Supporters Meeting Minutes 24.11.21

In attendance; Ross McArthur, Drew Main, Nick Teller, Billy Braisby, Ian Hunter, John Hughes.
Presentation by Ross – see attached slides.

Q. With the gym relocating to the new training ground, what happens to the existing gym?
A. Plan would be to lease the gym out to a new business to try and get rental income into the club.

Q. Are Rosyth Juniors going to be part of the new training ground too?
A. Once we got all the facts, it was clear this wouldn`t work, It will be just for Dunfermline. For our purposes.

Q. I know that the Civil Service Club is quite a big site - are you actually taking on that building and renovating?
A. Yes. We hope to get the team in to it as soon as possible. How we renovate will become apparent over the next few weeks.

Q. Youth Academy - why did the club feel they needed their own one rather than stay with Fife Elite?
A. FEFA is not as well supported as it could be in the way its set up and we feel DAFC would be much better served by having our own academy.

Q. How much better off is the club going to be than it is right now with our own training ground?
A. We have worked on a management plan, we pay Alloa to use their facilities, and the Academy means the financial impact will be greater but more community classes etc will increase. Income coming back into the gym will also help.

Q. Educational issues - new fife college campus, 2024 any relationship there?
A. Yes, we will be having educational classes, interns to help with the club, match analysis, use that resource, things we are working on at the moment but it will take time.

Q. Totally understand your reasons for standing down but do you intend to stay on as a board member as it would be a shame for this club to lose your experience?
A. Yes I do intend to stand down completely. My own reasons, quite emotional for me, but I have told Nick, Thomas and the board but I will be around for their questions and advice, and be back in the NW.

Q. Thomas` role - what is his role as a sporting director / board member?
A. In due course John will touch on the interaction - Thomas is a director to support the football club, how to operate, the resources, his role is to support the manager, the backroom staff, look at recruitment, analysis of matches, etc. John wouldn`t be here if Thomas was picking the team!

Q. What are the possibilities of German talent coming into the club?
A. When we first spoke to GmbH the idea was to utilise Thomas` contacts in Europe but Brexit put paid to that. There is a points system to get a visa. Being on the SPFL board, there is a lot of lobbying getting done, to get this over the line. Celtic and Rangers whole market was based on Europe so that is all gone.

Q. Are we still open to taking kids from other boys` clubs?
A. The Pars Foundation take 2-11 year olds, East End Boys are a feeder to the youth academy, but someone at 11 might not get into the academy but someone at 13-14 might be. Some teams are needed to run alongside that, playing against local clubs, there could be crossover so that we don`t lose out.
Nick Teller then spoke about the involvement of GmbH: Ross is/has been hugely important for this club. When we first met, 25 October 2019, and I can pretty much say that we would not have been involved here if he had not been involved. We were looking to invest in a club, we came across most types of people in football, in Europe, Asia etc. When we met it was clear that we had the same values, the same approach, it was a breath of fresh air. The full board and everyone we met we felt entirely comfortable with.
John Hughes addressed the meeting; I am honoured and privileged to be the manager of Dunfermline Athletic. We all know where we should be, a sleeping giant, we want to be back in the top flight, the whole place to be rocking and it is my job to do that. The building blocks have to be put in place. Fingers crossed, fasten your seatbelts and hopefully it will be a great success.

There then followed a Q & A with the new manager…

Q. Your interview with the board - you were blown away by their vision.
A. It was the vision of the club; I`ve done my due diligence, the training facility, the squad that is here, lacking a bit of confidence because of results, but a good ambition.

Q. Play for the jersey - is that your ambition?
A. I’m hoping that even in defeat the supporters will applaud us off the pitch; but that there is improvement and ambition. They have set the standard now, the identity; you have to be able to conduct yourselves professionally and part of Dunfermline Athletic football club. We are privileged and you have to respect that. It`s the same message, and the standards we all have. Step through the door and be part of it. Hopefully we keep doing and winning football matches.

Q. Were you surprised when you went into training by the quality of the squad?
A. Yes. I’m a from a working class background, match made in heaven, the coaches are there at Alloa, toast jam and taking them by the hand, train on a fantastic surface, this is a privilege and you have to make sure that you are appreciating everything that is happening. It all starts on the training ground - the high standards, the demand, the type of football on display on Saturday, quick passing, players in different positions, Aaron can play as a right winger and quite happy to stay up there. It`s a little bit different but for you as a supporter it is entertaining.

Q. You were a defender, have you any plans to bring in a forwards coach?
A. As a coach you are multi-tasking, I think football is going that way with different coaches, I coach the team, the biggest thing I say is forget the training pitch - what position do you play in, I don`t care what position you are just a footballer. In terms of defending yes it is an art.

Q. How’s Lewis Martin
A. The situation is his contract expired a few months ago - he has a long way to recover - he has been in training and rehab - we hope to have good news in the coming weeks / months - not divulging his medical problems. No reserve football, he has lost a lot of play, there is a long road ahead for him and we are supporting him full time.

Unfortunately, technical issues on the evening meant the remaining questions were not recorded.

Supporters_Meeting_Nov_2021.pdf