For this week, we've handed the reigns for the site over to the Dale Supporters Trust who will bring to you a number of articles to outline some of the work that they do for the benefit of the club and its supporters.

As part of Trust Week we at rochdaleafc.com thought that we would bring you a brief history of the Dale Trust…... yawn I hear you say…. But before you click elsewhere …read on ….what the Trust has achieved since it was formed is only the beginning, the purpose of Trust Week is to promote it and look to a successful future in supporting our football team in as many ways as possible….. but before we look into the future lets first look at the past………

The Trust was formed by a group of dedicated Dale fans in January 2004, and its purpose was to help safeguard the future of the Club and give the fans a say in the way their Club was run. Although the Trust was unveiled in January 2004, the planning and preparation began months in advance as the founder Board Members publicised their new venture and started to build up to the big launch night.

The launch night was a big success with a few hundred fans turning up to listen to what the Trust had to offer, its aims and what it was all about. Since that night four and a half years ago, the Trust has gone from strength to strength. It represents the voice of the fans, has regular meetings with Club Directors, has a Board Member who attends meetings of the Stadium Company, and works closely with Football in the Community, which has gained significant grants to assist in encouraging participation in football to the youngsters within our community. If you are not happy about something within the Club the chances are that the Trust will know someone who can make a difference.

Unlike most Trusts, ours was not formed because of any crisis within the Club. What we aim to do is to be proactive rather than reactive and ensure that should the Club ever experience problems in the future the Trust would be available to step in and help.

We are of course lucky at Spotland that we have had a Board of Directors over the past 15 years who have progressed the club in a way few thought possible. But it’s easy to rest on your laurels and in football things can quickly take a turn for the worse… It was partly with this in mind that the Trust was formed in January 2004.

Since its formation in 2004 the Trust has continued to grow and has become very much a part of the fabric of Rochdale Football Club… in that time it has:
• Increased its membership
• Arranged several successful events for fans, including the “Curry on up the Dale” nights, Fans Forums, including the recent Legends version, and the Annual Awards Night
• Purchased shares in the club – thus giving fans a shareholders involvement whilst assisting the Club financially
• Last season donated money to the Club to purchase equipment for use by the ground staff and a piece of equipment for the Rehab room which is currently under construction within the Club premises.
• Donated money to the Club for the purchase of Pitch covers.
• Introduced the club to a new generation of supporters through the Dale Dragons promotions.
• Continued to promote the good name of the Club through its various media outlets including the matchday programme and official Trust website.
• Organised a very successful centenary exhibition of merchandise in Touchstones Museum, and, through the sale of a range of Centenary merchandise, contributed significantly to the Club in financial terms.
• Secured a representative to the meetings of the Stadium Company Board thus ensuring that the fans have a voice in its administration.

There have been many more achievements, far too many to mention………… but although these of the past are many, we must make sure that the achievements of the future are just as notable and that the Trust and the Football Club continue to flourish.

In its four and a half year history the Trust has continued to evolve, most of the original board members having been replaced by new people coming on board, adding their talents and commitment. The role of the Trust will continue to evolve and although we have looked at the brief history, it’s the future that is our main concern……..

The future of the Trust is directly reflective of the strength of its membership, and the ability of those who are appointed to its management by its members to represent them to the best of their ability by ensuring that their views are considered in any matters relating to Rochdale Football Club.

With this mind, only the members can ensure that those who have submitted their nominations for the vacancies on the Trust Board, the elections for which will be held at the forthcoming AGM, reflect the qualities that can ensure that this will happen. So, when the AGM date is announced, please make every effort to attend in order to make your voice heard.

It’s up to you, the Members of the Trust to decide.

Trust in us.

Photo: Action Images

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