Dundee FC Supporters’ Society (DFCSS) have launched their vision of the Dark Blues as a community club.
A manifesto has been published which frames the future for the Dens men in the era of fans’ majority ownership. It lists a number of objectives as “a social enterprise” with the aim of “bringing the club, the community and its people closer together than ever before.”
Among the goals are “ensuring that the club’s existence, the livelihoods of employees and the dreams of thousands are never again compromised; making the club more family-friendly and reducing the financial burden to attract more supporters, particularly women and children; reaching out to businesses and to the city’s multi-cultural community.”
The manifesto also endorses “stating how volunteer services will be a vital part of how the club is run; improving communication with fans, whether living locally or further afield; a greater focus on youth and community programmes that could help give youngsters a healthy outlet as well as enabling the club to spot and develop potential talent at an early age; a unique opportunity to act as a force for good in their local community, promoting civic responsibility and healthier lifestyles.”
DFCSS secretary Fraser MacDonald said, “It has been a long, hard road to get here and to go from the process of forming the society back in 2003 to the fans owning a majority shareholding today is a truly remarkable story.
“Today we publish the outcome of a consultation period which saw a lot of fans give us their feedback and our ‘Vision of Dundee FC as a Community Football Club’ is a manifesto based on what the club’s supporters want their club to be.”
Meanwhile, defender Matt Lockwood believes Dundee must get off to a flier in the league as opposed to last year’s sluggish start. The Dens men travel to face Partick Thistle on Saturday in the first division curtain-raiser and Lockwood is keen to avoid the lacklustre beginning that saw them lag behind their rivals.
“We want people to chase us rather than the other way about,” he said. “The key is if you can start off well by getting to the top of the league then it is easier to stay there than try to play catch-up.
“Even before the points were deducted (for going into administration) last season we were a long way off the top, which wasn’t ideal. So the main objective is to get three points at Firhill on Saturday, which won’t be easy but is something we are well capable of.”