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Celebrate our past, ensure our future

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Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions that are not answered below please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at info@dusf.scot.

WHAT IS THE DUNDEE UNITED SUPPORTERS’ FOUNDATION?

The Dundee United Supporters’ Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established as a company limited by guarantee.  Its members have a shared and passionate vision for the future which is based on bringing Dundee United FC closer to the fans.

WHAT ARE THE FOUNDATIONS INITIAL OBJECTIVES?

The current priority is to continue to gain and maintain the trust and respect of Dundee United fans to encourage them to make a regular contribution to the Foundation. This will enable the Foundation to become more established and to be in a position to help improve the club’s chance of success by assisting with operating costs associated with this.

WHO ARE THE FOUNDATION STEERING GROUP?

The Steering Group is made up of passionate Dundee United fans who feel that something needs to be done to give all supporters an additional avenue to financially assist the club. In return we can have a real say in the future while helping to ensure the success of our football team.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR THE STEERING GROUP?

The Foundation was formed in 2017. At that time, instead of sitting in the stands worrying about the future of the club and the ongoing financial losses that were happening at that time, we felt the need to do something about it. The future security of the club was what was in it for us at that time. Now that the club is in a more secure financial place, we think that we can develop the Foundation into an organisation that can assist the club to move forward by providing additional finance for targeted areas of improvement. We are not seeking public attention or a high media profile. There is no personal gain for any member of the steering group.

WHATS IN IT FOR FANS AND WHAT INFLUENCE WILL THEY HAVE?

You will be part of an important fans’ group with a direct line into the ownership. All members of the Foundation will have an opportunity to be elected to the Foundation board and serve for three years. The financial clout of the Foundation will give members a very serious, responsible and meaningful influence on the future success of the club.

IS THIS A PROTEST GROUP?

No, this is not a pressure or a campaign group. A successful and well-supported Foundation will provide an enduring long-term financial input into our football club. Members will have the final say through the one member one vote system on where the Foundation money goes. The ultimate aim of the Foundation is to deliver active fan involvement in the improvement of the club in a professional and measured way.

HOW IS THE FOUNDATION FUNDED?

The financial income of the Foundation is based on regular monthly contributions from its members. A start up fund was set up for fans who wished to make a commitment as a founder member.

WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT FUND AND WHY DO YOU NEED IT?

There were initial start-up costs in company registration, legal costs, logo design, web site design etc. The commitment ‘start up’ fund has been used for that. It has also demonstrated the credibility of the Foundation to all United fans by having a core number of fans already on board before we opened up the membership to the wider fan base.

HOW MANY MEMBERS DO YOU THINK WILL JOIN UP, AND HOW MUCH CASH WILL THIS GENERATE FOR THE CLUB?

We believe 1500 members is achievable in the fourth year and this could generate upwards of £200,000 per annum.

We also believe that these numbers can only be achieved when we have a full partnership with the Club whereby they are actively promoting growth of the Foundation membership.

£200,000 WILL NOT HAVE MUCH IMPACT ON THE CLUB?

A £200,000 contribution from the Foundation is approximately the equivalent of a 15-20% increase in season ticket sales, or the club’s share of a significant transfer fee every year. Most football clubs in Scotland would welcome this annual guaranteed income. One of the aims of the Foundation is to create a solid base of supporters and grow that by gaining the trust, respect and credibility of existing members to attract new members.

WOULD THE FOUNDATION BE LOOKING FOR SHARES IN RETURN FOR THE CASH INVESTMENT?

We have been in dialogue with the new ownership about acquiring unissued shares. As of September 2019, this is not something that the new ownership is committed to at this stage.

This is an issue that we will continue to pursue with the ownership.

SO YOU ARE ASKING FANS THAT ALREADY SPEND A LARGE AMOUNT ON SEASON TICKETS TO GIVE EVEN MORE MONEY TO THE FOOTBALL CLUB?

We realise not all fans will be able to make a contribution but we think that many will welcome the opportunity to help ensure the future of their football team by being part of an exciting fans’ group. Members will have a real say in the success of their club. All for less than the price of a coffee per week.

WHAT WILL BE THE INCENTIVES FOR FANS TO PLEDGE?

The obvious incentive is that your contribution will be directly ensuring the future success of the football club. However, we have also developed a points-based system for DUSF merchandise, based on how much a member contributes. Currently these include DUSF Scarves, United posters and DUSF hats.

Looking forward, we will engage with the Football Club to pursue further incentives for the Foundation members.

HOW WILL THE MONTHLY CONTRIBUTIONS BE COLLECTED?

Primarily via a direct debit system provided by an independent service provider. Monthly payments continue for as long as you wish to remain a member. Your data and your money are completely safe and secure. The funds will be held in a dedicated business account and are ring fenced. Payments will also be subject to a Direct Debit Guarantee offering you complete peace of mind.

WILL MY PERSONAL DETAILS BE SAFE?

We take the protection of your personal information very seriously. You can look at our privacy policy for full information. We are fully compliant with the Data Protection Act and GDPR legislation. Your personal details will not be released unless you chose as a founder member to display your name on our web site.

DOES THE FOUNDATION WANT FAN OWNERSHIP OF THE CLUB?

Fan ownership is clearly not the be all and end all. We are more interested in having a well-run, well-organised, financially sound football club with an active fan involvement in decision making processes. Our initial aims did require Foundation representation at Board level. However, our members have made it clear that fan-group Board representation has not been successful in the recent past. Improved fan influence will be achieved through regular and meaningful dialogue with the Football Club’s representatives.

If we are to provide funds for specific improvement projects, we would require to have some form of oversight of these projects to ensure success criteria were met. This oversight would be documented in any partnership agreement which was drawn up with the club.

THERE ARE ALREADY A NUMBER OF FANS GROUPS IN EXISTENCE, WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE?

Yes, there are a number of well-established supporters organisations – The Federation of Supporters Clubs, the United Business Club, Arabtrust, United Ladies of Tannadice, Fans United. These groups are all important in their own right and we would want to see them continue to thrive. We would encourage all of these groups to work with the Foundation and indeed to influence it and hold it to account. Ultimately, we all want the same thing, a sustainable, successful football club, on and off the park and we believe the Foundation can be a catalyst to achieving that.

However, the Foundation is the only monthly subscription-based group and we feel this model gives us the opportunity to make a significant, ongoing financial contribution to the Club.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FOUNDATION FAILS AND IS WOUND UP?

All money pledged not already allocated to the club would be refunded to members minus an administration fee estimated at no more than 5%.

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?

Go to the ‘Pledge Now’ section of our website where you will find full information on how to register as a member. If you do have further questions please email us at info@dusf.scot or write to us at The Dundee United Supporters’ Foundation, Stannergate House, 41 Dundee Road West, Dundee DD5 1NB.

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