DAFTS - Darlington Away Far Travelling Supporters - are a social group of exiles and long distance fans who travel to away matches. The group can put fans in touch to help share travelling costs, or just help provide a focus for meeting before a game. It can be a lonely existence being a Darlo fan in some parts of the country...(even in Darlington at times..) DAFTS can put you in touch with other members in your local area - it can lead to car-shares or just sharing knowledge of handy places to meet for a pre-match pint or snack. It's all free and a mailing list with information pack goes out once a season and for the last three years we've been on-line! We'd be pleased to receive any suggestions and contributions - so if you've got suggestions for a place to stay, drink or eat for forthcoming games, or any messages or appeals, get in touch. MAN IN STRIPES: Look out for Neil (above) - he's coming your way. He's not usually this jolly-looking after the match. Have you got room in your car or need a lift to the game? Have some pub recommendations or wonder if there's a Darlo fan living in your area? Why not leave a message on the new DAFTS Travel Board. Don't worry, it's not another Darlo discussion forum or general messageboard, but is just intended to enable DAFTS members and other fans to leave messages and to keep in touch ahead of matches. 1994-2004 Ten years following Darliington To be included on the DAFTS mailing list of Darlington fans all over the UK and abroad, send your details to Neil Johnson via dafts2002UK@yahoo.co.uk Or E-mail: dafts2002UK@yahoo.co.uk Or complete an E-mail feedback form The DAFTS website is maintained and designed by Steve Duffy - please see page for more information and contact details. Contributions or comments are always welcome. © DAFTS 2006 OUR AIMS & PRINCIPLES To promote our club (with both future and existing fans) To promote the views and rights of all fans (even the opposition) Increase numbers and vocal support at matches, home and away Increase friendly contacts with opposition and neutral fans Prevent exiled Darlo fans sloping off to become: Armchair supporters of some "big club" Real supporters of a local club A loss to sport altogether (Shopping...) A follower of psuedo-sport (synchronised swimming, underwater rugby...) METHODS: Make it easier for exiled fans to keep the faith, even when Darlo's times are difficult: By socialising at matches - see pub and match list and also away guides By sharing travel and costs - E-mail for details of fans in your area By being kept up-to-date - see this website, newsletters, join Virtual Quakers mailing list Promote new Darlington fans By attracting neutrals or other fans to have Darlo as their "second team." Harbo Darlo is a group based in Harborne, Birmingham, who've "adopted" two pubs as Darlo shrines and who travel to Darlo games in the Midlands. SLADE (Southam Lager Ale and Darlo Enthusiasts) travel to Darlo games when England internationals have blanked out their own clubs' fixtures. By any type of publicity WE ASSIST AWAY FANS TO DECIDE ON MAKING A LONG TREK TO VISIT DARLO USING: Maps, town guides, digs, beer and grub guidance on this website and are able to also e-mail other information and deal with queries via e-mail. WE HELP THE CLUB BY: Fund-raising for Darlo-based beneficial funds Providing advice (we wouldn't have the same clout as individuals) Being a good example to show to sponsors and home area fans FAR AND WIDE: Regions/contacts Approximate numbers of fans: 627 and 214 on e-mail Contact: DAFTS for more information or to be added to the monthly e-mail or annual postal list. If you'd like to be an area "contact," e-mail us. Scotland...13 members North West...46 Yorkshire....65 East Midlands 75 Contact: Colin Fletcher Midlands/Worcs...65 Contact: Lance Ireland South Wales/West...33 Contact: Steve Duffy South West....42 South....23 Herts/Beds/Bucks...39 Berks/Surrey....14 Kent/Sussex...21 G London/North...21 G London/East..57 G London/West...51 Contact: Ted Blair East Anglia....43 Abroad....28   The birth of DAFTS BY "PROUD MOTHER" CELIA BARNES, Marston Green, nr Solihull, West Midlands The birth of the DAFTS, as I remember it. Parents, mothers in particular, are supposed to remember these sorts of things, but 1994 is a long time ago, however, as far as I can remember it was not a very long pregnancy and quite an easy birth, but we did have difficulty choosing a name though. The conception. This was in the front room of a house in the Midlands. We'd invited friends round for tea, we'd got fed up of playing Trivial Pursuit, so what do you do on a wet autumn evening and there's nothing on TV? Yes, that's right you play Pick-a-name-for-a-new-supporters-club. Rules were easy, choose a group of letters that spell a silly name and Bob's yours Uncle, or in this case, Bob's the father. And that's how 'it' was conceived. The pregnancy. This lasted just a couple of hours. How long does it take to come up with a snappy name for a supporters club, there's only 26 letters in the alphabet, 5 vowels and 21 consonants. Easypeasy. The birth. After much huffing and puffing and oohs and aahs, our 'baby' was born. The name. There was some argument over this, what should we call it? Its name must start with a D, for obvious reasons. We could call it Dennis, Donald, David, Darlo, Darlington. Any bright ideas? Rochdale had its BURKS (Bath University Rochdale Keen Supporters), and anyone who supports Darlington must be equally daft. We could call it "SILLY" or "CRAZY". No, that wasn't right. What about DANS, DOZIES, DRIBBLES. Let's think about this logically. We are certainly daft following Darlington, we could call it DAFT. D for Darlington, of course, what else. A, what would A equal? 