the way we have of late, I have every confidence in them. From being so far behind to now within a point is some achievement.We want to win every game, but I think it also very important not to get beat. A point away from home anywhere at this level is positive.'

Harris was keen to point out that the recent pick up on the field has nothing to do with luck. He hailed the hard work and commitment shown by the playing and non-playing staff at the club, who he says are all pulling in the right direction for the good of the club.

'Brick by brick we are building,' said Harris. 'On the pitch we have a fantastic bunch of players. Every single one of them to a man has been excellent – the camaraderie in the dressing room is second to none. At boardroom level everyone is working hard to make sure the club is travelling in the right direction. And we couldn’t have anyone more hard working than Barry Smith at the helm.'

'The recent results are testament to the work put in by all of them. We just need to hope the results can keep coming, especially on Saturday. The amount of fans travelling over will make a huge difference to the players.'

Penman Lounge Open on Saturday

The Andy Penman Lounge will be open as normal pre- and post-match for Dundee's game v Hibernian on Saturday 17th November.

Once again the half-time "Fayre for a Fiver" deal is available to supporters on the Main Stand, any fans interested in taking up this deal, please contact George Harris to book.

Election Announcement

The independent Election Management Group have informed the Society that four current Society directors are seeking re-election to the Society Board, but only those four nominations were received and no other members were nominated for election.  As there were fewer nominations than vacancies, an election is not required, and the following members are thus deemed re-elected to Society Board at the forthcoming AGM: Maurice Kidd, John Keith, Dave Forbes and Grant Cook.

With Graham Smith and John Knight stepping down but not seeking re-election, this leaves the Society seeking a new Financial Director, and we would invite applications from members who feel they have the necessary skills to carry out this important role.  While John had indicated to the board that he would not stand again, we felt that it was possible a suitable candidate may have been nominated for election.  As this has now been shown to not be the case, we would like to inform our members of our intention to fill the second co-opted director position required under the Society's rules with a suitably qualified member with an accounting background, and would like to hear from anyone who would be willing to take on this role.

All other roles on the board will, as usual, be reviewed and appointed at the first Society board meeting following December's AGM.

Scottish Fans Roadshow Postponed

The scheduled Scottish Fans roadshow due to take place this Tuesday, November 6th, at Dens Park Stadium has unfortunately had to be postponed due to unforseen circumstances. Scootish Fans would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and hope to confirm a new time and date in the near future. For updates please visit http://www.scottishfans.org/

Penman Lounge Open as Normal

The Andy Penman Lounge will be open as normal on Saturday 3rd November for pre- and post-match refreshments.

Annual General Meeting Reminder

The final date for nominations to serve on the Board of the Trust is Friday 2 November when all papers must be in the hands of the Election Management Group which will make arrangements for a ballot, if required.  At this time, there are up to six vacancies on the Board due to resignations and normal rotation of membership as required by the rules of the Society.

Prospective candidates are reminded that only properly validated nomination forms will be considered by the Election Management Group.  Rules regarding this can be found on this website.

Elliot Davie
Secretary
Dundee FC Supporters’ Society

Maurice Seeks Election

At the Society Board Meeting on Saturday October 20th, Club and Society Director Maurice Kidd intimated his intention to resign from the Society Board and seek election at the forthcoming AGM.

As the necessary resignation documentation has now been completed, Maurice wishes his intentions to be made known

Scottish Cup Finals Programmes on eBay

Dundee Fan and Author Kenny Ross has another interesting item on eBay for all programme and ticket collectors.  This offer is for a framed collection of two Dundee v Rangers Scottish Cup Final programmes and tickets from 1964 and 2003.

Game 1 : Rangers v Dundee, Saturday 25th April 1964 at Hampden Park (ticket for this game is very rare)

Game 2 : Dundee v Rangers, Saturday 31st May 2003 at Hampden Park

You can register your bid here, and there are just under 2 days to get your bid in!  The successful bidder can collect their purchase at Dens Park at Dundee's next home game v Hearts on Saturday 3rd November.

SPL and Weatherseal Charity Weekend

Weatherseal and the 12 Scottish Premier League clubs yesterday launched the league’s first official Charity Weekend.

And for the first time, supporters will have the opportunity to vote for their chosen charity that will benefit from activity at all league games on the weekend of 8th/9th December.

A shortlist of five charities has been selected by the clubs. They are: Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), Samaritans Scotland, Shelter Scotland, Football Memories as part of Alzheimer Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid.

The chosen charity will benefit from collections at all fixtures.  Weatherseal, the SPL’s official home improvement partner will also gift their marketing rights for that weekend.  This includes advertising space and digital perimeter display boards.

Voting is now open via their dedicated website.  The poll closes on 29th October.

Full details available on the Dundee FC Official website.