New owners of Dunfermline will need to effectively ‘engage and communicate’ their plans for the future of the club so they take supporters with them ‘on the journey’.
That is the view of Adam Hunter, chairman of the fans’ group the Centenary Club, who is also keen to see local boardroom involvement retained moving forward.
There is a sense of excitement over progress in the search for a new buyer of the Pars, with a consortium from the United States in advanced talks regarding a takeover of the East End Park outfit.
It is anticipated that if negotiations and legal discussions continue as hoped that a handover could take place before the turn of the year.
That would end DAFC Fussball GmbH’s four-year tenure at the club following the Hamburg-based group’s initial investment in 2020.
However, what will happen next is uncertain, with the proposed new investors anxious to retain their confidentiality for the time being.
That is why Hunter is hopeful that any new owners keep supporters fully informed of the direction they hope to take the club in.
But the fans’ chief is convinced Dunfermline can become ‘a force’ again with the right stewardship.
“From the fans’ perspective, there’s always an excitement that there could be new owners coming into the club with a fresh set of ideas and with a renewed focus on the first-team,” Hunter told Courier Sport.
Willingness
“That is what the fans really want to see, and to see Dunfermline climbing back up the table.
“The new owners that come in need to show that willingness and that willingness to engage with the fan-base.
“I think what’s really important for any new owners is to surround themselves with people who really understand the club, understand the fan-base and understand the demands and expectations of a very loyal group of fans that support Dunfermline.
“And also show willingness to engage and communicate effectively with the fan-base and bring them along on the journey and the strategy behind what’s clearly driving their purchase of the club.
“If they can do that effectively then they’ll get a lot of goodwill from the supporters.
“The fans will not only support them by coming along home and away, but support them in all other ways, whether that’s through the various supporters groups or through merchandise and other events that the club do.
“This is a very well-supported club and I think new owners have a real opportunity here, with the foundations that were established by Pars United and built upon by the German consortium, to really kick on now and become a force again in Scottish football.
“And I think that’s the exciting part for the fans.”
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