Dundee FC Supporters’ Society looking to give the club a helping hand

A PROMINENT Dundee fan group is on the verge of contributing a “significant amount” to help the club’s coffers through the cash crisis created by the coronavirus shutdown.

The Dundee FC Supporters’ Society (DFCSS) board have requested permission from their members to use the £34,000 at their disposal to aid the Dark Blues through this testing time, with six options offered.

Managing director John Nelms said last month Dundee had lost £500,000 due to the early end to the 2019/20 season and, with no competitive football scheduled until October, he anticipates tough months ahead.

The majority of the playing squad have agreed to wage cuts until May while assistant manager Jimmy Nicholl, club captain Josh Meekings and striker Andrew Nelson have all left in the past few weeks.

Savings are also being made in the youth academy.

Talks between the Society and the club collapsed just over a fortnight ago – after a request was made by Nelms for the funds – because the group’s rules would not allow a ‘no-strings-attached’ donation of such a large sum.

However, in an email to members, Society director and secretary Ian Baird indicated a desire from the group’s directors to help the club in its time of need.

The email read: “It should be stressed that the Society’s directors are extremely sympathetic toward the financial challenges facing the club.

“However, the problem the directors face is that the Society rules, in common with other Supporters’ Trusts, do not encourage a ‘no-stringsattached’ donation as has recently been requested by the club.

“This is one of the main reasons why the Society directors decided they couldn’t agree to the request as it stood.

“Another reason is that, as a democratic organisation, and given that a significant amount of reserves had been requested, the directors wish to engage with the members before taking such a potentially major decision.

“We therefore provide the following guidance to members on how their money could potentially be spent within the parameters of the ‘objects’ and ‘powers’ in the Society rules.

“The Society’s reserve allowing all current expenditure commitments is £34,000.”

The email requested members reply by answering if they were happy for the Society to release funds with a preference for the method of donation.

They were through a share purchase, an interest free loan, to support the Dundee FC in the Community Trust, supporting the new Dundee FC Historic Trust, funding of free season tickets for schools and community groups or funding of stadium improvements to benefit supporters.

A deadline has been set for responses by noon on Wednesday.

DFCSS director and secretary Ian Baird.