Dover

[Guest]

I see Dover are telling thier fans not to go to the Slough away game, but stay home and watch the Reserves. They say 500 hard core fans could = £1500.

[PJ-STFC]

[DAFC forum thread concerned is "A few things..."]

 

I've just had a nose around their website and forum, and, frankly, I don't blame them for this at all.

 

It's a suggestion from one of their supporters, who feels 'uncomfortable' about coming to the away game at Slough when the club desperately needs the money themselves. (Dover Athletic have to raise £48000 (owed to Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise) by end December or face the club being wound-up).

 

I don't think the comment was made because the match is against Slough, specifically; I think the same would have been said about any away match.

Whether they would get 500 fans travelling in the first place is another matter!

 

 

 

 

Incidentally, it is worth anyone interested in thinking up fund-raising ideas having a look at their 'Save DAFC' website.

Loads of events on in the run-up to Christmas.

Obviously much easier for them to arrange - having their own ground and a substantial fanbase - but quite impressive none-the-less.

 

PJ <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/chat.gif" alt="" />

[Martin]

Whilst I obviously sympathise with their plight I would not be impressed if they failed to bring a travelling support. We provided them with their second highest attendance of the year and I for one spent several quid in their bar and bought whatever half time ticket thing they were offering.

 

Why don't the five hundred fans travel down to Windsor support their side and forego one pint. The money saved about £2.20 each can then go back to Dover.

 

We are not exactly in a rosy situation ourselves and all money through the gate is needed and very welcome.

[Woody SUFC]

Martin although you are in not a great way you should ast least be around next season...these may not be around after next month!

 

Although it is unfair on Slough think if the tables were turned. I'm sure you'd support your club and not another more 'well off' club.

[Guest]

This was not ment to be anti-Dover i was just pointing out one of the ideas they had suggested.I think we should push the Capital League as hard as we can.

[Burnham Lad]

Quote:

...although you are in not a great way you should ast least be around next season...these may not be around after next month! ...

Hey Woody, you have only been a Slough Fan for for a short while. We've ended up chewing our finger nails during every close season for the last six or seven years - a "Next season" in our case is never a given!! You'll get used to it......

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bawling.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shrug.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" />

[Martin]

Woody, I am sure Dover have been getting 500 at every reserve game all season. And they have been in the [censored] the whole time.

 

On refelction they have got to do whatever it takes to survive but if they think three quid a head will make a difference - why not just up the price for their next home game in the league?

 

A choice for each Dover fan anyway.

 

Remember it is money out of Windsor's pocket as well.

[Woody SUFC]

yes but it's also a team going out of business. think of another club for a change!

[GarySTFC]

If they are that desperate for cash, why aren't they releasing players? Why have they recently signed something like 13 new players, and why oh why did they appoint Steve Browne.

[Martin]

Woody, I just thought of YOUR club in my previous post on this thread; you halfwit.

 

I have repeatedly said that I have every sympathy for Dover. Again thinking of another club. I just don't think this is necessarily the best way to raise the money.

 

And as I have said before if you don't like talking about Slough - you really should not post on OUR forum and sod off to your own empty little world.

[PJ-STFC]

At the start of the season, the bill was 'only' £25k (the remainder is a very recent VAT bill following an investigation into food sales)

- and the directors were hoping that that figure might be waived, or at least paid-off long-term.

 

Could they really expect to realise £48k through squad transfers?

Would they have a team left afterwards?

 

 

Short-term the only solution visible to them was to get the results improving on the pitch (with a view to returning to the Conference)

and hope that the fans would then return to improve the gate receipts

- that's why they gambled and signed SB and the other new players.

 

They knew it was a high-risk strategy, but they had nothing to lose - without an upturn in results they were only going to go down further.

 

As it turns out, the results have not been improving - as Slough fans predicted - and the club's situation is worsening.

(According to SB's reports on the DAFC website, they have had a series of 'unlucky' results, despite being the better team on paper - sound familiar?)

 

 

 

DAFC are suffering the results of poor management both on and off the pitch, and are now struggling to survive.

About the only thing they don't have to worry about is their ground (which I believe is owned by the local council).

