Welcome to
www.darlotrust.co.uk

Farewell to Feethams

Trust links

Here are a few examples of the 140 or more Trusts in existence. Click on the Supporters' Direct logo below for full details.

AFC Wimbledon
Aston Villa
Barnsley
Berwick Rangers
Bristol City
Bromsgrove Rovers
Burnley
Bury
Cambridge U
Carlisle Utd
Chester City
Derby County
Doncaster Rovers
Exeter City
Halifax Town
Huddersfield Town
Hull City
Kidderminster Harriers
Leeds United
Leyton Orient
Lincoln City
Mansfield Town
Newcastle Utd
Newport County
Northampton Town
Notts County
QPR First
Rochdale
Rotherham Utd (RUST)
Slough Town
Southend Utd
Swansea City
Swindon Town
FC United
Watford
Wrexham
York City

Supporters Direct

Darlo links

DAFTS

Official Darlington FC

D@rlo Uncovered

Darlington Supporters' Club

It's time to join! Just £5 - for 12 months or £1 for under 16's.
Click to download our NEW membership form
Then print off and post back!

Write to: Darlington Supporters' Trust, PO Box 178, Northallerton, DL7 7AG.

E-mail: darlotrust@hotmail.com

Darlington Supporters' Trust, like others, is run on democratic lines and subject to a written constitution. There are annual elections for officers to serve on the Trust board and any adult member is entitled to stand. The Trust board is elected for a two year term, with half the board standing down annually or standing for re-election. You can contact the Trust by e-mailing the Trust. Where there are special responsibilities or areas of involvement, these are listed. The last AGM was on Wednesday 3rd June 2009.

The Supporters' Trust board for 2009-2010 is:

Ian Carter, Elected member
Steve Duffy, Co-opted member
Paul Hodgson, Vice chairman
Walter Lucas, Elected member
Peter Plant, Secretary
Clare Stone, Co-opted member
Kevin Stonehouse, Co-opted member
David Taylor, Membership secretary
Maureen Taylor, Treasurer.
Tony Taylor, Chairman
Abbi Marshall Wyer Elected member
Paul Wyer Elected member

