Behind the scenes – update 10

Here is the latest of the behind the scenes updates of events at Darlington FC.

The Boards of Darlington FC and DFCSG continue to meet weekly via video conference call, to discuss various ongoing relevant matters. They met on Thursday 21^st May 2020.

The Current league season:

There has been no further communication from the National League Board during the past three weeks. Therefore, there is nothing further to report on the status of the current league season. We have noted that the Premier League intend to restart in June, and that the EFL intends carrying out promotion and relegation.

Like many other clubs in the National League and also at other levels of the football pyramid, Darlington Football Club is exploring and researching the potential for the live streaming of games through the official club website. This work is in the very early stages and much of it will depend on the restrictions placed on staging matches in the future. We will keep you updated on this in due course.

Club finances:

Boost the Budget for season 2020/21 was launched on the 1^st May with the aim of raising at least £100,000 by the end of the month. All of the previous contributors have been contacted, while further details are available here:

https://fundraising.darlingtonfcsupportersgroup.org/pitches/boost-the-budget-20-21

At the time of publishing this article, the fans had raised £93,000… an outstanding effort so far!

Community engagement:

The club has continued to be very active again in the last week, and we intend to maintain this level of involvement through this period.

• The Buddy Mentoring Scheme has now reached over 800 supporters, with a great deal of excellent feedback. We know our fans appreciate the Club getting in touch to have a chat.
• Another reminder of our dedicated Contact Line (07488 564642 and email address media@darlingtonfc.org ) for supporters who feel the need to talk to someone at the Club. Many thanks to those supporters who have used this service so far.
• The Rev John Barker, a life long Darlington fan, has been appointed club chaplain. He can be contacted on chaplain@darlingtonfc.org. To find out more about John, who is writing an occasional column for the official website, click the link below:

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/quakers-appoint-club-chaplain.

Here's his latest column:

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/the-latest-ramblings-of-rev-john

• A successful Netcafe was held with assistant manager Darren Holloway on the official website -- here it is: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/darren-holloway-answers-your-questions-2

In the coming week, in addition to a continuation of the above, we will:

• Touch base with all our existing and current main sponsors, to bring them up to date on Club developments since lockdown
• Continue to run feature articles on our sponsors and partners from the official website. The Club remains in continuous contact with our sponsors and partners and we are maintaining our excellent relationships with them during these worrying times.
• Be publishing a Zoom interview with Chief Executive Officer David Johnston on the official website on Monday.
• Be holding a netcafe with manager Alun Armstrong on Wednesday, beginning at 7pm. Questions please to media@darlingtonfc.org.
• Be publishing a series of interviews on the official website with former player and captain Kevan Smith on Zoom.
• Be working on the progress of existing and new and exciting features for the official website.

Playing matters:

You will of course be delighted that Alun Armstrong has committed himself to the Club for a further three years and we are working hard with him to further improve the squad of players for the new season. You will also have already seen news of several players signing new deals for next season and further player updates will be released on the website over the next few days and weeks.

The Will Hatfield news went down well: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/will-signs-new-contract

Throughout these very difficult and unprecedented times, we have maintained a very high profile for the club on our official website and social media channels, and we will continue to do so for the benefit of our much-valued supporters. In the coming weeks and months, we will be exploring several new ideas to help provide our supporters with their ‘football fix’.

Thank you for your continued support, it is very much appreciated.

Remember, follow the guidelines and stay safe.