Dover chairman calls for a Supporters Club

Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter has called for the Supporters’ Trust to form a Supporters' Club - and to get more involved in projects at Crabble, writes Justin Allen.

Trust representative Paul Harrison revealed before Christmas that the Supporters’ Trust had to prove its future worth to the club, apart from just raising money.

Although the Trust is still raising significant amounts of cash (it has donated £7,000 already this season), Mr Parmenter feels there is a need for a Supporters' Club to be formed.

This season, a group of supporters have mobilised themselves, independently from the Trust, to arrange their own coach travel to away games.

Mr Parmenter told www.doverathletic.com  : “It is the board’s view, at this moment in time, that the Supporters’ Trust needs to look at the fans they are not attracting.

“Despite our average home gate being around 700-800 people, I doubt if 100 of our regular fans are Trust members, which means there is something wrong somewhere.

“We’ve asked the Trust, what part are they now going to play for the football club going forward? Raising money has been superb - but we need to see them get involved in other areas, and I know Paul agrees with us on this.

“The Trust are not hanging their hat on any projects, apart from clearing the club's overdraft. I’ve mentioned a plan to build a new clubhouse but they’ve not come forward to support that yet.

"There are a number of hard-working people who put a lot of work in - but it's the same old faces doing it. I'd like to see more people getting involved.

“They are buying shares in the club. I've no problem with the Trust having shares and a say in the running of the club, but we would like to see them getting more actively involved with us in taking Dover Athletic forward.

“It seems to us that the Trust is not seen as something that appeals to the majority of fans and with this other group of supporters getting together now I believe there is a case for a Supporters’ Club to be re-formed here.

“If this other group can organise coach travel off their own backs, what else are they capable of doing to help the club? That is a good question – and one which the Trust needs to look at.

“We are happy to work with a strong Supporters' Trust, one that caters for most of our fans."

Visit club websites:

www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk

www.doverathletic.com

Ashford Town v Dover Athletic
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 3^rd February 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At The Homelands, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NJ