Raise the Roof!

By Ray Simpson

Raise the Roof!

Darlington FC Fans and Supporter Group Members have over the last 6 months raised an incredible £140...

Darlington FC Fans and Supporter Group Members have over the last 6 months raised an incredible £140,000+ towards improving Blackwell Meadows infrastructure and boosting the playing budget. We have one last hurdle to overcome to get the ground ready to be eligible for promotion to the National League – a roof to cover the new seated stand.

We need £50,000 by December 31st. This will enable the purchase and installation of steelwork and cladding to put a roof over the new seated stand. Completing the fundraising by December 31st will allow enough lead time to order materials and erect the roof to beat the FA’s March 31st deadline for ground grading standards.

Recent events off the pitch haven’t changed the focus of our players. The first question to DFC directors, from Leon Scott, after the departure of our previous manager was to ask if the fans and the board would still have the ground ready for the playoffs. With the new management team in place we're now ready to kick-on towards the target of reaching the play-offs.

Since 2012 Darlington FC fans have raised over £750,000 in capital to rescue the club, pay down legacy debts, provide a financial platform for three promotions in five years and fund the return to playing in our home town once again. We should never doubt what we can achieve together, on or off the pitch, lets raise the roof and do our part to give the players the opportunity they were denied last season.

The good news is we are already off to an excellent start with over £6,000 in the Ground Development Fund which was left over from the last round of fundraising. That means we are over 12% of the way to the overall target already!

How can you help?

In order to give an option to suit every supporter that would like to help us "Raise The Roof" we have three choices with various benefits and amounts. We've set individual targets on each however these are flexible and the important number is £50,000 across all 3 options:

  • Community Shares (from £100) (£30K target) Our popular community share scheme, where you can choose to receive interest on your investment & have the option to have your capital repaid as well (minimum 5 year investment period).
  • Ground Development Fund (£10K target) is perfect for smaller amounts (£10-£99) and is on a donation basis with no return. This fund also includes offline donations raised via buckets on matchdays and from people donating their 50/50 or Lottery winnings.
  • Sponsor Your Seat (£50) (£10K target) This option is initially for seated ticket holders only. For a set donation you will get your name on your seat & some associated benefits. We hope to open this up to all supporters in November.

Further details of these options can be found in the associated pitches at:

https://fundraising.darlingtonfcsupportersgroup.org/