To oversee the successful implementation of the Foundation a Steering Group has been established. 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 financial security of our football team.
Celebrate our past, ensure our future
The Steering Group
Martin Manzi
Martin was educated at Lawside Academy and graduated from Heriot Watt University in 1980 with a BSc Hons in Civil Engineering. He is a Chartered Engineer and has spent most of his career in the gas transportation industry and has held various senior management positions in engineering, safety, risk management and legal compliance.
Lucky enough to have seen all of United’s trophy wins, as well as too many Hampden heartaches, which prompted Martin’s involvement as co-editor of the award winning fanzine ‘The Final Hurdle’ a popular publication with United fans through 1988 to 2000.
Martin lives in Dundee and is married with a son and a daughter.
Andy McCarle
Andy became a founder member of ArabTrust whilst Treasurer of the Dundee United Business Club. He is a lifelong United supporter.
Educated at Lawside Academy he worked for the Bank of Scotland for 35 years finishing as an Area Director, retiring in December 2006 – before the financial crash although he denies any responsibility!
He resigned from the ArabTrust Board to join the DUSF steering group, is a Board member of Maggie’s Dundee, Treasurer of the Sean Dillon Testimonial Committee and Treasurer of Dundee East Community Sports Club.
He is married and has two grown children who are also die-hard ‘Arabs’.
Graham McLelland
Graham’s first game at Tannadice was against Standard Liege in 1978. He then grew up with the United team of the late 70’s/80’s, and as well as the obvious trophy wins, has fond memories of Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach away.
Educated at Monifieth High School and Dundee College, Graham started his accountancy career with Ernst & Young, qualifying as ACCA in 1996. Graham has been a partner in FourM Chartered Accountants since 2000.
Graham played amateur football for Broughty United and cricket for Forfarshire Cricket Club but is now retired due to family commitments, and being too old and stiff.
He is married and has four young children.
Vacant
Marie Kiernan (1972-2022)
Marie sadly passed away on Tuesday 26th July 2022.
A Steering Group Member since our launch in 2017, Marie was a major influencer in establishing the principles of the Foundation and in growing the membership to the levels that they are at today. Her practical, pragmatic and diplomatic way of solving problems and settling differences of opinion was invaluable to the group.
Her impact within the Foundation cannot be overstated.
One standing joke with Marie was that despite developing a slick computerised system for managing the membership database, Marie insisted on maintaining her manual A-Z ledgers which we called upon often in the early days when the IT system let us down…. Much to her enjoyment!
Her common sense, matter-of-fact approach kept us all going through some of the more difficult times and we relied heavily on, and greatly appreciated her organisation skills. But more than that, we loved her for just being a wonderful caring person, who always thought of others even when she was fighting a courageous battle with her illness.
Her positive outlook even in the worst circumstances was an absolute inspiration.
She will be hugely missed by all of us at DUSF, by her many friends in the East Angus Arabs and in the wider Dundee United community.
Our thoughts continue to be with her family and friends.
Marie touched so many people in such a good way, and we hope the great memories she engendered may in some way live on and help to sustain everyone she knew.
Mike Evans
Mike Evans is a Chartered Fellow and Graduate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
He was Manager of the Employment Disability Unit of Dundee City Council for 21 years and was President of the European Union of Supported Employment for four years. Mike was Chairman and a founding member of the Scottish Union of Supported Employment. He is the author of Employing People with Disabilities, which was published as a best practice guide by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and he has delivered presentations, workshops and training courses throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and America. Mike was also a Sergeant in the RAF prior to returning to Dundee.
Mike has been a United fan all his life – he still has his Dundee United Junior Supporters card from 1962. He is a Founder Member of ArabTrust and he started the Young Lions whilst part of the Dundee United Business Club.
Denis McGurk
Denis was educated at Harris Academy 1966-71 and joined the Post Office as an engineer apprentice. After a long career spanning 44 years he retired in October 2015. He held various roles at senior management level for the latter 20 years of his time with the company covering Field Operations, Field Controls, Network Investment end Efficiency dealing with business plans and annual budgets of more than £20m and Change Management.
Denis started going to Tannadice in the early 1960s and even when he moved away from Dundee in 1982 he still attended home games, apart from a period when he was in Switzerland for a year. He recalls the Massacre of ’65 vividly, that famous first game v Barcelona and the glory years when silverware started to arrive at Tannadice. He delighted in telling colleagues who supported the big English clubs of United’s incredible record v Barcelona along with other memorable European nights.
Now retired Denis was looking for something to do to pay back into the club he loves and feels the Foundation is the ideal platform to do something positive.
Denis returned to live in Dundee in 2006 and is married with 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren; the eldest Molly is also a season ticket holder and a junior member of the Foundation.
Ged Bell
Ged is a Dundee born and bred life-long Arab, who hails from Fintry. He has seen many highs and unfortunately some lows since attending Tannadice for the first time in 1966. After giving up a distinctly average amateur goalie career in the late eighties, Ged has been a season ticket holder ever since.
After leaving Lawside in 1975, he completed an apprenticeship with NCR in Dundee, later leaving to pursue technology roles throughout the UK. After a number of senior roles, he was appointed Head of IT with Dundee City Council in 2007. During that time, he also chaired the Society of IT Management in Scotland, and was invited to take up board positions in public sector digital transformation. Since leaving DDC in 2015, he has worked as a self-employed digital transformation consultant.
Whilst with DCC, Ged chaired the Lochee and then Maryfield Community Planning Partnerships. Ged’s proudest work achievement was Dundee being recognised as a world-leader in Schools technology by the Intelligent Communities Forum in 2010. Ged graduated MBA with distinction in 2003 from Dundee University.
He is married with three grown-up kids and lives in Broughty Ferry.