Stand Up For The Sons 20112
On Saturday 14th April 2012, the Community Suite at Dumbarton Football Club will host a spectacular night of comedy, organised by the Sons Supporters Trust, with all proceeds going to DFC’s youth development.
A host of top comedy performers have offered up their services to help, so please come along to Dumbarton and join in the fun – all in the name of a great cause.
As well as our entertainers, we are offering a fantastic 3-course meal, provided by DFC’s in-house caterer Robert Sloan.
To book a table (of ten) or individual seats for what will be a superb night of fun and laughter, drop an e-mail to secy@sonstrust.net
Cost per person is £35 and for tables of ten people, a discounted price of £320 is applicable.
Looking Ahead
THERE was a good turnout at the Sonstrust Annual General Meeting last Saturday (17 January 2012), as members reviewed another busy year and looked forward to the challenges ahead.
Among the big achievements of 2011 was a recruitment campaign which produced a record membership (over 350) and continued involvement in key aspects of the running and development of Dumbarton FC.
The audited accounts were accepted, and five Trust Board members duly elected or re-elected: Brian Payne (chair), David Powell, Andy Galloway (minute secretary), Andy Scott, and Simon Barrow (campaigns).
Members heard and discussed ideas for a ‘Vision Strategy’ document to enable the Trust and the Club to move forward together. This is being drafted at present, and more about the process will be shared shortly on this website.
Appreciation was expressed for the hard work done by a wide range of Trust members, not least Jo McBride (treasurer), Alan Findlay (Sonstrust secretary, trust and commercial director for DFC) and Tommy Hughes (travel and membership secretary).
There was discussion of football matters, with progress noted but the hope strongly expressed that the young and home-grown players nurtured in the 19s would have a real opportunity to break through to the first team, alongside loanees and established names.
More than 10% of the Sonstrust membership turning out (on a cold morning when the game had needed to be rescheduled due to floodlight problems) was a clear sign of the commitment of the Trust membership. The subsequent 1-0 victory over Brechin City was a definite bonus!
Chair Brian Payne expressed appreciation for everyone’s involvement and re-iterated the commitment of the Trust to grow, develop and contribute so that DFC can realise the ambition of being a sustainable community club.
Happy 2012 to Y’All!
THE Sonstrust wishes everyone connected with the Trust, Dumbarton Football Club and Supporters Direct Scotland a very happy New Year!
Hopefully we’ll see some fireworks from the Sons early in 2012, as the ‘business end’ of the season hoves into view with our home game against high-flyers Arbroath on 2nd January.
Remembering Dan Lynch
EVERYONE connected with the Sons Supporters Trust and Dumbarton FC will be very sorry to hear of the passing of stalwart fan Dan Lynch, aged 88, this weekend.
Our deepest sympathies and warmest wishes go to Dan’s family, especially his daughter Denise Currie (Sonstrust board member and former chair) and son Stephen Lynch (former DFC trust director).
Dan had been a regular at Boghead, at the Rock and at away grounds across the country for many years. He was a remarkable man and a great servant to his family, the community and the club. We will miss him very much.
Dan Lynch‘s Funeral Mass is being held at 10am on Thursday 29th December 2011, at St Michael’s Catholic Church, Cardross Road, Dumbarton.
Supporters Direct Survey – Results
The Full Results presentation can be downloaded here.
Commenting on the overall results, Supporters Direct Scotland’s Council chair, Alan Harris said: “Scottish football fans have spoken loud and clear: the time has come to listen to our views and work towards consensus for the future direction of the game. For the second year running, the biggest survey of fans is telling us: Scottish football needs larger leagues, a fairer distribution of TV revenues and the creation of one voice for football fans to represent them.”
On bigger leagues
Commenting on these statistics, SDS Council Chair Alan Harris stated: “Fans from across the length and breadth of Scotland are clearly speaking with one voice when it comes to the future shape of football leagues. Support for the status quo or an even smaller SPL is dwarfed by the overwhelming desire of supporters for larger leagues. I hope the SPL and SFL will think long and hard about the views of fans and sit down to build a consensus for the future of league football in Scotland.”
Fairer distribution drives competition, leads to increased attendance
Alan Harris added: “Fans are well aware of the commercial motives of SPL restructuring but remain largely unconvinced by the SPL’s arguments. Fans are telling us that a more equal distribution of TV revenues is good for the game, and in the longer term, more likely to bring fans back to the terraces.”
On supporter representation
Scottish football supporters are almost unanimous in their views when it comes to their belief that fans should be consulted on decisions to be taken about Scottish football. Four out of five Scottish football fans want a national football supporters’ organisation, like the proposed new Scottish Football Supporters Network, to represent their views to Governments, football authorities and within wider civic Scotland.
Commenting on the strong support for a united ‘voice of the fans’, Alan Harris stated: “As someone who has long-held the view that there should be greater supporter involvement in club football, I am not surprised that there is strong demand for the new Scottish Football Supporters Network to speak up for football fans in Scotland, regardless of what team you support. When it comes to some of the great issues of the day, football fans of all colours have more in common than that with which they disagree. It’s time for supporters to unite as one voice of the fans so that governments and football authorities sit up and take notice. Supporters Direct Scotland is delighted to be in a position to lead the development of the Scottish Football Supporters Network knowing that we have the support of the vast majority of fans.
“We are ready to launch the Scottish Football Supporters Network and build on the work that Supporters Direct Scotland has already done, for example at meetings of the Joint Action Group, on behalf of ordinary football fans everywhere. With a sense of priorities from supporters, we can move forward to represent and campaign on the issues that matter for football fans. This is an exciting development for Scottish football and I know we all look forward to making the SFSN a huge success.”
On season starts and winter closedown
Supporters have reinforced in the survey that the traditional football season is ripe for change:
Alan Harris commented on the figures, saying: “Whatever way you look at the season structures, the vast majority of fans are looking for change. It’s time for Scottish football to recognise this and put the fans first. A season with an earlier league start in July and a Winter break could bring out more supporters.”