We are the self-preservation society…
As you are no doubt aware, Darlington Football Club 1883 Limited (1883 Limited) completed the purchase of the business, assets and goodwill of Darlington Football Club with the intention of carrying on the same as a going concern. The support of the fans and community of Darlington was invaluable in making this happen. Unfortunately, as the purchase was completed in a very different manner to what was originally envisaged, all of the pledged investment has had to be returned.
The continued support of the fans and community of Darlington is needed to give the football club a future. There are a number of ways that you can get involved in this process of safeguarding the future of the football club (details of how can be found below)
How To Get Involved
Option 1 – Support the Fan Groups Now
There are 4 fan groups:
- The Supporters Club,
- Uncovered
- DAFTS and
- Darlo Tykes
Each has pledged their support to 1883 Ltd, and they have indicated that it is their intention to seek to use such monies to purchase additional shares in 1883 Ltd. You can gift money to one of these groups and they will buy additional shares.
You can find the details of the fan groups at the bottom of this page.
Option 2 – Donate Now
If anyone wishes to simply donate money to the club then email donate@buydarlo.org and you can find out how you can do this.
Option 3 – Join The Community Interest Company Later
A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a company limited by guarantee and the people who subscribe are members. Amongst other things, the CIC will be in a position to acquire shares in Darlington FC 1883 on behalf of the members and as the shareholding grows, the CIC will have more and more control of 1883 Limited. The CIC will have its own directors to run it elected by their members and they will also have representatives on the DFC 1883 board. The CIC is permitted to own more than 15% of the shares of 1883 Limited.
The CIC allows the community at large to consolidate their interest in the football club and the community club concept. This will include individuals and bodies such as corporate sponsors, other social groups and clubs. The CIC will serve the community at large and act as a focal point for further community development of sports and associated activities. As the CIC is regulated, is has strict rules that it must adhere to. The CIC is asset locked which means shares cannot be transferred to other owners therefore never again can the club be stripped of its assets.
You will be able to get involved in the CIC by the end of June. The process to get the CIC launched is already under way. We are also working on ways to allow membership of the CIC to be obtained by different means and for different categories of membership to be created depending upon the value of the contributions made.
Option 4 – Other ways of investing
To discuss other potential ways in which you may introduce funds to help secure the financial sustainability of Darlington FC 1883 Ltd. and promote the success of our club, please contact donate@buydarlo.org
Fan Group Information
Darlington Supporters Club
The Supporters Club already have shares in 1883 Ltd and are hoping to be able to buy more with the support of the fans. You can invest directly into their bank from your Crowd Cube account or make a payment into their bank either over the counter at your bank or via a bank transfer. The bank details are below. If you make a transfer or deposit to the Supporters Club account it is essential that you include your name as a reference and email Karen with your reference and also the amount you have transferred.
Website: Supporters Club Information
Contact: Karen Glencross - Karen.glencross@ntlworld.com
Bank Details
Sort Code: 20-25-29
Account No: 60296708
Barclays Bank
High Row
Darlington
Co Durham
Darlo Uncovered
Darlo Uncovered have already raised over £20,000 to help save the football club, some went directly to pay the players and the remainder will be invested into 1883 Ltd. Darlo Uncovered will be buying more shares if they receive further support from the fans.
You can get involved with Darlo Uncovered by making a payment to them via paypal to the email address of scott@ukrivals.net.
If you make a paypal payment please also email Scott with the details of that payment, including a reference and the amount.
Website - www.darlofc.co.uk
Contact – Scott Thornberry - scott@darlouncovered.com
DAFTS and Darlo Tykes
Both DAFTS and Darlo Tykes have pledged their support to 1883 Ltd and members of both groups and the groups already have shares in 1883 Ltd. More information will be added on here as how to get involved with these groups as soon as we have it.
In Summary
If you want to get involved quickly, your main options are the Supporters Club or Darlo Uncovered. We hope to have that list expanded to include DAFTS and Darlo Tykes very soon. The CIC will offer a further option before the end of the month.
