TheFarPost

The DFC Board have received all the comments on reconstruction sent in by supporters in response to the consultation. I have also reported on the mood on social media. (There were some good comments from those who emailed in, but I will observe that many who may have spoken out loudly on these issues elsewhere didn't actually respond directly to the Club when invited to do so, which is a pity.) However, given the feedback that did come in, the strong trust statement, the almost unanimous trust votes against colt teams in 2011 and 2018, and the general mood music, there can be no doubt what majority opinion is. I share that view personally, of course. There will be a report-back on the Club website within the next 48 hours.

All points noted, O'Kelly and BallochSonsFan, and others. ** If you haven't commented directly to the club yet on reconstruction / colt teams, feel free to drop me a note here ASAP: media@dumbartonfc.co.uk - no later than 8pm tomorrow, Sunday 6th June, please. ** (A tally and compilation was done last weekend, and I reported back to the board. But a few others have arrived since then, and I will do a final analysis tomorrow, ahead of meetings that will discuss these issues this coming week.)

A few quick responses... On colts teams: the club has previously declined to play ball on this, the Sontrust vote in 2011 was 95% against, and a similar number expressed that view again in 2017. That is also the feedback we are getting on reconstruction. An update on reconstruction and the responses to our consultation will be coming this week. On Kyle Hutton: Please remember we have been here before. https://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/sport/17713492.hutton-turns-down-offers-from-elsewhere-to-remain-at-the-rock/ There is a lot of uncertainty and speculation around at the moment, and it's wise not to give too much credence to the rumour mills. The club and its manager are focussed on what needs to be done in preparation for an end to lockdown and the resumption of football. There's no mood to be blown off-course on that. Thanks for supporting the auction, which is going well and will generate much-needed cash. We know not everyone is enamored with all the items, but we hope there's something for everyone... well, everyone who wants to bid, anyway. All cash support, from whatever source, is welcome!

All will be revealed very soon...

Thanks very much for this offer (and for others we have received, directly or indirectly). The Club Board is meeting via teleconferencing regularly, and all the ideas people have are being weighed up carefully as part of the overall picture. The liability issue is - as someone else mentions below - the one we need to be very careful about. There has been talk in some quarters of the game about "skipping a season" in the lower leagues. While many of us feel strongly that this is something which needs to be avoided (because the consequences for small clubs could be fatal), we can't totally ignore it. Hopefully decisions will be made in the near future, and we will then be on surer ground and able to proceed with plans like this. The other issue, of course, cash flow. Getting ST money in and spending too much of it ahead of the costs of a season would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, as the old saying goes. So our financial decisions need to be based on reducing expenditure as far as we can, increasing income-generation wherever we can, and not making commitments we cannot guarantee with down the line. Meantime, we will be proceeding with the online auction (next week) and other ideas.

Thank you... we're trying our best to communicate, listen and engage. To a significant extent DFC is now a supporter-run club, and one with a determination to grow far deeper roots in the community. This means, on the non-playing side, that *everyone* other than our excellent p/t general manager and p/t marketing exec (sponsored by C&G, who have been incredibly supportive) is an unpaid volunteer. Long-term ownership and business sustainability issues remain critical, and have still to be resolved. But the backing we've received through donations of time and money during lockdown, and in the months preceding it, shows where the heart and soul of the Sons lies...

As promised, the announcement on Season Tickets is now up on the Club website, and going out on social media. https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4409 Have a good weekend and stay safe...

**SUPPORTER LIAISON OFFICER** Thanks to those who responded. See the announcement on the Club website: https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4406

**LEAGUE RECONSTRUCTION** Thanks vm for the responses so far. I think I've written back to everyone individually, by way of acknowledge their contribution - I'll double-check this evening! If anyone else who wants to comment can get back to me at media@dumbartonfc.co.uk by Sunday morning, that would really help. I'm putting together whatever everyone's been saying on Sunday evening, and passing it on to the Board. We'll report back, too. As you'll know, the proposal before the SPFL Board yesterday was a 14-14-14 format, with options for two additional teams in the thirds tier. That's broadly in line with what most Sons fans (those who have responded) have been saying to us so far, btw. Clubs will be discussing it further next week.

**SEASON TICKETS:** All comments about this on here (and other feedback) have been noted, and as I've said previously, the situation continues to be monitored closely by the Club Board. A statement will be coming soon, which will include the issue of past season tickets as well as future ones. As someone said, asking fans to part with hard-earned money with no guarantee of seeing the team play this year is really problematic, but we think we've found a way forward which will meet people's concerns and which takes into account all angles. I'm sure you'll tell us if we haven't!

