A response received from Dundalk FC to our letter yesterday. Meetings and contacts are being arranged over the next period. It’s up to us as fans and as a community to build up our supporters club now. The more we build, the more leverage and influence we will have…..

‘Brendan
Your letter and your support group has been well received. The board has been actively seeking more community support and help.
Covid has not helped in developing the inclusion of the community in running the club, and the advent of a vaccine and changes in Irish govt. rules is opening more opportunities.
To date we have formed a planning group to pilot us through the different channels of support and funding, locally and nationally.
Paddy Casey is the man spearheading this group, and it is important you contact him for details and inclusion in this group. I am forwarding this email to him under separate cover.
Likewise Ailish kelly is the person charged with volunteer effort , and I am likewise forwarding this email to her. I am sure she will welcome your support.
The board looks forward to a long fruitful relationship with your support group
Yours truly
Bill Hulsizer
Dundalk FC

Thanks to the hard work and patience of Treasurer Damien Macken, assisted by Secretary Jane Waldron, the laborious task of opening our bank account is finally complete.
This will allow the website, with full functionality, to be launched almost immediately to admit membership.
Watch this space lilywhites……

We are saddened to announce that Andrea McQuillian has resigned from her roll as Vice-Chairperson. We would like to thank Andrea for all the time and hard work she put into the club. We would also like to wish her the best in the future.

Statement from Andrea:

The Supporters Club (SC) committee note and agree with the concerns expressed regarding Dundalk FC long term strategy. We have been, and are, discussing how best to approach this in a constructive way on behalf of members. We must however act in accordance with our democratically decided aims and objectives. Calls for the SC to seek a meeting with the owners to address uncertainty are noted. The Committee is of that view too, however, we do not have a silver bullet regarding difficulties. Letters have been sent to the owners before by other groups without any effect. It’s now clear that the football club appointed SLO are not in a position to raise these specific concerns with the owners either. So we need to be strategic. Anger, however strongly felt, is not a strategy. Furthermore, we are a supporters body, not a protest group. None of the committee members are advocating that the supporters club involve itself in protests at this time. Our role is a permanent and strategic one and it is the unanimous view of the committee that this would be aided by communication directly between the SC and the owners. A letter will be sent in these regards and will be published here when it is sent. We would however ask that expectations at this phase of the Supporters Club development be kept reasonable and realistic.

The Committee

We are aware that we have not had any significant updates for our members since our last meeting, and we want to keep you all posted on our process.

Our first aim is to get the website set up to accept registration and payment for membership. This piece of work cannot be done until we have managed to set up our bank account. We are in the process of setting up our account, which is taking longer than any of us expected!

Once the process is complete we will be updating the website and emailing our members with details on how to sign up.

We appreciate your patience.

The committee of the 1903 met via Zoom at 7 pm on 23rd June to finalise the preparation of the slide deck for our first meeting with our members.

The members joined the Zoom call at 7.30 pm and the members meeting commenced.

The meeting then admitted the members.

The Chair made a short introduction on the format for the meeting and the slide presentation began.

We have attached the presentation here:

Following the presentation, the floor was opened for discussion.

Members names are replaced to protect privacy.

A member proposed that the mechanism for drawing match day tickets during Covid be made
more transparent and that The 1903 should be involved somehow in conducting the draw and a list of winners published.
A member stated that all fully vaccinated season ticket holders should be allowed in to see matches.
J McDermott SLO clarified the process of match ticket draw.
A member wanted clarification on what constitutions we had looked at from other supporters
Clubs. The PR/Marketing Officer advised that we had briefly looked at the Man Utd Bahrain
supporters one. We cannot draw up a constitution until our aims and objectives are agreed and
accepted.
The Chair clarified that we should have a membership fee. But that our guiding principle was that
we do not exclude anybody. We need a paying option, but not something that excludes people.
A member stated that he really admired the community-based aims and objectives.
A member stated that we would need somebody on the Committee with legal expertise, perhaps a
solicitor.
A member proposed that we also introduce a junior membership level. Also, he wanted clarification from the SLO’s as to what DFC’s reaction is to the setting up of the 1903. And who do the SLO’s report to.
A member congratulated the Committee on a brilliant presentation. He proposed that the 2 nominees that were not elected onto Committee at the first meeting be co-opted onto it. He also gave in-depth information regarding Head in the Game charity, with links to Jigsaw and Shine charities.
J McDermott – Stated that the reaction from DFC was very positive to the 1903 being set up. She
clarified who the SLO’s speak to in Oriel Park.
A member sought clarification on the term of office for Committee members. The Chair stated
that they would be up for re-election at the AGM each year.
A member sought clarification on when the constitution would be completed.
A member sought clarification on whether it would be the SLO’s or the 1903 Committee that went to DFC with the aims etc. The Chair advised that the aims would be published on all our media platforms for all to see, following the vote and/or acceptance. The SLO’s are not post-people
between us and the football club.

Voting then took place on the following:
Membership Structure as proposed by the Committee. 96.3% agreed and they were adopted.
Additional proposal re Junior Membership for under 16’s at €8/pa. 79.1% agreed and it was
adopted.
Short-Term Aims as proposed by Committee. Unanimously accepted.
Additional proposal re SLO’s asking DFC to hold the draw for match tickets during pandemic through the supporter’s club, in a more transparent way and produce a list of winners. 68.2% agreed and it was adopted.
Additional proposal re co-opting the 2 unsuccessful nominees at the initial meeting onto the Committee. 56.1% disagreed so it was rejected.
Medium-Term Aims as proposed by the Committee. Unanimously accepted.
Long-Term Aims as proposed by the Committee. 97.9% agreed and they were adopted.

The Chair then thanked everybody for their attendance and the meeting concluded.