Supporters Trust : Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:31 pm  

Is anyone acting on this guys & gals? I've just been reading your posts regarding the fortunes of Doncaster RL and wondered if you had considered the possibility of setting up a Supporters Trust at all? My name is Laura Harrison and I am the Rugby League Development Officer for Supporters Direct, an organisation set up to develop and assist supporters trusts across football and now rugby league. I am not aware of the current community activity at the club but perhaps a shift in focus to the community, whilst being a slow-burn' method of building the club, can actually be one of the safest methods of helping the club to survive and a Supporters Trust could have a huge influence in setting and running these programmes. Whilst the example of Rochdale Hornets is an extreme one, with the trust now in ownership of the club, there are several other examples of supporters trusts in rugby league working hand in hand with the professional club to develop the profile of both organisations and ultimately strengthening the game in the area. A supporters trust could work to build links between the club and local community regardless of what happens in the future (whether this be a takeover or administration). The forming of a trust may also help to galvanise supporters who may have fallen away from the club due to the recent circumstances. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, please feel free to give me a call on 07985 628 215 or via email at laura.harrison@supporters-direct.org and I will be happy to provide more information. Kind regards Laura Harrison Is nt it time we stopped pitying ourselves? I ve been to enough meetings over the years to know we have the skills & contacts that have often been overlooked by previous administrations over the years to believe that between us we could make the Dons a succesful community club. Of course this would mean giving up dreams of being a Super League club and concentrating on at least 5 years of building a stable base and trust within the community again providing local players the opportunity to realise their ambition of playing for their home town club. I know that I would prefer this future rather than this yearly doom & despair.

Is anyone acting on this guys & gals? I've just been reading your posts regarding the fortunes of Doncaster RL and wondered if you had considered the possibility of setting up a Supporters Trust at all? My name is Laura Harrison and I am the Rugby League Development Officer for Supporters Direct, an organisation set up to develop and assist supporters trusts across football and now rugby league. I am not aware of the current community activity at the club but perhaps a shift in focus to the community, whilst being a slow-burn' method of building the club, can actually be one of the safest methods of helping the club to survive and a Supporters Trust could have a huge influence in setting and running these programmes. Whilst the example of Rochdale Hornets is an extreme one, with the trust now in ownership of the club, there are several other examples of supporters trusts in rugby league working hand in hand with the professional club to develop the profile of both organisations and ultimately strengthening the game in the area. A supporters trust could work to build links between the club and local community regardless of what happens in the future (whether this be a takeover or administration). The forming of a trust may also help to galvanise supporters who may have fallen away from the club due to the recent circumstances. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, please feel free to give me a call on 07985 628 215 or via email at laura.harrison@supporters-direct.org and I will be happy to provide more information. Kind regards Laura Harrison Is nt it time we stopped pitying ourselves? I ve been to enough meetings over the years to know we have the skills & contacts that have often been overlooked by previous administrations over the years to believe that between us we could make the Dons a succesful community club. Of course this would mean giving up dreams of being a Super League club and concentrating on at least 5 years of building a stable base and trust within the community again providing local players the opportunity to realise their ambition of playing for their home town club. I know that I would prefer this future rather than this yearly doom & despair.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:17 am  

I really hope more fans pick up the phone and give Laura a call or make that e-mail.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:34 am  

The thing is with this supporters trust lark is that it will be the same 30 or 40 who want to get it started.It will be the same 30 or 40 who set up a meeting for the trust and it will be the same 30 or 40 who will attend the meeting.

Everybody harps on about how our average attendance is around the 800 mark, so where then is everyone when its time to dig ourselves out of the 5h1t.
Im afraid it will be the same people trying to do their best for the club (the vast majority of which are on this forum on a regular basis), and until some of the other 760 or so fans decide to get involved it wont be enough.

It needs ALL the fans to get together on this one not just the die hards.The reality and the seriousness of the situation should be enough to get the rest of the fans involved.If it doesnt, then do they really care anyway!!

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:03 am  

Karlos wrote:

The thing is with this supporters trust lark is that it will be the same 30 or 40 who want to get it started.It will be the same 30 or 40 who set up a meeting for the trust and it will be the same 30 or 40 who will attend the meeting.

Everybody harps on about how our average attendance is around the 800 mark, so where then is everyone when its time to dig ourselves out of the 5h1t.
Im afraid it will be the same people trying to do their best for the club (the vast majority of which are on this forum on a regular basis), and until some of the other 760 or so fans decide to get involved it wont be enough.

It needs ALL the fans to get together on this one not just the die hards.The reality and the seriousness of the situation should be enough to get the rest of the fans involved.If it doesnt, then do they really care anyway!!

Understand completely were your coming from Karlos--.
I'ts crunch time for The Dons and if those 760 or so fans can't be persuaded somehow to become involved----
then the harsh reality is that the 30 or 40 die-hards will have to find other things to do on a Sunday afternoon.
Let's hope it dosn't come to that.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:58 am  

Karlos wrote:

The thing is with this supporters trust lark is that it will be the same 30 or 40 who want to get it started.It will be the same 30 or 40 who set up a meeting for the trust and it will be the same 30 or 40 who will attend the meeting.

Everybody harps on about how our average attendance is around the 800 mark, so where then is everyone when its time to dig ourselves out of the 5h1t.
Im afraid it will be the same people trying to do their best for the club (the vast majority of which are on this forum on a regular basis), and until some of the other 760 or so fans decide to get involved it wont be enough.

It needs ALL the fans to get together on this one not just the die hards.The reality and the seriousness of the situation should be enough to get the rest of the fans involved.If it doesnt, then do they really care anyway!!

If the same 30/40 raised 1K each the Dons would be OK for now.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:01 am  

Marshland wrote:

If the same 30/40 raised 1K each the Dons would be OK for now.

Starting with you?

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:04 am  

Marshland wrote:

If the same 30/40 raised 1K each the Dons would be OK for now.

How do you know some of them haven't already?

And the same amount could have been raised if the 800 had contributed £50 each.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:10 am  

Marshland wrote:

If the same 30/40 raised 1K each the Dons would be OK for now.

If that 760 raised £100 each Donny would be up and running again.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:12 am  

Marshland wrote:

If the same 30/40 raised 1K each the Dons would be OK for now.

My point is its always the same 30 or 40.The other few hundred or so just seem to want to sit back with their feet up, do nothing and hope somebody else sorts it out.And in the meantime come on here and moan about everything.

Also regarding your above quote, I along with quite a few other people have monthly direct debits paying into an account to help out.I have been doing for the last 18 months or so.So dont start questioning the efforts of the die hards my friend.

: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:13 am  

There is no point in throwing good money after bad.
If the club can exist until next season, hopefully unsaddled by a punitive points deduction to run from next season......anyone interested will come in then.....not now. Why give money to the Inland Revenue.
If they can't last until then.....better they go out of business......simple as that.

I would have thought that the club could have coped financially this year.....even though it was difficult. Without a backer it was obviously not possible with the level of management we had..