 

 

I think that Woody, for once, has a valid point.

Rebels fans should be sympathetic to the plight of the DAFC supporters,

in the same way that they have been sympathetic to Hornchurch fans after the upheaval there.

But also remembering that Slough's situation is not really that much better overall.

 

And as Martin pointed out earlier, it is up to each Dover fan to decide whether their £s would be better spent encouraging their team to victory in an away match (hoping that this would improve their run of results and so lead to better things in the future), or whether to simply stay in Dover, supporting the reserves team, and leave the first team to venture forth to face defeat unsupported.

 

[/rant]

 

PJ <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/chat.gif" alt="" />

[brighton_rebel]

As someone who has just written a Fans United piece for the Yeading programme, i reckon it would be a nice gesture for us to have a half time collection at the Dover game to help them in their plight, as well as having something in the programme saying why this is happening and why it is important.

Recently Brighton fans travelled all the way to Wrexham to show support with other supporters for the club which are on the verge of going down the pan. Reading letters to the local papers from Wrexham fans it really is seriously appreciated.

I know Slough have been thru the mill which is why we should have more sympathy - and you never know we might in the near future need as many friends from across the country as possible to help us out.

 

brighton rebel

[GarySTFC]

Don't get me wrong, I am very symapthetic to their plight and would not want to see ANY club go under, but until they actually start doing something themselves at the club to reduce their costs before coming cap in hand to other clubs, they might have a bit more coming in from 'outside' clubs.

 

Personally, I would say let's get our own house in order first and foremost before dishing out money to other clubs.

[Burnham Lad]

Quote:

......
Personally, I would say let's get our own house in order first and foremost before dishing out money to other clubs.

Looking at the state of so many clubs in non league and beyond, so many are struggling and need every penny they can get, but any club going under is really a loss to football as a whole. The sums of money are vast and way beyond most individual's means (you only have to look at the last publicly reported debt of FRUS, our owner)to see that for most people keeping your own club going is as much as you can realistically hope to do, and in so doing are keeping football going.

STFC is far from out of the wood, even with the money won this season and we only have 18 months left on the current groundshare deal, and even if we do well enough to go up will not meet the financial and ground criteria for promotion to the Conference South.

I am with Gary on this - we need to be focussed and concentrate on ensuring the long term future of STFC. I still think that long term, there must be four pillars on which we can rely, a ground, facilities which can earn money to support the team, a financially sound Trust and supportive Fans (and I include any wealthy individuals, such as Mr Deaner, with them). So get joining the Trust, the stronger it gets, the better for the club and support the fundraising activities if you can afford to do so.

[brighton_rebel]

I don't see why we can't do both - even if we just collected £25 its a goodwill gesture. It's not the fans fault that Dover might go to the wall, and personally its the best place i've visited with Slough so far this season.

 

brighton rebel

[Matt]

Gary, their (Dover's) argument is that some of the players play for nothing. If you put that next to the Byron Bubbs, the Dean Palmers and the Steve Brownes, who have to travel from London to Dover to play, I can't imagine players like these playing for nothing, or next to nothing. If the situation is that bad I would have thought the new signings should be the first ones out of the door.

[Ted]

This quote from the Dover website has settled the arguement for me

 

"It's difficult to keep track of what we have raised at the moment. The Fighting Fund has £2k. The Trust has quite a lot but Mick Kemp says he'd rather they didn't have to contribute to the £48k."

 

Good luck to Dover in surviving, but surely they should spend their own money before asking others for help.

[Woody SUFC]

Anyone know if the players are playing for free?

[Guest]

Chris Sliski --- STST trust...

 

Just to add my weight to this debate ! I have been in contact with Simon at Dover supporters Trust and has been a good friend for over 10 years now ! and as Slough and Dover are members of the Football Supporters Federation we seek to help in any way we can to save any football club, yes we have many troubles ourselves but the good samaritian should be in everyone heart and the offer of help is to Dover from the STST, it may not be just money they need !!!! but help and advice....

 

We may need help one day ! too......

 

 

chris sliski

STST secretary.

[Guest]

Dover's Board are just worried that their travelling fans will join in the stick we will be giving their manager during the game.....