The SLO would have specific responsibility for, for example, sorting out problems with stewarding from the fans' POV. Having someone specifically responsible for ensuring that operational / fan concern issues are dealt with would really help. At present, complaints (er, "customer feedback!" ) get directed to whoever someone knows and can nab. There's then usually a discussion about who / how to deal with it. (We had one about getting seats cleaned earlier in the season.) That can waste time and be unclear or get lost between different parties. The SLO can be a known face who can take it straight up with stewards / General manager and get it sorted. The liaison role with other SLOs is also useful. Good ideas and suggestions can be shared, among other things.

Spot on. All Clubs are supposed to have a SLO - and its focus is on the operational side of things / match-day experience.

Not stupid at all. No, Stephanie handles hospitality and related things, plus she's on the board as elected trust rep now. This is about someone who can represent the concerns issues of fans independently of both the club board and (by their own choice) the trust, with a focus on operational issues/match day experience...

Hi again, y'all - DFC is looking for someone to become the Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO) at the Club. Details here: https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4403

League reconstruction: the door is at least half open on this, it seems, and we're taking comments from Sons fans until the end of the month - update here: https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4401 Cheers!

On season ticket refunds. We have not, to my knowledge, received any requests. If someone was in real hardship, it would obviously be important to acknowledge and respond to that. Thanks for the various comments on this. The Club wants to be fair, but as has been observed we also need to keep afloat. Everything that can be done to thank fans for their incredible backing (the brilliant Crowdfunder result and much else) will be done moving forward.

Offshore holdings are (by their very intent, nature and purpose) not transparent. But you're right that transparency is the main issue.

The tax status of Brabco (or rather, their 'parent', Grenada Holdings) doesn't effect DFC regarding business support at present, or in any scenario I can envisage. At the moment it is the furlough scheme that we are using. Other avenues will, of course, be explored as we move forward.

About three years ago give or take. And he wondered why people didn't/don't trust him. That was Chris Stainton, not Ian Wilson. But no, it hasn't happened. I pushed hard on this when I was trust spokesperson / negotiator, and it was widely reported in the media. Chris did act on it, to be fair. There were various technical issues about the onshore form they would take. But then he withdrew as a director of Brabco because of his own situation (his main company went into administration over dispute with HMRC), and nothing happened after that. The issue of the long-term ownership of the club and how that can be shaped and influenced remains the central one in all this. (My view remains firmly that offshore companies should not be permitted in Scottish football, and that is something I've lobbied on through the SFSA.)

Ten more contributors to the Crowdfunder since yesterday... thanks so much! We've done an update about it on the club website, plus something on the 'closed doors' question. By my calculation that puts us second on word-difference in the SPFL Statements League, now. This was the previous position.

An update for for supporters on current developments at the Club - including season tickets. https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4394

Cheers... I'll do more promo tomorrow.

**YOUR VIEWS ON RECONSTRUCTION** I'm sorry that some of you missed the announcement about this. The announcement was on the club website and twitter at the beginning of the month: https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4382 I've responded (or am responding) personally to all who write in. I did an update yesterday (https://www.dumbartonfootballclub.com/news/?mode=view&id=4391) - and I've just edited that to make it clear (as I should have originally) that the consultation is still open. The club board will be discussing this and taking all views into consideration. When there's a deadline, I'll make sure that's broadcast on the club site and social media. You can let us know what you think on reconstruction by emailing media@dumbartonfc.co.uk with RECONSTRUCTION as the header. As time for processing is a factor, we would ask respondents to limit their comments to 300 words. Hope everyone's doing OK... I'll try and pop in here more often. Cheers, Simon

A wee reminder that the Sonstrust AGM is this Wednesday (6th November), 7pm at the Community Suite/Bar72 in the Stadium. Come along to elect new officers and trust board members, and to nominate for trust rep/director on the club board. https://sonstrust.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/trust-agm-this-wednesday/ You must be a paid-up member to vote.

Actually, I think there was an intention (at least on the part of one of the parties involved). But their circumstances have changed quite a bit. We never gave unconditional backing to the development plan, but took it stage by stage. That was always the right approach. The question all along was one of viability, whether the financing would work, whether we'd get a sustainable stadium, etc. However, we *also* warned those who thought that the Young's Farm plan going down would remove the threat to the club that this was *far* from the case, because without further investment maintaining ourselves where we are was always going to be a huge struggle. Some refused to believe that, but it has proved to be the case -- with relegation, loan costs, a dramatic drop in season tickets and unavoidable capital expenditure proving a huge challenge. We are hanging in there. We need either a fresh deal with our owners or new owners to be able to move forward from here. Let me assure you that all options are being looked at.