'awfully nice', 'away'. Away, sounded good, because that's what we were - we lived away. F for Fans, we were certainly fans. T for travelling, which we did, quite a lot and quite a distance. Now let's see. DAFT, Darlington Away Fans Travelling. Just hadn't quite the right ring about it. Darlington Away Fans And Travelling Supporters - DAFATS. Possible, but ……. Then there was that eureka moment. Darlington Away Far Travelling Supporters - DAFTS. We'd got it, by George, we'd got it! We proudly showed off our new baby in the bar at the Cricket Club after every home game we went to, we told everyone about our lovely baby DAFTS, look at what it can do, it can put you in touch with all other daft supporters, share a car and share the cost. News of the new baby DAFTS spread far and wide, a list of equally minded people was gathered and compiled and distributed, new friends made and the rest, as they say, is history. DAFTS is going from strength to strength and my grateful thanks to Neil Johnson and Steve Duffy without whom DAFTS would have faded away after Bob died. My grateful thanks go also to all those hundreds of exiled Darlington supporters without whom DAFTS would most certainly have faded away. P.S.: DAFTS wasn't started as a Drinking Club!   DAFTS celebrated its 10th birthday in November 2004, by hiring an executive box for the match with Lincoln City. Guest of honour was Celia Barnes, widow of Bob, who co-founded DAFTS exactly a decade ago this month. The match itself was dire, of course, but failed to put a dampener on the day! It was lovely to see Celia up in Darlo again and we all enjoyed the day, with the meal, a few post match drinks in the Corner Bar and a few of us later went for a Thai meal. It proved, perhaps, what DAFTS is all about - whatever the result, it's the social side which is most important. This was my first full experience of the corporate side of the club, since the move to the new stadium - the meal was good and the service excellent, with staff certainly keeping an eye on us to make sure we enjoyed ourselves, and that we were topped up with coffee. Those boxes are pretty warm and it was just as well on a chilly afternoon - certainly in the second half, it seemed better to watch behind the glass (pity we didn't have curtains though!). 1994-2004 DAFTS was founded back in the winter of 1994 by the sadly departed Bob Barnes, a fan living in the Midlands. He got the idea for the name after hearing of a Rochdale exiles fan-club run by former students in the south west - Bath University Rochdale Keen Supporters (BURKS..) From a first meeting before a FA Cup tie, in recent years with the hard work of Darlo fan Neil Johnson (London, Aberdeen, Norway, Germany..now Cumbria!) and his trusty notebook, the membership has grown and since the Summer of 2001 we've also had a website presence (you're already here in case you didn't realise) and an e-mail group of around 220 fans and growing. DAFTS are now close on 1,000-strong group (620+ addresses) of exiles and far-flung fans, who meet together at Darlington FC away games - and some at home matches too - and can put fans in touch to help share travelling costs, or just help provide a focus for meeting in the pub or on the more scenic trips or weekends away. As well as "weekenders" at matches, from seaside towns to London, we have been on pre-season tours to the Isle of Man in 2000 and 2002 and Ireland in 2001. Those were the days when Darlo played pre-season tours! Newsletters every month We send out monthly newsletters to those on the e-mail list - there are a growing number of addresses we have and work...thanks for those who've e-mailed us asking to be added, with numbers standing at around 200. But there are others who've dropped off - please let us know your change of e-mail address. We have around 600-mark of postal addresses - if you're able to offer car-share or after a lift/petrol share for next season, get in touch and we'll see if there are any others in your area who can help. Growing numbers of you are signing up via e-mail - regular bulletins are being sent out. There are Darlington FC fans from all over the UK and abroad. They can be found in all areas of northern England, Scotland, a fair few in London and the south east, the Midlands also has a stronghold and there others scattered in Wales and the West. There may even be one or two near you. DAFTS - the Flying Squad, the opening credits - join the cast! DAFTS photos plus a selection of Ted Blair's match photos from 2005-2006 season and 2004-2005 About the DAFTS website This website, www.dafts.co.uk, was launched in July 2001 - not to compete with existing Darlington websites but to add something extra and really be an online presence for what DAFTS is all about. We try to steer clear of match reports and most other news, save our own particular take on things. Here's what a few people have said about us: "A superb site full of wry comments, away guides and DAFTS news." Where's The Money Gone? Interactive "This site is great for the away traveller. It has loads of information for your away day to the game. More info than I could ever gather. D@rlo Uncovered "A great resource if you're following Darlo on the road" Fanbase "DAFTS provides a ton of information for fans who don't live and those who do live in Darlo. One of the best bits of the site is the away travel guide...a must bookmark for all people. Even more so if you travel the country following the Darlo." The Tinshed "Great site with lots of content... this website has the personal touch which is very important and I rate this site amongst the best."Up The Darlo "A top site this, one of the best in the whole division, sorry League Two (puke). Well put together, useful, tells you things you actually want to know. Oh and independent. That's not official; not a franchised effort; that's independent. Sadly there are fewer and fewer such sites. Ciderspace Yeovil Town FC site "A well put together site written by a bunch of exiled fans. The map on the front page is a nice touch." Cod Almighty, Grimsby. "The site at www.dafts.co.uk is another excellent unofficial source of information...they seem to like the fish and chips and the pubs in Halifax.." - the Halifax programme. Sadly, no more...let's hope for a swift return by the Shaymen! Separated at birth After Two Jags, meet Two Lagers... THE DAFTS look-alikes agency is open for business. A chance meeting of Ted Blair with the even hairier Rory McGrath in an Oxford pub before the match earlier this year has spawned more DAFTS doppelgangers. Lance Ireland and one-time York City manager Terry Dolan - one of these men spends all week with sportsmen, the other in The Sportsman; next is Stockport and former Poolie manager Chris Turner and Steve Duffy, neither are looking forward to the Second Division next season. Bottom pictures are of the final auditions for "Blackadder V - George Blackadder's Cunning Plan" and Gavin Ellis and the deputy prime minister John Prescott.