Name Ian Carter (Elected board member) "I have been a Darlo supporter as long as I can remember and have missed only two home matches in the past 22 years…when we beat Swansea 6-0 and we beat Southend 4-0!! I have also been a regular on the away terraces/seats for many years. "I have over the years been spotted pushing Flipper to various away games, the last of which (and yes Flipper, I mean last!) was a 112 mile push to Scunthorpe (no motorway access for wheelchairs I am afraid!), others have included Hartlepool twice - rained throughout, and York rained to the point where the match was postponed! "The wheelchair pushes are part of what has been an ongoing array of fund-raising events that I have got involved with, probably to escape from my 'existence' as a civil servant. "I have twin daughters who now attend games when they can and hopefully will be able to do so for many years to come. This is in part why I have got involved with and fully support the Trust." Name Peter Plant (Secretary) Peter is serving his second stint on the Trust board, having previously been a very active member helping to organise fund-raising in Darlington the Crisis Part One, in 2004.	Name Steve Duffy (Co-opted member) About yourself "I live in south Wales, was born in Birmingham and the reason I follow Darlo is a strange, complicated and whimsical story, but buy me a pint one day and I will tell you. I have been involved with the trust since its formation. I'm also involved with DAFTS and maintain both the DAFTS website, as well as this, the Trust's website". Steve has worked full-time in the media for the last 20 years (he started on an electric typewriter, swiftly followed by Amstrad computers and by now he can type quite efficiently). He was among the founding group of the Trust and also led the Trust group setting up the Farewell to Feethams exhibition back in 2001-2002 - which now seems a very long time ago. He has resisted the temptation to organise a Staying at the Darlo Arena exhibition, but is up for any other reasonable offer. Served as vice chairman last year and has agreed to be co-opted for the next season, in what he hopes will be an important year for both club and Trust after a turbulent period, in which there can now be a reconnection with supporters. Contact Steve on steveduffy99@yahoo.co.uk
Name Paul Hodgson (Vice chairman) Most fans know me as Flipper. I'm 41 years old and have been supporting the club since season 72-73. I travel to almost every away game and have visited 81 grounds - 69 with Darlo. I enjoy the away matches as it gives me the chance to meet my friends that live in different parts of the country. I'm fortunate enough to have had two books published with my co-author Mike Jarvie. The first one Flipper's Side exceeded all my expectations and is still selling well today. Without going into detail, the book chronicles my life both as a Darlo fan and also as a disabled person. The second book When Push Comes to Shove came out in December 2003. It's a diary type book taking in both the 98-99 and the 99-2000 seasons. Again, it has sold well. Away from football I'm employed as a civil servant; I deal with pensions - I enjoy it but eventually I see myself as a full time writer - time will tell on that score. I was happy to be frist co-opted back onto the board in order to assist with the Disabled Supporters' Group, together with Ian Carter and stood for election this time around.	Name Abbi Marshall Wyer (Elected member) Name Paul Wyer (Elected board member)
Name David Taylor (Membership Secretary) About yourself "I have been a Darlington fan now for over 30 years andI have followed the club through quite a few dark times (as most of us have) but a few good times too. The unforgettable first trip to Wembley, even though the result went against us was one to remember andthen our second trip to see us play on the best pitch in the world, only to find it waterlogged! Typical Darlo luck I say. "During the dark days before the club went into administration I decided to join the Supporters' Trust andI have been a member ever since. "I was approached and asked if I would be interested in helping out with the new board which I am now doing. Hopefully we can all help take the club forward andsee good times again. We are hoping to arrange many events during the next year or so to try andbring the Trust and the club to the attention of the public, hopefully the club and the Trust can grow together and work together on many new and exciting ventures. Darlington needs a football club and it also needs the fans to back it, not just from Darlington but also from the surrounding areas and beyond. Hopefully we can all do our bit in helping attract new and old fans to watch the games." Name Maureen Taylor (Treasurer) About yourself: Maureen has been a Darlo fan for many years and was one of the founding members of the trust, when the first steering group was set up in 2001. She has also been an active member of the Darlington Disabled Supporters' Group over the last year and acted as secretary and treasurer on other committees for more than 20 years, experience which she hopes to bring to the trust. "I am a firm believer that board members must always remember that they are elected to serve the membership," she said.	Name Tony Taylor (Chairman) Tony was on the original group which helped set up the Trust in 2001 and served as a co-opted member of the board in 2003-2004 during a critical period for the Trust. He served as chairman from 2004-2005 until February 2006. He was also elected in September 2005 to serve for three years as a board member of Supporters' Direct, the body overseeing the development of trusts nationwide. He has experience in business, management consultancy and PR. Age 48 About yourself "I have been involved with the Trust in Darlington since it was first mooted as an idea several years ago. I was proud to represent the Trust in its dealings with previous and current owners and have spoken at national conferences regarding our experiences at Darlington. I am a firm believer in representation of fans' issues regarding the direction and management of the club we support (I first watched Darlington in 1965) and consider the Trust to be the only vehicle through which this can be achieved. It has been an honour to serve as Chairman over the last year and I would like to thank my fellow Board members for their help, support and dedication to the aims of the Trust". The Darlington Supporters Trust is committed to a number of key aims: Strengthen bonds between club and community To promote the game of football as a recreational and sporting activity and focus for community Help provide, maintain and preserve facilities for the enjoyment of professional football Help promote coaching schemes for all in the community To promote support for the club and encourage new support, especially of young people and families To oppose violence, racism and all other forms of discrimination To develop links with supporters of other football clubs to further enjoyment for all fans Encourage the club to take proper account of the supporters and the community it serves To promote full, accountable, democratic and constructive involvement of supporters in running of the club, including the principle of supporter representation on the board To raise money to be spent in order to support and achieve these objectives.