Why Join Dale Supporters Trust?

The role of The Trust is to be able to engage with the hierarchy at Spotland to try and help the club perform as well as it possibly can. The Trust Directors are elected fans from the terraces who are willing to put that little bit of extra effort into helping the club and making it as user friendly as is possible to its current fans and any would be new fans.

For The Trust to have any sort of standing it has to be well backed by the fans. The only way this can be demonstrated is by membership numbers. This 2008/2009 season saw us break our record membership levels with over 550 members. This means 1 in 4 supporters are happy for The Trust to enter into dialogue on the fan’s behalf. If membership was only 50 for example, the organisation would quite rightly be seen as a splinter group and not a large democratic fan led group of fans.

If the club was (in the eyes of the fanbase) about to score an own goal the Trust (as we have done in the past) can make representations based on numbers and recommend a decision can be overturned.

The new Trust board also operates with the blessing of club directors who have actively encouraged supporters to form a strong democratic Trust which can then work in harmony with the club as we are ultimately on the same side. Indeed at a fans forum, Director Andrew Kelly urged supporters to join the Trust so that supporters have a collective voice. Captain Gary Jones became the first player to sign up last year.

What do you get for your tenner?

It’s a question often asked. Fundamentally you just get a membership card! But in reality your membership is yet another piece in an ever expanding jigsaw. Trust membership creates funds where The Trust can purchase shares in RAFC. This in itself is vital as The Trust is now one of the largest shareholders in the club which could put off any would be predators as any vote based on a share count would be a vote made not by The Trust’s directors, but by the Trust’s members ie the fans.

You also get the opportunity to ask any question of the club directors via The Trust Directors. You can do this by emailing The Trust or by visiting the Trust desks prior to a home match. We’ve even got a Facebook group now so younger fans can feel more aligned to what we are all about.

We wanted 500 members at the start of last season. We achieved that. Now our target is 700 (pretty much 1 in 3 of the hard core support). It’s FREE to U16’s, and just £10 to adults and £10 if you want to join the Exiles club. Joining is easy. Just visit a Trust desk or download a form from the Trust website www.daletrust.org.uk

We are trying to be as transparent as is possible and will use our website to keep members informed of what we talk about in our meetings both amongst ourselves and with club officials. We are not a sad clique, we are fans trying to help the club make the most of itself as we continue to enjoy the Keith Hill era.

Project Bowlee

Our big target set for us by the club is to raise £35,000 as quickly as we can, towards the final stages of the Bowlee training facility. The club has been hamstrung ever since 1907 by not having a proper and permanent place for the players to practice and prepare for matches. It is so well documented a problem it may even put off new recruits from joining the club. Therefore, it is our intention to work hard to try and achieve this sum which will transform the changing facilities into a quality base for the players to use on a daily basis rather than us being training nomads across the Borough and beyond. We have already donated £4000 to the club (May 2009) which will pay for the final ground improvements so that in July, the players can at least train on the grass.

We’re not primarily a fund raising organisation though. We are simply doing that little bit more to ensure you have a voice if you ever need one. If we can make the club a few quid along the way then that is a bonus. Your membership fee this year will be channelled towards the sum we need to raise for Bowlee, so even if you have little interest in a Trust, your membership will still help your team. Join The Trust and help Project Bowlee.

We hope fans can appreciate what we are about. The Trust Board have bags of energy and enthusiasm. We just need good numbers backing us and we hope you see fit to put your trust in the Trust!