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Topic Originator: CitizenPar
Date: Fri 18 Jul 12:45
What another good, positive update from David Cook. Long may this continue!
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Topic Originator: Playup_Pompey
Date: Fri 18 Jul 12:48
some amount of staff turnover is his tenure
https://dafc.co.uk/club-update-july/
I hope all Pars fans are enjoying a great summer, especially with the school holidays upon us. Whilst many are winding down for a well-earned break, we continue to build up after resuming competitive action against Hearts last Saturday. It was an encouraging performance but we know we still have some work to do if we are to be successful this season. The backing in Edinburgh by the 1600 Pars fans was tremendous.
Starting on the playing side, we have been delighted with the progress of the new signings since they arrived at the club. The likes of Keith Bray, Charlie Gilmour and Alfons Amade have settled in well with their teammates and are keen to make a big impact at the club this season.
Alfons was a signing long in the making and took time to complete as the club had to go through the UK immigration process and an Exceptions panel with the SFA. He is our first international player that has required a visa since Vytas Gasputis before Covid.
Last week was a big week for new signings with the additions of Rory Macleod, Alasdair Davidson and Shea Kearney. We are delighted to welcome them all to the club. They are all players with great potential who can have an impact this season.
Additionally, we were delighted to see Andrew and John Tod sign new contracts, committing their futures to the club. Along with a number of other young players that have featured so far in pre-season, the academy continues to help develop an exciting crop of youth players that support our first team. It’s incredibly satisfying to see these young players, many of whom are Pars fans, pull on the black and white stripes.
Neil and his staff are doing a tremendous job helping continue to grow our club. We remain very active in the search for players to enhance the squad. We have a clear view of what we require to strengthen the group, acknowledging that a bit of experience would support a talented group of young players. As I repeat frequently, we need to ensure we get the right type – not just good footballers but good characters to blend with our current group.
We have been really encouraged by pre-season, with a great training camp in Bulgaria followed by two weeks on site at Stirling University using their world class training facilities. The hard work continues back in Rosyth as we build for Dumbarton this weekend.
There have been several staff changes which have happened off the pitch to report on. We welcome Carrie Love who has joined to manage our ticketing and retail function, replacing Chris Addison who has taken on an exciting role in golf. We have also recruited Blair Ramage as a commercial executive to help across commercial and hospitality. Some may have seen our recent advert for a Head of Commercial. Alister Burn has decided to step down after two and a half years at the club. Alister has had a great impact during his time at the club, de
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Topic Originator: Playup_Pompey
Date: Fri 18 Jul 12:49
cont...
Alister Burn has decided to step down after two and a half years at the club. Alister has had a great impact during his time at the club, delivering significant commercial growth and exciting projects like the Dunfermline City Fanzone. He, along with Chris leave the club with the best wishes of everyone at KDM Group East End Park. As Pars supporters, we know we will see them back at the club they love. The club is now actively recruiting a strong commercial lead to drive further revenue growth at an exciting time. In addition, we are advertising for a ticketing and retail assistant to come in and help Carrie to deliver a high standard of supporter service in this area.
I’m aware that many fans were frustrated by the delays with the unveiling of the new kit. We have been working for many months on securing a significant commercial deal for the club where negotiations were complex and took time. We are delighted to secure Gamdom.news with their forthcoming sports blog site soon to launch. They have really bought in to the vision and direction of the club and are on board as big backers to help us try to achieve our aims.
Obviously, this means that SRJ Windows are no longer on the front of the kit, but we are delighted that they remain involved with the club. The Macintosh family and the wider SRJ team have been tremendous supporters of the club over the past decade, and I would like to thank them for continuing with us.
The record breaking new commercial deal, for the club, has meant a slight delay in supporters being able to get their hands on the new kits and we apologise for the wait. Our away kit launch is imminent and we are excited to share our third kit once the season gets under way too.
In an earlier club update, I highlighted that one of our aims was to continue to look at ways we can enhance the supporter experience at our home stadium this summer. Investment into the pitch and the squad are all geared at delivering winning football – probably the most crucial element in fan satisfaction! In addition, there are a number of initiatives that we have undertaken aimed at improving your time at the stadium and with the club.
We have installed Sky Sports into many key areas where fans are present. This includes the Norrie McCathie concourse, Legends Bar, Charlie D’s and the club’s hospitality areas. This five-figure investment is not just to aid the enjoyment of hospitality users but also many general admission supporters who frequent the public bars and concourse areas.
We have also taken the bold decision to bring in a venue catering partner to help enhance our food and beverage offering to supporters. In many of the fan surveys we have conducted over the past 24 months, supporters have consistently challenged us to look at how we enhance the catering offering across the stadium. We have decided to bring in professional help to try to achieve this. Thomas Franks have a great reputation in venue caterin
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Topic Originator: Playup_Pompey
Date: Fri 18 Jul 13:07
...cont....
Thomas Franks have a great reputation in venue catering – operating stadiums and venues across the UK. They also have a strong presence in the central belt of Scotland. As well as helping us improve the matchday food and drink experience for supporters, they will work closely with us to try to build our venue strategy with the aim of increasing non-matchday usage of the stadium. I’d like to thank the previous public catering partners, Stephens the Bakers, who have helped the club for many years. The Steak Bridie remains synonymous with the club for many that come to KDM Group East End Park.
Another development geared up at enhancing the supporter experience for many is the reintroduction of alcohol into the public concourses. We were very keen to participate in the alcohol pilot that the SPFL is coordinating at several stadiums across the country. Furthermore, after the success of the Euro’s Fanzone last summer, the SPFL were keen for us to participate. DAFC believe that fans should have the opportunity to enjoy an alcoholic beverage in general admission areas in line with how fans of other sports have been able to experience their passions for years. We are really pleased that the initial pilots at several other stadiums have gone well. Of course, we all know that many groups will have a watchful eye on the behavior of fans at these pilots, so we also know fans need to respect the rules in place for these to be a success.
We have just broken through the 3000 season card mark with close to four weeks to go until the first home league game. That’s great backing at a time when we know there is a lot of financial pressure on fans. Thanks again on behalf of myself, the ownership, the board, the coaching team and the players. What better feeling is there than a rocking KDM Group East End Park?
Here’s hoping for three points tomorrow and then we look forward to seeing many of you at our first home Premier Sports Cup tie versus Hamilton Academical on the 22nd of July. The new pitch is ready and looking glorious for the action.
COYP
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Topic Originator: PARadise
Date: Fri 18 Jul 14:59
The club get enough criticism at times, DC in particular but it`s important to be fair and highlight the good work they`re doing in the background. Positive news on a lot of things fans have requested in recent years and yet another case of DC keeping his promise of open route of communication. COYP
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Topic Originator: neils
Date: Fri 18 Jul 16:06
All good stuff, certainly moving a lot behind the scenes
Certainly a better experience for the fans, they`ve listened and acted when they can.
I always assumed Mr Cook had his hands tied behind his back previously, also I don`t feel the need of making statements when there`s nothing to say. Clearly can`t make a statement until the legal issues and commercial details are tied up.
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